Audioquest Diamondback 8m (XLR)

DIAMONDBACK: Many sophisticated design techniques, superior materials, and an exceptional termination system combine to make Diamondback possible. The result will put more than a scare into most cost-no-object cables.

DESIGN BASICS:Diamondback is Triple-Balanced. This means there are three identical insulated conductors, in addition to a separate conductor underneath the 100% coverage foil shield. When used with XLR connectors and balanced electronics, the two positive signals (inverting and non-inverting) and the negative, all get the same low-distortion conducting path. The shield is attached to chassis ground through the case of the XLR, providing extremely effective shielding without contaminating the quality of the negative conducting path. When Diamondback is fitted with RCA plugs, two conductors are used together for the much higher potential across the negative connection, providing a substantial performance advantage. The shield is only attached at one end, providing total shield coverage without compromising the negative conducting path.

CONDUCTORS: All of Diamondback’s conductors are solid. Electrical and magnetic interaction between strands in a conventional cable is the greatest source of distortion, often causing a somewhat dirty harsh sound. Solid conductors are fundamental toward achieving Diamondback’s very clean sound.

METAL: PSC (Perfect Surface Copper) has an astonishingly smooth and pure surface. Proprietary metal processing technology protects the wire’s surface at every stage of drawing and fabrication. When high-purity low-oxide copper is kept as soft, pure and smooth as possible, it becomes a wonderfully low distortion conductor. For fifteen years AudioQuest has pioneered the use of superior metals; yet even we were surprised by this huge leap in performance. PSC clearly outperforms previous AQ metals that cost over ten times as much.

INSULATION: Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is actually part of an imperfect circuit. Wire insulation, circuit board materials all absorb energy (loss). Some of this energy is stored and then released as distortion. Diamondback uses air filled FPE (Foam Polyethylene) insulation on both conductors because air absorbs next to no energy, and Polyethylene is low-loss and has a benign distortion profile. Thanks to all the air in FPE, it causes much less of the out-of-focus effect common to other materials.                                                                                                 

COLD-WELD SYSTEM: Novel plug design enables a perfect heat-free connection between cable and plug. XLR plugs are also available.

Diamondback’s gold plated RCA plugs use a patented design that eliminates the distortion caused by the extra contact inside most plugs. Because the ground shells are stamped instead of machined, the metal can be chosen for low distortion instead of for its machinability.

A combination of these major ingredients, and many more subtle details add up to explain how Diamondback can sound so clean, clear and dynamic.