Atlas Cables Ailsa Achromatic RCA 0.5M

Atlas Ailsa Achromatic 2 RCA to 2 RCA Audio Cable Pair

The Ailsa Achromatic RCA interconnect uses separate going and return conductors together with a woven copper/Mylar™ screen maximising resistance to RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) which can raise noise levels in a poorly shielded cable, resulting in a loss of low level detail. Two separate high purity OCC (Ohno Continuous Casting) copper conductors with a high-efficiency/low impedance PEF dielectric are wired in a pseudo-balanced fashion again with the objective of reducing noise.

Ailsa is fitted with Atlas' newly designed Achromatic RCA plugs which deliver a solder-free, low-mass, non-conductive body, self-cleaning, recyclable RCA plug.

Features:

• Achromatic RCA Plugs
• OCC Conductors
• PTFE 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.

PTFE 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).

Microporous PTFE (Teflon™) is a unique, low density dielectric material, phase stable at room temperature, which offers significant performance improvements over solid PTFE (Teflon™) dielectric designs.

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.