Q: How/Where do I order Acoustic Zen's cables?
A: Please click on Contact Us.
Q: What is the difference between the Silver and Matrix Reference Cables?
A: Acoustic Zen's silver cable achieves the most coherent spectral presentation that we know of. It has been crafted of the finest "zero crystal," long-grained silver wire. It is configured in a complex structural geometry that marries ultra high-frequency clarity witht the sonic smoothness that silver brings to musical reproduction. In partictular, our Silver Reference interconnect eliminates sonic harshness and brittleness. Its vividly dynamic wide-frequency presentation creates a startling, large soundstage. These cables are "quick" and deliver transient information with supreme delicacy.
Our Matrix Reference is extremely sympathetic to the warmth and tonal range of violins, pianos and voices. Its sonic presentation is akin to the Silver Reference. Its inherent virtue is tonal beauty achieved at a stunningly modest price-point. The Matrix and Silver Reference cables are majestically musical. One reviewer described the sense of majesty like this: "Only Acoustic Zen's cables [the Silver and the Matrix] captured both the actual size and weight of real acoustic instruments while transporting my somewhat jaded ears to the heaven of relaxed and blissful musical ease."
Q: Is your 110-ohm MC-Squared digital cable compatible with RCA or single-ended termination in situations where a 75-ohm cable might normally be used?
A: A note about digital audio. It is, inevitably, both AUDIO-related and, also, DIGITAL-based. Digital audio is a product of analog signals that have been converted to a digital data stream at a high data-rate. In sum, a low frequency analog signal becomes a high data-rate digital bit stream. But, since the analog signal is in fact CONVERTED to digital, music in the digital domain is purely a DIGITAL PROCESS.
Such conversion from analog into digital is sometimes overlooked in discussions of digital signal delivery and processing. A digital cable's impedence, thus, becomes important in the delivery chain. Several variables enter into the equation here: spacing among (& within) wires and braids; dialectric characteristics; shielding; and more.
With an AES/EBU delivery, the 110 ohm standard has a 20% +/- variability that is frequently (a) forgotten; and/or (b) misunderstood. Among the standard means of achieving an AES/EBU standard (coax; solid pairing; and immobilized twisted pairs with numerous kinds of bonding with various dialectic characteristics), there is no obvious superiority but a large number of options. For example, within AES/EBU coax designs, a balanced signal will be found to be converted to an UNbalanced signal.
With the SP/DIF standard @ 75 ohm nominal impedence, the termination is based on BNC connectors with coax cable lengths. The S/DIF standard @ 75 ohms are almost invariably set up with RCA termination. A long ignored fact of digital signal delivery is that RCA termination -- which is not established @ 75 ohms or any approximate impedence standard -- has NO deleterious effect on any digital signal delivery protocol as long as, especially (in truth, if), cable lengths are kept under five meters . . . at which point a transformer-based balun-conversion is needed.
With Robert Lee's MC-Squared digital cable, which is a double-twist design, both CAPACITANCE and RESISTANCE have been kept very low. It is the R+C constant that establishes jitter rates. The MC-Squared cable is fundamentally error-free. Though Robert Lee prefers to have his MC-Squared cable terminated as an XLR cable, since cable lengths under 5 meters are not adversely effected by RCA or BNC termination, the double-twist 110 ohm MC-Squared cable is not only jitter-rejecting but gloriously revealing sonically.
Digital signal delivery has made great strides in the last twelve years and the theoretical as well as practical elements are better understood, but not yet thoroughly mapped to any final degree. Robert Lee's ongoing research with digital signal delivery continues to advance. The productive outcome of hiswork can be heard in the MC-Squared cable.
What is the Difference Between Satori Shotgun and Hologram Bi-wire?
The Hologram Bi-wire was designed specifically for two-way speakers with a crossover setting of roughly 2.5khz(+,-1.5khz). The only instance where someone would use a Hologram bi-wire on a three-way speaker would be if that speaker is utilizing a dome midrange. The Satori Shotgun is designed for all other bi-wire application.
Can Epoch speaker cable be made in a shotgun?
The answer is yes! The cost is $516 for an 8 foot pair. The additional charge per foot is $60, minus $30/ft for shorter cable.
Does Acoustic Zen make jumpers for speakers?
Acoustic Zen offers jumpers for both our Satori cables as well as our Holograms. The Satori jumpers are made with the same cable that is found in our Satori wire however it has been fine tuned specifically for the upper frequencies. The same explanation would apply for the Hologram jumpers, however we use just the larger bass conductor to handle this task.
What are the arrows on Acoustic Zen cables for?
The arrows are to determine directional signal flow. An example would be, when hooking up an amp to a pre-amp, the arrows would point from the pre-amp into the amp.
