Knowledge Center

Conductors: A conductor is an object or type of material that allows the flow of charge (electric current) in one or more directions. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors.

Copper has high conductivity and is the standard in the cable industry. We can find ultra-pure copper, such as Annealed copper, that can slightly exceed 101% IACS; there are copper alloys (like bronze and brass) that are highly corrosion resistant and are cheaper but still great conductors. The OFC (oxygen-free copper) is the most common copper in audio cables. Our cables have low levels of oxygen (as low as 5N 99,999%), not because they have better conductivity than standard copper, but because they are less prone to oxidation; in this way, we guarantee good operation over time.

Silver is 6% more conductive than copper, but due to cost, it is not practical in most cases; however, it is used in specialized equipment and as a thin plating to mitigate skin effect losses at high frequencies. Coaxial cables work in the high-frequencies domain and can benefit from silver. Our Coaxial L2 is a great example.

Gold is a good conductor of heat and electricity but not as good as silver or copper. Still, it is excellent to protect from external elements thanks to doesn't have an oxidation process, which is why it is commonly used in plating.

Rhodium is worst conductor than gold but is extremely hard and durable; this help to extend the life of any piece plated with this material.

Dielectrics: A dielectric (or dielectric material) is an insulator. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the material as they do in an electrical conductor because they have no loosely bound or free electrons that may drift through the material.

All cables are made of a conductor (the wire) covered by an insulator (the jacket). If you look in google for "dielectric coefficient," you will find tables full of materials and their Dielectric Coefficient number. The number represents how much dielectric effects the material has; the lower the number, the better insulation properties have, and the less audible effects on the audio signal or the power transmission. All values are nominalized to "Air" which has a dielectric coefficient number "1" because it has virtually no dielectric effect. We use PTFE, PE, XLPE, and TPE; they have a <2.3 coefficient depending on the mix, but even our PVC has a low coefficient (3.0).

When a dielectric material has not been exposed to electrical signals, it is unconditioned. The dielectric material becomes conditioned with use, the dielectric effect becomes less, and the cable or component gets better sounding. We can say that the Break-in is a conditioning process.

Break-in time is like a roller coaster and can last between 150 to 250 hours, depending on materials and the use. Nevertheless, the settling time is usually five days, instability is less noticeable, and you will hear everything almost as when the Break-in process is finalized.

Yes, if you let the cable for at least a month without use, it will need to pass through the Break-in again; remember, the current flow activates the process.

No, but some designs need to be indicated because shielding is usually connected only to one side, which can modify how it works. One more reason to indicate direction is because of Break-in; if you have to disconnect the cable for any reason and you put it back in the opposite direction, this will affect the sound; we don’t want that you have to wait again to enjoy music.

Cable design is a game of balance; we need low resistance and keep down the capacitance and the inductance, but to do this is more complex than it sounds. If you down the capacitance, increase the inductance, but if you down the inductance, increase the capacitance. There are many ways to control this. Capacitance could be controlled using good dielectrics and small wire cores (but remember, too small and resistance grow). On the other hand, inductance can be reduced by twisting the wires to avoid keeping them parallel to cancel the electromagnetic field around as much as possible. There is no such thing as a perfect value for resistance, capacitance, and inductance. Every system is different and reacts differently to the characteristics of the cables. Still, the important thing is to keep every value as low as possible (This is the most simplistic way to say it, hahaha but is not easy to do at all).