Aero Coax / BNC
Not too long ago, Hapa Audio released the worlds first Aerogel based product. Aero USB was simultaneously the first cable of any sort to utilize the lightest known material and the most advanced cable designed by Hapa Audio. And the reviews were overwhelmingly positive the original Aero USB, we have released the Aero Copper Coax and BNC.
Using the same attention to detail and upping the ante with Hapa Audio’s new proprietary Hand polishing and meticulous surface verification using a microscope and advanced magnification optics to verify the surface of every Aerogel cable we make. With Aero Coax / BNC we use our accumulated advancements from Aero USB to bring the same level of sound quality.
Aero Coax utilizes our proprietary hand polished UPOCC copper for its data core. This process ensures the highest quality finish on the surface of the data wire in order to obtain the highest level of fidelity possible. For more information on our hand polishing process please read this article: https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=182989.0
Aerogel – Hapa Audio has the best dielectric material available.
What is Aerogel?
Image credit: Hapa Audio and Tegan K Studios
Aerogel is a man-made silica compound that has the unique feature of being the lightest solid material known to mankind. Boasting an air to solid material percentage of 99.8%, aerogel is an incredibly effective thermal insulator used by companies like Boeing Aerospace and NASA when cutting edge engineering solutions are necessary. Because of its lightweight and incredible thermal properties it is generally reserved for exotic purposes such as serving as a collection grid material on space probes for cosmic dust capture and insulation for the Mars Rovers. For more information on Aerogel check out some of the top hits on YouTube when you search ‘aerogel’
What isn’t as well known about Aerogel is that it is also among the very best dielectric materials available. Silica (non-Aerogel variety) has very similar dielectric properties as Teflon, it would seem logical that it would be used as a dielectric material. However, Aerogel is incredibly brittle. It is unthinkable to attempt to use it in such an application due to its low tensile strength, it would just crumble and fail to hold its form. In fact, Aerogel had not been used as a dielectric in any application we could find anywhere. Therefore no obvious solutions around these problems existed. We realized if we were going to use Aerogel as a dielectric, we would have to invent a process to do so from the ground up. After 2 years of research and development (and a patent pending), we are proud to bring you our technological tour-de-force in Aero.
What are the benefits of Aerogel as a dielectric?
The simple answer- Sonic superiority. The Aerogel compound we use in all of our Aero products have a multitude of benefits. Aerogel has a dielectric constant similar and even better than that of Teflon. However, unlike teflon or foamed teflon, Aerogel does not over-dampen the signal wire. Over dampening occurs when heavy materials are in constant contact with the bare wire. Over dampening has the side effect of stripping nuance and detail out of music when conveyed through such cabling schemes. Because aerogel is virtually not there, it gently dampens the wire from vibration. Simultaneously it does not allow the wire to vibrate within the dielectric like air/teflon tube designs do. All this is to allow the signal to propagate naturally in an environment that reduces solid material contact with the signal wires. Aerogel gives Aero an effective air dielectric percentage of 99.8% an industry first.
Hand polished to highly refined finish
The UPOCC copper wire internal to Aero is among the best quality available. However, copper is relatively reactive and as such, it is all subject to oxidation and marring due to storage, shipping and general handling. The result is wire that is less than ideal when it is received. We take this wire and remove imperfections and bring the surface quality to a very high refinement. For more information on our hand polishing please read this article: https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=182776.0
Shielding beyond reproach
As advanced and difficult to engineer as the Aerogel layer of Aero is, it is merely the kernel of a much more sophisticated design. Aero is substantially protected by the most incredible shielding solution Hapa Audio has created. Inside, Aero is protected by an impressive spectrum of shielding materials. First, a layer of pure carbon fiber serves as both shield and separator for signal wires to stand away from the metal based outer layers, next we add 4 layers of high quality foil copper, followed by 1 layer of silver plated copper braid, and one layer of braided mylar. That’s right 7 separate layers of shielding guard Aero from electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference both local and long distance.This shield offers an electro-magnetically silent environment for the signal to propagate without aberration. With all of these layers one might think the cable would be rendered stiff. Nothing could be further from the truth. A hallmark of Hapa Audio design is flexible cabling. Retaining a 1” bend radius Aero is exceptionally flexible in the world of digital cables.
The finest engineering, including signal conductors
The new Aero Cu Coax/BNC incorporates a refinement to the polish of the copper data core. For the data portion of the cable, we are utilizing top quality Ultra pure continuous cast OHNO solid core copper wire which resides inside the aerogel dielectric. We take finest wire made and hand polish the surface to a mirror finish, reducing skin effect and eliminating surface impurities prior to building the Aerogel matrix that houses the data wires. The result is sultry smooth, highly detailed, and dare we say, next level performance.
Connectors
Hapa utilizes KLE-I Absolute Harmony RCA connectors for Coax and AECO BNC connectors. These connectors ensure the best match for Aero Cu Coax/BNC. Every detail that is achieved with our Hand polished Aerogel clad data core is fleshed out completely with these connectors.
We finally completed what we set out to do
Over 2 years ago, we set out on a mission, one that was started by a single question; Could we create the ultimate audiophile grade digital cable? A question that sparked a plethora of new questions and problems that required new solutions.The only question left is, do you want to hear it?