AUDIOQUEST RED RIVER XLR Analog-Audio Interconnect Cable

Analog Audio Interconnect Cable

AUDIOQUEST RED RIVER is an analog audio interconnect cable from the Rivers & Elements series with triple-balanced geometry that uses a separate ground reference conductor, so the cable shielding is never used as a return conductor. Whether equipped with RCA or XLR connectors, the cable's three conductors ensure that positive and negative signals have equally superior and low-distortion conduction paths.
To prevent radiofrequency interference (RFI) captured from modulating the ground reference of the equipment, AQ noise dissipation is necessary. Traditional shielding systems typically absorb and then drain RF noise/energy to component ground, modulating and distorting the critical "reference" ground plane, which in turn causes signal distortion. Noise dissipation "shields the shield", absorbing and reflecting most of this RF noise/energy before it reaches the grounded layer.
Hard Cell Foam (HCF) insulation ensures critical signal pair geometry. Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is actually part of an imperfect circuit. Cable insulation and circuit board materials all absorb energy. Some of this energy is stored and then released as distortion. Hard Cell Foam insulation is similar to the expanded PE used in more economical Bridges & Falls cables and is injected with nitrogen to create air pockets. Because nitrogen (like air) does not absorb energy and therefore does not release energy to or from the conductor, distortion is reduced. Furthermore, the rigidity of the material allows the cable's conductors to maintain a stable relationship along the entire cable length, producing stable impedance character and further reducing distortion.
AUDIOQUEST RED RIVER features cold-soldered and gold-plated terminations that allow for a solder-free connection, which is a common source of distortion. Instead of soldering, the process employs a high-pressure technique. Because the rectified shells are stamped rather than machined, the metal used can be chosen for low distortion rather than machinability.
AUDIOQUEST RED RIVER is manufactured using Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC) that dramatically outperforms previous AQ metals costing over ten times as much. The proprietary metal processing technology protects the wire surface at every stage of drawing and manufacturing. When highly pure, low-oxide copper is kept as soft, pure and smooth as possible, it becomes a wonderfully low-distortion conductor. In a conventional cable, electrical and magnetic interaction between wires is one of the major sources of distortion, often causing rather harsh and dirty sound. Solid conductors are fundamental to achieving very clean and natural sound

Specifications

• Conductors: Solid PSC
• Geometry: Triple-Balanced (Separate ground-reference conductor)
• Dielectric: Hard-Cell Foam
• Noise-Dissipation: Metal-Layer
• Jacket: PVC or braided red and black
• Connectors: Cold-soldered, gold-plated