Solid conductors prevent strand-interaction, a major source of dynamic distortion in cables.
AudioQuest's best copper. To the greatest extent presently possible, extreme-purity Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) conductors minimize distortion caused by grain boundaries.
Three alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics "shield the shield," absorbing and reflecting most RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to ground.
Polyethylene Air-Tube's low-loss, high-air content design minimizes the out-of-focus effect seen in other materials, ensuring optimal performance.
All internal conductors are Direction-Controlled to reduce RF noise.
Description
Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) Conductors
Solid conductors prevent electrical and magnetic strand-interaction. PSC+ Solid-Copper minimizes distortion caused by grain boundaries and maximizes linear RF Noise-Dissipation.
Carbon-Based 3-Layer Noise-Dissipation
It's easy to accomplish 100% shield coverage. Preventing captured Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) from modulating the equipment's ground reference requires AQ's Noise-Dissipation System (NDS). Traditional shield systems typically absorb and then drain noise/RF energy to component ground, modulating and distorting the critical "reference" ground plane, which in turn causes a distortion of the signal. NDS's alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics "shield the shield," absorbing and reflecting most of this noise/RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to ground.
Polyethylene Air-Tube Insulation
Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is actually part of an imperfect circuit. Wire insulation and circuit board materials all absorb energy. Some of this energy is stored and then released as distortion. AudioQuest, however, uses Polyethylene Air-Tube Insulation on both conductors, for increased geometry stabilization and improved clarity. Because air absorbs next to no energy and Polyethylene is low-loss and has a benign distortion profile, Polyethylene Air-Tube Insulation, with its high air content, causes much less of the out-of-focus effect common to other materials.
Asymmetrical Double-Balanced Geometry
Purpose designed for single-ended applications, Asymmetrical Double-Balanced Geometry offers a relatively lower impedance on the ground for a richer, and more dynamic experience. While many single-ended cable designs use a single path for both the ground and the shield, Double-Balanced designs separate the two for cleaner, quieter performance.
Cold-Welded, Direct-Silver Plated Pure Purple Copper Terminations
Direct-Silver Plating is optimized for sound, using no underlying layer of distortion-causing nickel, while the highly effective cold-weld process avoids sound-degrading solder.
Materials & Design
Metal: ZERO: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) / BASS: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
Geometry: Asymmetrical Double-Balanced
Insulation: Polyethylene Air-Tubes
Jacket: Dark Gray on Black Nylon Braid
Terminations: Cold-Welded, Direct-Silver-Plated Purple Copper
Features & Performance
Noise-Dissipation: Carbon-Based
