Niagara 3000 Delivers Power, Protection, Performance
Power management is a hot topic in audio. Niagara 3000 loves the attention.
Analog Audio Interconnect Cable
Often, the choice between terminating your speaker cables with spade lugs or banana plugs will come down to personal preference. However, the EU-compliant isolated binding posts used on some power amplifiers often makes it difficult if not impossible to tighten spade lugs with high torque or pressure. In these applications, the AudioQuest banana connector is the superior choice, and may be the only choice.
AudioQuest has conducted a fairly extensive survey of contemporary amplifier manufacturers to determine whether spades or bananas will be most appropriate for a given brand and model of amplifier. Please contact us, provide the brand and model of the amplifier, and we’ll respond with the optimal connector type.
Here we typically recommend the U-Spade or banana connector. However, even though there is less weight and pressure on this side of the cable (particularly for BiWire sets), it is nevertheless important to note the binding post’s design. If a banana connector cannot seat all the way into the binding post, we recommend one of our spade connectors.
Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) Conductors
Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) allows a smoother and clearer sound than cables using regular OFHC (Oxygen-Free High-Conductivity) copper. Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of distortion. The surface quality is critical because a conductor can be considered as a rail-guide for both the electric fields within a conductor, and for the magnetic fields outside the conductor. LGC has fewer oxides within the conducting material, less impurities, less grain boundaries, and definitively better performance.
Metal-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. 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. Noise-Dissipation "shields the shield," absorbing and reflecting most of this noise/RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to ground.
Foamed-Polyethylene 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. Because air absorbs next to no energy and Polyethylene is low-loss and has a benign distortion profile, Foamed-PE, 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, Gold-Plated Terminations
This plug design allows for a connection devoid of solder, which is a common source of distortion. Instead of solder, the process employs a high-pressure technique. Because the ground shells are stamped instead of machined, the metal used can be chosen for low distortion instead of machinability.
Metal |
Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC)
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Noise Dissipation |
Metal-Layer
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Geometry |
Asymmetrical Double-Balanced
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Insulation |
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Terminations |
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Signal Type |
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Cable Length |
0.6 m = 1 ft 11 in
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Jacket |
Black PVC with White Stripes CL3/FT4
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Sold As |
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Weight |
0.25 lb
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Tower 3.5mm Mini > RCA$45.95 View details | Golden Gate 3.5mm Mini > RCA$109.95 View details | Big Sur 3.5mm Mini > RCA$157.95 View details | ||
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Metal |
Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC)
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Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC)
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Solid Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC)
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ZERO: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) / BASS: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
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Noise Dissipation |
Metal-Layer
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Metal-Layer
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Metal-Layer
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Metal-Layer
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Geometry |
Asymmetrical Double-Balanced
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Asymmetrical Double-Balanced
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Asymmetrical Double-Balanced
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Asymmetrical Double-Balanced
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Insulation |
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Terminations |
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Signal Type |
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Weight |
0.25 lb
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0.3 lb
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0.3 lb
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0.3 lb
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