COLD WELDED, GOLD-PLATED PLUG
This plug design allows for a solderless connection, a common source of distortion. Instead of soldering, the process uses a high-pressure technique. Because the ground shells are stamped rather than machined, the metal used can be chosen for low distortion rather than machinability.
SOLID CONDUCTORS MADE OF 0.5% SILVER
Solid conductors reduce the detrimental effects of electrical and magnetic strand-to-strand interactions. For digital cables, where signals are so high-frequency that they travel almost exclusively over the surface of the conductor, increasingly thick layers of silver plating are applied to AudioQuest’s long-grain copper (LGC) conductors to further improve noise dissipation. Placing the premium metal on the outside of the conductor has the greatest benefit in overall performance – an extremely cost-effective way to maximize the performance of a digital cable.
FOIL + PROTECTION WITH KNITTED PVC
NOISE EXTRACTION
Noise-Dissipation "shields", absorbs and reflects most of the noise/RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to the ground.
RIGID CELL FOAM INSULATION
Rigid Cellular Foam (HCF) insulation provides the critical geometry of a signal pair. Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is effectively part of an incomplete circuit. Wire insulation and circuit materials absorb energy. Some of this energy is stored and then released as distortion. Rigid Cellular Foam insulation is similar to the foamed PE used in our more affordable Bridges & Falls cables, and is injected with nitrogen to create air pockets. Because nitrogen (like air) does not absorb energy and therefore does not release any energy from or into the conductor, distortion is reduced. Additionally, the rigidity of the material allows the cable conductors to maintain a stable ratio along the entire length of the cable, creating a stable impedance character and further reducing distortion.
