Tiglon TPL-2000R single-ended interconnects

A huge part of the audiophile addiction…er…hobby, (yeah… let's call all of this insanity a quote-unquote 'hobby'), is incessantly trying to improve the sound quality of the gear you own with better cabling. Why do this…? Why change any of your cables and risk the painful expense of time, energy, and money in the desperate hope that maybe… just… maybe, you might be able to improve the overall sound quality of your stereo with different wires?

I mean, it's always easier to not do something…right? Just leave your cables alone and don't change anything. If the sound quality of your 2-channel rig is good, why try to make it better? Stated succinctly, because trying to squeeze more sound out of your stereo by incessantly changing cables is a big part of the hobby/obsession of high-end audio.

I recently committed to auditioning a pair of cables from a Japanese high-end audio company named Tiglon. If you're into audio, you've probably heard of well-established Japanese audio manufacturers like Teac, Esoteric, and Furutech. Tiglon is another matter. Even serious audiophiles I've known for decades have never heard of Tiglon. Although I've seen Tiglon's equipment racks and cables at audio shows, I'd never actually auditioned any of their products in my own home.

Tiglon TPL-2000R RCA interconnects

Tiglon's TPL-2000R RCA interconnects have an MSRP of $2370 CAD plus taxes. I own dozens of interconnects that are priced in the $5K USD to $8K USD range. All of these offer excellent sound. So why would I bother to listen to a pair of $2370 CAD level interconnects from a Japanese company that I'm not that familiar with? Stated succinctly, because sometimes—a very few and rare times—I'll hear a pair of interconnects that create jaw-dropping sound at a much lower price point than they have any right to. The TPL-2000R is one of those extremely rare interconnects that compete with cables which are two or even three times more expensive. As such, they deserve to be heard, and reviewed.

Tiglon TPL-2000R RCA interconnects

Tiglon Company Background

Today in late 2025, Tiglon is located in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In April 2009, Tiglon earned international patents for the company's use of magnesium technologies. Tiglon's magnesium shielded cables debuted at the 2012 Munich High-End Audio Show. Back then, Tiglon started selling their audiophile cables, equipment stands, and ancillary tweaks on a worldwide basis. Since then, accolades and awards have poured in for Tiglon's cables and other audio products from around the globe.

Technical Details

The sound quality (or lack thereof) of interconnects is based upon several things: 1), the quality and type of the metals used as conductors; 2), the di-electric materials, technologies, and shielding used to insulate the conductors; 3), the quality of the connecting plugs; and 4), the consistency and quality of the assembly and termination work.

Tiglon believes that the electro-magnetic wave blocking potential, vibration absorption, and heat dissipation properties of magnesium all make that element (magnesium – Mg) an ideal material to achieve better sound from audiophile cables, equipment stands, and ancillary tuning devices. The intellectual property rights to Tiglon's unique magnesium shielding are protected by an international patent: #4282759.

Tiglon uses dip-formed oxygen-free copper (DF-OFC) for the conductors in their TPL-2000R RCA interconnects. This DF-OFC conductor is coated with their patented magnesium shield technology. The outer jacket is further "tuned" with a specialized tubing that's used in the aviation industry.

Tiglon also applies an anti-static treatment and a burn-in process that uses a device they've named the "Hyper Saturated Energizer" (H.S.E. Grande) to all of their cables. They claim that these treatments improve signal clarity, increase resolution, and heighten the accuracy of the PRaT (Pace, Rhythm, and Timing) of the music.

To further improve the sound quality, Tiglon adds what they refer to as an "Advanced Magnesium Filter" (AMF) to all of their cables. They claim that their AMF suppresses vibrations in their cables' horizontal and vertical planes. All of these technologies are based upon sound engineering principles. For more technical info, please visit Tiglon's website (HERE).

KLE Innovations RCA plugs

KLE Innovations RCA plugs – detailed view

Initial Set-Up

Tiglon's top-of-the-line TPL-2000R RCA interconnects are finished in a white outer jacket and terminated with high quality KLE Innovations™ Copper (Cu) Harmony plugs. These RCA plugs are similar to Eichmann's Bullet® plugs. These plugs were, in fact, designed by Australian engineer Keith Eichmann. They use a minimum of metal for the contact points. If you're looking for single-ended interconnects that are as thick as your forearm, look elsewhere. These interconnects have a thin diameter, are reasonably flexible, and are not physically heavy. As such, these directional interconnects are easy to install into any stereo system.

I'd initially planned to burn the interconnects in for a week or two before doing any serious listening. Right out of the box with zero burn time, their impressive speed, dynamics, texture, and overall sound quality impressed me. Tiglon's proprietary burn-in treatments obviously work.

Led Zeppelin, Early Days: Volume One

The first album that I listened to was Led Zeppelin's Early Days: Volume One (Atlantic: CD 83268). As the first track "Good Time, Bad Times" rolled along, the unstoppable groove and swaggering musical energy of the song came roaring forth. With zero burn-in time, the TPL-2000R RCA interconnects created an immersive, cohesive, and tactile sound. I immediately knew that these were serious interconnects and that I'd need to invest more time into properly reviewing them.

Comparison Tests

1.5m Nordost Hemidall-2 RCA interconnects

Compared to a 1.5m pair of Nordost's Frey-2 analog RCA interconnects, (MSRP $2790 CAD ), Tiglon's TPL-2000R interconnects had faster transients, more dynamic energy, superior timbral accuracy, and a much fuller sound. The sonics of the Frey-2 interconnects were thinner than Ariana Grande and slower than the United States' Congress on passing legislation.

Worse still, sounds in the high frequency registers of the Frey-2 interconnects were glassy, harsh, and annoyingly un-natural. Compared to the TPL-2000R, the Frey-2 interconnects were dropping a lot of the sonic information that I know is buried in the recordings. Metaphorically speaking, using the Frey-2 interconnects was like trying to eat chicken-noodle soup with a fork. Most of the musical broth, a lot of the expressive noodles, and some of the smaller sonic chicken bits slipped right through the fork's prongs. There was no contest here. The sound quality of the TPL-2000R interconnects was vastly superior to the Frey-2 interconnects. Next.

Cardas Clear Rev-1 + Cardas Clear Beyond RCA interconnects

An audiophile friend (thanks Edgar!) whom lives in the same town as I do brought two pairs of Cardas' RCA interconnects over to my home for comparison. These interconnects were: 1), a 1.5m pair of Cardas' Clear Rev-1 RCA interconnects (MSRP $3540 CAD); and 2), a 1.5m pair of Cardas' Clear Beyond RCA interconnects (MSRP $6750 CAD).

Compared to Tiglon's TPL-2000R, the Cardas Clear Rev-1 RCA interconnects were noticeably slower and far less dynamic. The Clear Rev-1 interconnects simply did not have the depth of resolution, transient speed, or musicality of the TPL-2000R interconnects. Overall, Edgar and I both agreed that that TPL-2000R interconnect was a far more musical, energetic, and natural sounding pair of interconnects than the Clear Rev-1 RCA interconnects.

Cardas' cables have a particular 'house sound' that has a fair bit of weight and warmth in the lower registers. This weight, unfortunately, comes with the rather heavy price of losing resolution, speed, presence, and texture in the midrange, upper midrange, and higher frequency registers.

The 1.5m pair of Cardas' Clear Beyond RCA interconnects (MSRP $6750 CAD) had marginally deeper resolution, (maybe… 3%), than the TPL-2000R interconnects. The Clear Beyond interconnects did not, however, cleanly beat the sound quality of the $2370 CAD TPL-2000R interconnects. Germane to the $4400 CAD difference in price between these single-ended cables, this surprised me.

Edgar and I agreed that there wasn't a clear winner here. Both sets of interconnects offered fast transients, good texturing, and a cohesive sound that was a pleasure to listen to. Which means that Tiglon's RCA interconnects are capable of getting into the ring with a pair of interconnects that are 2½ times more expensive, and not being knocked out.

Stated succinctly, this grabbed my attention like a pair of those grippy socks with the rubberized soles that the luverly (sic.) nurses at the Psych ward so enthusiastically insist all of their audiophile patients wear. I could happily live with a pair or two of either of these interconnects. You do the math on the prices.

1.5m pair of Echole Orius RCA interconnects

Climbing far higher up the sonic ladder, next up was a 1.5m pair of Echole Cable's Orius RCA interconnects (MSRP $12,000 USD). The Orius is known for deep resolution, stunning micro-detail retrieval, and their exquisite bass control. The Orius also creates a wide and deep soundstage, striking transient speed, and breathtakingly lifelike textures. Rather than possessing a specific set of sonic characteristics, Echole's Orius interconnects simply lower the noise floor, minimize sonic colorations, and get out of the way of the music. Unless you can afford to buy interconnects north of the $20K USD mark, the Orius is a true 'end game' pair of interconnects.

For perspective, I compared the Orius to Tiglon's RCA interconnects. Without question, the Orius had deeper resolution, a bigger soundstage, more palpable instrumental textures, and superior image placement. The TPL-2000R single-ended interconnects did, however, have the same impressive speed, dynamics, and overall musicality.

Tiglon's RCA interconnects also created a coherent and musical sound that was a lot closer to the jaw-dropping realism of the Orius interconnects than I expected it to be. In the same way that the Orius just gets out of the way and lets the music flow through, so too do the TPL-2000R interconnects.

Shortcomings

Compared to interconnects that are priced north of the $10,000 USD retail mark, Tiglon's TPL-2000R RCA interconnects do not have the same level of micro-detail retrieval, resolution, or precision 3-dimensional placement of individual instruments within the soundstage. They also create slightly more weight (3% or 5% more) in the lower mid-range, upper bass, and mid-bass registers than state-of-the-art interconnects do.

Listening Tests

Miles Davis' 1958 album Kind of Blue is a genre defining jazz record. I started with a 2011 re-release of this seminal album on a Japanese-made Sony Music K2HD (Sony Music® 8869-7883-272) CD.

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue K2HD CD

Tiglon's TPL-2000R RCA interconnects produced an organic and musical sound that were a pleasure to sink right into. The songs "So What," "Freddy Freeloader," "Blue in Green," and "Flamenco Sketches" all reminded me of how soulful and inspiring the music on this amazing album truly is.

Was this the best I've ever heard Kind of Blue sound? No. The last 5% to 10% of the PRaT, timbral accuracy, soundstaging, transparency, and dynamics which state-of-the-art $20,000 USD+ interconnects produce simply wasn't there. And yet, I felt a strong enough emotional connection with the music that I could applaud the TPL-2000R interconnects for their cohesive sound and musicality.

Electric Wizard, Dopethrone

For perspective, I needed something heavier. I next tried Electric Wizard's landmark album Dopethrone (Rise Above Records- CD LO276CD) upsampled to 24/176. Released in 2000, this album features Godzilla-heavy stoner-doom rhythms where monstrous riffs, anthemic grooves, and apocalyptic lyrics slowly carry a listener through a doomed sonic netherworld.

If you like the slow down-tuned doom of Black Sabbath's early records, you'll (probably) love Electric Wizard's sound. Electric Wizard's name is derived from two Black Sabbath songs: "Electric Funeral" and "The Wizard." The delicious amaretto-infused rhythm guitar on this album is slow, thick, heavy, and coffee rich in its sonic taste and textures. Tiglon's TPL-2000R interconnects let me hear the dynamic energy, instrumental timbres, and doom-laden onslaught of this music in its full glory.

Listening to the heavy-handed cosmic space-doom groove of the song "Funerapolis," my immediate instinct was to crank the volume right up and thrash my wee Scottish heid…er…head in time to the hell-hammer sonic carnage that I was so vaingloriously enjoying. Ohhhh sweet musical Hosanna! At that exact moment, if Mark Carney's suede-denim secret police had kicked in my listening room's door and arrested me for acting like a deliriously caffeinated college kid, I wouldn't have cared. I was having so much fun thrashing right out to Electric Wizard's songs that, as I think back on it now, the memory still makes me smile a demented smile.

Whatever type of music I tried, the result with the TPL-2000R single-ended interconnects was always the same. Jazz recordings were so immersive that I could close my eyes and imagine being at live club shows. Classical recordings brought back glorious memories of live orchestras that I've heard in concert halls all over the world. Harder-edged classic rock, speed metal, and doom metal records had me swinging my hips around the room and playing air guitar. With good recordings, these interconnects consistently made all types of music exciting and engaging.

Conclusion

I started this review by asking why, if the sound quality of your stereo system is reasonable good, why on earth would any audiophile try different interconnects? Stated succinctly, because that's what audio-nutters do. Trying to squeeze more sound out of our stereo rigs by installing different cables is a big part of the hobby.

Tiglon's top-of-the-line TPL-2000R single-ended interconnects sonically compete with—and even beat—other interconnects in the $5000 to $7000 CAD retail price range. Their MSRP is $2370 CAD. As such, by audiophile standards, this RCA interconnect is a stone-cold bargain.

The TPL-2000R interconnects remind me, fondly, of Rega's lower-end P3 and P5 turntables. While those record players do not have state-of-the-art soundstaging, resolution, or detail retrieval, the P3 and P5 are surprisingly musical 'tables. They just get out of the way and let listeners sink right into the rhythm and groove of the music. These cables do the same thing.

Do you want to enjoy your music far more without having to sell a kidney on eBay? Do yourself a huge favor and buy a pair of Tiglon's TPL-2000R interconnects.

These interconnects are giant killers.