Athena + BigFoot BiWire Combo

Designed specifically to optimize the performance of biwireable loudspeakers, Athena + BigFoot BiWire Combo speaker cables comprise an Athena ZERO-Tech cable for Treble and BigFoot Bass-Only cable for Bass, conveniently joined at the amp end. Listeners will appreciate the refinement, purity, and effortless top-to-bottom coherence of Athena — with the added benefits that come from biwiring and BigFoot's exceptional RF Noise-Dissipation. 

When a speaker has separate Bass and Treble inputs, running separate cables to the Bass and Treble inputs significantly reduces distortion. BiWiring prevents the strong bass signal from modulating the delicate treble signal, like taking the waves out of the water when you swim.

The important reduction in current-modulation in the treble cable makes the treble (and for 3-way speakers, the midrange) clearer with better focus on a bigger soundstage. The bass frequencies are not improved at all, but the improved definition of bass harmonics in the treble cable allows the bass to seem significantly better — so there is in fact significantly better “bass.”

With RF/ND-Tech, the advantage of BiWiring is much more dramatic. Patented RF-Canceling Ground-Noise Dissipation attracts RF energy away from the amplifier’s output. The RF/ND-facilitated improvement is not about signal integrity in the cable, but about how much better the amplifier can sound with less RF interference compromising its circuits. Because RF/ND-Tech is so effective, Bass-Only models are for 10kHz and below only. Do not use Bass-Only cables full-range or on treble.

Note: A BiWire Combo with Bass-Only and ZERO cables joined together at the amplifier is usually most convenient, though joining the cables is optional. When TriWiring, use Bass-Only cables on the Midrange and Bass inputs. Do not Double-BiWire with two ZERO-Tech cables. Your amp will distort.

• BiWiring: When a speaker has separate Bass and Treble inputs, running separate cables to the Bass and Treble inputs significantly reduces distortion. BigFoot is the Bass-Only cable for Lone Ranger and Athena speaker cables. A BiWire Combo with Bass-Only and ZERO cables joined together at the amplifier is usually most convenient, though joining them is optional.
• RF/ND-Tech: A cable’s ground leads act as an antenna, making them subject to induced Radio-Frequency (RF) noise. Employed in BigFoot, AudioQuest’s RF/ND-Tech greatly reduces the resulting distortion and signal masking, yielding unprecedented levels of noise dissipation across the widest bandwidth of radio frequencies possible. The unique circuit design uses a common-mode phase-cancelling array, providing linear noise dissipation across the entire length of the cable.
• ZERO-Tech (No Characteristic Impedance): The only way to prevent characteristic-impedance mismatch-effects between a cable and its attached source and load circuits is for the cable not to have a characteristic-impedance. ZERO-Tech accomplishes this by eliminating any electrostatic field between the cable’s high and low signal conductors — enabling uncompressed current transfer. All-important transient current is unrestricted and RF Noise-Dissipation is more effective and linear.
• Solid No-Grain Copper (NG-C) and Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) Conductors: Solid conductors prevent strand-interaction, a major source of dynamic distortion. BigFoot's high-purity PSC+ copper minimizes distortion caused by grain boundaries and maximizes RF-Noise Dissipation. Athena's NG-C comprises PSC+ for its inner 90% and extreme-purity, essentially single-crystal, copper for the conductor’s crucial outer 10%.
• Linear Noise-Dissipation: The Earth is permeated with RF-Noise from satellites, cellular, WiFi, etc. Combining RF/ND-Tech with ZERO-Tech, Graphene+Carbon Mesh-Network, direction-controlled metal, 72v DBS, and Perfect-Surface Silver shield drains in a BiWire Combo produces a remarkably effective solution against sound-damaging RF-Noise.
• 72v Dielectric-Bias System (DBS) with RF Noise-Trap: Insulation is also a dielectric that acts like a shunt-filter. Biasing the dielectric both minimizes dielectric-noise and linearizes the filter, significantly improving wide-bandwidth dissipation of induced noise.
• RF Shield Drains: Significantly aid in the efficient dissipation of RF-Noise. Athena and BigFoot employ superior Perfect-Surface Silver shield drains.
• Cold-Welded Red-Copper Spades or Bananas: Cold-Welding avoids the introduction of heat and distortion-causing materials like solder. The bare parts are submerged (hung) in silver instead of tumbled in a lower-grade solution. Speaker breakouts and plug casings are synthetic, not metal, to avoid inducing RF Noise into the conductors.
• Directionality: All drawn metal strands or conductors have a non-symmetrical, and therefore directional, grain structure. AudioQuest controls the resulting RF impedance variation so that noise is drained away from where it will cause distortion. A fundamental aspect of AudioQuest’s multifaceted Noise-Dissipation technology, Direction-Controlled Conductors ensure induced noise is dissipated and drained properly.