Atlas Cables Equator Achromatic RCA 2M

Atlas Equator Achromatic 2 RCA to 2 RCA Audio Cable Pair

Atlas only uses the purest quality copper in its products with the Equator Achromatic being no exception. Utilising Atlas’ Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) 5N (99.999% pure – the highest purity available) copper technology, each strand is ‘pulled’ from a single copper crystal, enabling electrical signals to flow with the least deletions. A coax design, Equator Achromatic uses 60 stands of OCC copper to create its signal conductor, which is enclosed in gas-foamed PEF (Foamed Polyethylene), which delivers a more inert and consistent dielectric.

To prevent any RFI (Radio Frequency Interference), which is all too common in today’s homes thanks to the proliferation of WiFi and Bluetooth communications, the dielectric is encased within a superbly constructed double screen to provide maximum resistance to RFI, which can raise noise levels in a poorly shielded cable. The cable is finished with a pearl white outer jacket.

The Equator Achromatic is fitted with Atlas’ proprietary Achromatic RCA plugs. The low mass Integra connector features a solder-free, cold-weld connection, optimised to create a coherent, continuous signal path. Each Achromatic plug features gold-plated conjugate brackets, which spring open on insertion and wipe clean the signal path. To maintain a clean signal path, simply remove and re-insert them periodically.

As with all of Atlas’ cables, Equator Achromatic is hand-built at the company’s factory in Scotland. This time consuming yet necessary process means that all Atlas Cables achieve the very highest levels of finish and is why they are guaranteed for five years from point of purchase.

The result is a beautifully balanced interconnect that offers a large three-dimensional soundstage and fine levels of resolution without any sense of exaggerated ‘detail’. Ultimately, the Atlas Equator Achromatic is designed for owners of systems who wish to retain the signature sound yet aspire to unveil more detail, dynamics and openness that would only normally be achieved by changing expensive system components.

Features:

• Achromatic RCA Plugs 
• OCC Conductors 
• PEF Dielectric 
• Co-ax Construction

Achromatic Plugs

Atlas’s expert electro-mechanical knowledge has led to the innovation of the next generation of RCA plugs. Known as the ‘Atlas Achromatic RCA plug’, Atlas has focused on improving both performance and appearance to create a higher performance starting point for their RCA cables as well as eliminating variability in performance. This has been achieved by refocusing on materials and the assembly processes.

Atlas has made 4 key changes with the Achromatic RCA plug. Firstly, the barrel of the Achromatic plug features a high stability ABS material. This is strong, stable and of superlative surface quality.

There is also an improvement to the Achromatic plug’s contact geometry, aiding the contact properties of the plug and the self-cleaning wiping action to ensure contacts are in optimal condition and to maximise signal transmission.

The third change Atlas made was around the rifling of the RCA pin. This improvement self-aligns the conductors during the cold weld processing, ensuring a superior stable connection.

Finally, there is a reduction in the overall mass of the RCA plug by 8% which has shown to improve signal transmission.

The above changes mean a solder-free, low mass, self-cleaning, recyclable RCA plug with a non-conductive body.

OCC Copper 

The Ohno continuous casting method re-heats the extrusion as the molten copper is forced out of the mould and very slowly and gradually draws the grain or crystal down the conductor''s length, creating a ‘single crystal structure.’ Actually, because no copper is 100% pure, there will always be a few boundaries produced by impurities. The frequency of boundaries created are quite insignificant. A typical crystal in a copper conductor drawn to 0.3 mm diam. using the OCC process is 125.00 metres long! The benefits are obvious, with almost no crystal boundaries, the audio signal is no longer impeded down the copper wire and more information and detail is delivered faithfully to the receiving equipment.

PEF Dielectric 

PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is cheap to produce and, as such, is the most commonly used insulation in AV cables. However, PVC is the worst quality insulation a Hi-Fi or AV signal can encounter as its high loss causes a significant reduction in signal velocity. PVC is better suited to power cables and should be avoided in Hi-Fi and AV signal cables. Other dielectrics in common use are Polyethylene, Polypropylene and Polytetrafluoride Epoxy (better known as PTFE (Teflon™) or Teflon,) and the new and unique Atlas (PTFE). PEF (Foamed Polyethylene). The foaming process uses a blowing agent, of which there are two types. Atlas use the gas-foamed method which creates a more inert, consistent and higher quality product. The table below shows the properties of a selection of dielectrics. Though not used as a dielectric in Atlas' cables, PVC is included for comparison purposes.

Co-ax construction

Central conductor (signal path) surrounded by dielectric material encased within a circular conducting screen which acts as the signal return path.