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PowerQuest Delivers
Alberto Pittaluga dives deep into the benefits of power conditioning, explores the relatively modest PowerQuest 3, and decides it’s staying in his system.
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.
High-Purity True-Concentric PSC+ Conductors
Blizzard uses only our very purest copper: 100% Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+). Both superior metal and conductor geometry greatly reduce ear-fatiguing Transient Intermodulation (TIM) Distortion.
ZERO-Tech
While many AC power cables feature low DC resistance in order to accommodate the demand for high current, a cable’s characteristic impedance is also crucial for optimal performance. Unlike most AC cables that constrict or compress an audio-provoked transient, AudioQuest AC cables combine low DC resistance and ZERO (no) characteristic impedance in order to deliver uncompressed high-current transients on demand.
RF/ND-Tech
AC Ground wires may provide protection from an electrical short circuit, but they also act as an antenna. Thus, they are subject to induced radio-frequency (RF) noise. This RF noise bypasses component power supplies and is typically coupled directly into a system’s most sensitive audio/video circuits. AudioQuest’s RF/ND-Tech greatly reduces this distortion, yielding unprecedented levels of noise dissipation across the widest bandwidth (range) of radio frequencies possible. Our unique circuit topology uses a common-mode phase-cancelling array, in concert with proprietary dielectric materials which provide additional differential linear filtering. US Patent # 8,988,168.
72v Dielectric-Bias System (DBS)
Insulation is also a dielectric that can act like a shunt-filter. Biasing minimizes dielectric-noise and linearizes the filter, significantly improving wide-bandwidth dissipation of induced RF noise.
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. The correct direction is determined by listening to every batch of metal conductors used in every AudioQuest audio cable. When applicable, arrows are clearly marked on the connectors to ensure superior sound quality. For most models of AQ cable, the arrows not only indicate the direction that optimizes metal-directionality as part of Noise-Dissipation, but also indicates non-symmetrical attachment of shield and GND in order to optimize full-system performance.
Metal |
Semi-Solid True-Concentric Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
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Technology |
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Gauge |
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Plugs |
Direct-Gold Plated Molded
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Terminations |
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Maximum RMS Current |
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Cable Length |
1 m = 3 ft 3 in
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Jacket |
Silver on Black Braid
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Sold As |
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Weight |
2.05 lb
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Metal |
Semi-Solid True-Concentric Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
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Semi-Solid True-Concentric Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) & Long-Grain Copper (LGC)
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Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) & Long-Grain Copper (LGC)
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ZERO: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) / BASS: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
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Technology |
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RF Drain Metal |
—
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—
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Gauge |
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Plugs |
Direct-Gold Plated Molded
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—
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—
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—
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Terminations |
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Maximum RMS Current |
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Weight |
2.05 lb
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1.65 lb
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3.75 lb
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3.6 lb
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