About the AudioQuest Big Sur
"Do no harm!" AudioQuest has been creating high-performance audio cables for more than 30 years, guided by this simple mantra. In AQ's view, the perfect cable would be one that adds nothing — no noise, no distortion — to the original signal. With its Big Sur cables, AudioQuest pursues that ideal with the aid of some high-tech materials and designs. You might not expect a joined cable this thin and lightweight to deliver such great sound. So how does AudioQuest makes it happen? It's all about the details.
Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) conductors
One of the most important materials that goes into an audio cable is the metal used for its conductors — the parts of the cable that actually carry the signal. Big Sur cables feature conductors made from a material AudioQuest calls "Perfect-Surface Copper+." PSC+ starts with ultra-pure copper, formed into solid (not stranded) conductors with an astonishingly smooth surface. The end result: clean, low-distortion signal transfer for transparent sound.
Advanced cable geometry
While many cables use a single path for both the ground and shield, AudioQuest uses a design they call "double-balanced asymmetrical geometry." This design separates the ground and shield paths for clean, quiet performance.
Cold-welded "Purple Copper" connectors
Big Sur's connectors are cold-welded, rather than soldered, which eliminates a common source of distortion found in many audio cables. They're made from high-purity, gold-plated "Purple Copper," which outperforms more common connector materials where it counts — in the listening room.
This cable is equipped with dual RCA connectors at each end. Mini-to-mini and mini-to-RCA versions are also available.
Product highlights:
- length: 0.6 meter/2 feet
- stereo cable with dual RCA connectors at each end
- solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) conductors for super-clean, transparent sound
- foamed polyethylene insulation for low distortion
- metal-layer NDS (Noise Dissipation System) shields against RF interference
- double-balanced asymmetrical cable geometry separates the ground and shield for quieter performance
- black and brown braided jacket
- cold-welded, gold-plated pure "Purple Copper" RCA plugs feature a solder-less design for lower distortion
- warranty: 5 years
- Our 60-day money-back guarantee
- MFR # BIGSUR0.6R
What's in the box:
- 0.6-Meter stereo RCA cable
Featured review
This was an upgrade from the Golden Gate and it does make a difference. I am hearing greater precision, clarity and detail. Put on the Replacements "Let it Be" CD and was blown away. Good cable.
Jeff from USA
Customer Q&A
Q
the arrows on the AQ RCA cables: what is the proper direction? >away from source to component or < from component to source
A
Both of the given answers were correct for the situation stated.
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Features
Big Sur Series Stereo RCA Cable: The AudioQuest Big Sur stereo RCA cable is terminated by a gold-plated male stereo RCA connectors on each end. The AudioQuest Big Sur stereo RCA cable is available in the following lengths.
- 0.6 meter (2')
- 1 meter (3' 4")
- 2 meter (6' 7")
- 3 meter (10')
- 5 meter (16' 5")
Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ Conductors (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 PSC+ conductor. PSC+ is manufactured by applying the same exceptional technology to an ultra-pure copper. The resulting sound quality is even more focused and simply less in the way. All of Big Sur'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 Big Sur's very clean sound.
Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation: Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is actually part of an imperfect circuit. Wire insulation and circuit board materials all absorb energy (loss). Some of this energy is stored and then released as distortion. Big Sur uses air-filled Foamed-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 Foamed-PE, it causes much less of the out-of-focus effect common to other materials.
Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation System (NDS): 100% shield coverage is easy; preventing captured RF Interference from modulating the equipment's ground reference requires AQ's Noise-Dissipation System. Noise-Dissipation System prevents a significant amount of RFI from reaching the equipment's ground plane.
Double-Balanced Asymmetrical Geometry: Purposely designed for single-ended applications, Double-Balanced Asymmetrical Geometry offers a relatively lower impedance on the ground for a richer, and more dynamic experience. While many single-ended cable designs use a single path for both the ground and the shield, Double-Balanced designs separate the two for cleaner, quieter performance.
Cold-Welded, Gold-Plated Pure "Purple-Copper" Plugs: This plug design allows for a connection devoid of solder, which is a common source of distortion. Because the ground shells are stamped instead of machined, the metal can be chosen for low distortion. Purple-Copper offers a cleaner, clearer sound than the nickel-plated or OFHC metals commonly found in competing manufacturers' plugs.
Directional: Arrows on the connectors indicate the preferred signal path from the source component to the input.
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