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Features

Overview: This Audioquest Columbia product contains two 2-meter audio interconnect cables with XLR connectors on each end. Each cable is equipped with a 48-volt DBS pack which aligns the molecules in the dielectric, and enhances performance. The cables are for connecting high-end balanced audio sources with your XLR input-equipped amplifier or receiver.

Triple-Balanced Design: The Columbia audio interconnect cables are Triple-Balanced, with three separate insulated conductors. The shield is never used as an inferior conductor. The two positive signals (inverting and non-inverting) and the negative all get the same low-distortion conduction 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.

Solid Conductors: Columbia interconnects use two 21-gauge and one 20-gauge solid conductors instead of stranded conductors. Electrical and magnetic interaction between strands in conventional cables are the greatest source of distortion, often causing a somewhat dirty harsh sound. Solid conductors produce less distortion, thus produce a very clean sound.

Metal: Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) has a very smooth and pure surface. AudioQuest's proprietary metal processing technology protects the wire's surface at every stage of drawing and fabrication. An ultra pure copper is kept soft, pure, and smooth as possible during the manufacturing process, resulting in a very low distortion PSC+ conductor. The resulting sound is more focused.

Dielectric-Bias System (DBS): Each Columbia audio cable has an attached 48-volt Dielectric Bias System (DBS) pack to enhance performance. All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside, and when the insulation is unbiased, it slows down parts of the signal differently. This creates problems with time-sensitive, multi-octave audio. The DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes the molecules of the insulation. This minimizes energy storage in the insulation and the multiple non-linear time-delays. The audio has more detail and dynamic contrast. A test button and LED allow you to occasionally verify battery performance.

Insulation: All of Columbia's conductors are insulated using Polyethylene Air Tubes. Air absorbs virtually no energy (which could be stored and released as distortion), and Polyethylene is a low-loss material that causes very little interference or distortion. The conductors and drainwire are wrapped in a PVC jacket with a black, green and gray nylon braid on the outside.

Noise-Dissipation System: This cable uses a metal and carbon-loaded synthetic shield with 100% coverage to capture RF interference that could modulate the equipment's ground reference. The RF is dissipated through a 22-gauge solid, silver-plated copper drainwire.