Audience AU24 Speaker Cables
AU24 loudspeaker cable reviews
"...The Au24 listening experience is less "audiophile" and more "music lover." You won’t find yourself deconstructing each recording in minute detail -- you’ll be having too much fun re-listening to your music collection. ..."
The Au24 series ... Simplicity at it's finest
We believe the Au24 speaker cables attain the elusive goal of combining exquisite sonic detail with the beauty of true musicality. This is due in large part to the Au24’s incredible time domain performance. One look will tell you these are not "me too" products. The materials, design and construction techniques utilized in the Au24 cable line reflect the latest thinking in state of the art, high-resolution technology.
The Au24 cables are constructed from high quality materials and proper geometry. Most audiophiles know about the importance of good dialectric and conducting materials. The Au24 cables are constructed of continuous cast mono crystal copper with polypropylene insulation and cross-linked polyethylene jacketing. Few people are aware of the role geometric configuration plays. If a given cable is not optimally configured in its geometry to perform the task it was designed to do, it will never sound as good as a cable with the correct physical/electrical characteristics regardless of which materials are used in its construction.
All Audience cables and especially the Au24 series are designed for low eddy-current resistance. This is the key electrical characteristic for good time domain response. Eddy-currents are created by magnetic fields found around a cable when an electrical signal is present. These magnetic fields build up and collapse as the signal ebbs and flows. When the field collapses it induces an opposing voltage back into the cable. This opposing voltage causes eddy-currents in the conductor. If they could be seen, eddy-currents would look like water swirling in a river. This late arriving, opposing voltage disrupts the original signal by inducing a smearing artifact. These effects are clearly audible. Eddy currents plus high capacitance can cause a cable to sound overly "relaxed." The particular type of coloration caused by eddy-currents is dependent on the materials, construction techniques and the geometric configuration of the cable. The Au24 cables exhibit extremely low eddy–current resistance.
Many cables are designed for the lowest possible inductance. Other cables are designed for the lowest possible capacitance. Actually, for properly balanced sound reproduction these inductive and capacitive values should both be minimized and the ratio of inductance to capacitance must be optimized. By designing for the lowest possible eddy-current resistance, a proper inductance to capacitance ratio is naturally arrived at and both of these properties are minimized. The result is natural reproduction of music as heard in real life without added emphasis or editorializing. The Audience Au24 cables may not sound as exciting at first but their good qualities become apparent as the listener becomes familiar with them. Perhaps even more importantly, the musical overtones arrive in their proper time relationship with the fundamentals. This creates a more convincing illusion of reality and improves soundstaging.
AC/DC (Resistance that is)
There is a common misconception that loudspeaker cable must be large in diameter and have a low DC resistance in order to provide good bass response. DC resistance is relatively unimportant. What really matters is the characteristic impedance (AC resistance) of the cable. Music is an AC signal after all. Most of these large diameter/low DC resistance cables have excessively high characteristic impedance anywhere from 100 to 600 ohms with some measuring in the 1000’s of ohms. The Au24 Loudspeaker Cable is only 4mm or 1/8" in diameter. Although the DC resistance may be slightly higher than the garden hose variety speaker cables the characteristic impedance is only 16 ohms. Musical signals from the bass to the overtones pass through this cable with less actual impedance than a cable with a lower DC resistance. The Au24 Loudspeaker Cable provides nearly perfect bass timbre and extension. Plus, the low eddy-current resistance means the cable is very quick and linear in the time domain. Voices and instruments sound strikingly real with this loudspeaker cable.
Simplicity Simply Sounds Better
In developing the Au24 line we discovered how important simplicity is when highest possible performance is the design goal. Fancier connectors and layers of cosmetic sleeve would have made the cable look more expensive. However every time we made it look better it sounded worse. We were truly amazed at the sonically detrimental effects caused by bulky high-end connectors. The lessons learned with the Au24 cables have now been applied to our lower and mid-priced cables as well.
