Golden Gate 3.5mm To 2 RCA Audio Cable
AudioQuest makes some exotic cables so don't conclude that the Golden Gate series is just a rebadged no-name brand from Asia with a marked-up price. Anyone can make a cheap cable, but will it sound good? The Golden Gate Series proves that quality can be very affordable, so get more out of your stored music.
Most of our customers have got some decent Audio gear. Most of our younger customers (and staff) have been into music downloads and MP3 Players since day one, but for some of our mature-age customers (and staff!) this has come a bit later! And although you can play the music stored on your computer via wireless devices like the NAD DAC 1, quite a few would rather just connect their iPod or iPhone straight into their Amplifier or Receiver via a simple, but good quality cable. Sure, you can go to a number of places and get a lead for $5 or so. However, most of us know that that stuff just doesn't deliver all the information or worse still last.
AudioQuest to the rescue. The Golden Gate is a step up from the Evergreen and is a very good quality cable that has a 3.5mm stereo plug which plugs straight into the headphone socket on your iPod or iPhone and then has left and right RCA plugs to connect into any line input or auxiliary input on any Stereo Amplifier/Receiver or Home Theatre Receiver and many of these have front connections which makes the job quick and easy. The Golden Gate 3.5mm to RCA Interconnect also comes into its own when connected between a USB DAC such as the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS or AudioQuest Dragonfly and your Hi-Fi system.
The Inspiration For The Golden Gate Series
As you have probably guessed, this series is named after the world-famous bridge in California, USA. The nearly magical confluence of land and sea where the San Francisco Peninsula reaching up from the south, and Marin County stretching down from the north, almost touch, was named "Chrysopylea," meaning "golden gate," by Captain John C. Fremont in 1846. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world from 1937 to 1964, when New York City's Verrazano Narrows surpassed it by a mere 18 meters (60 ft). The main span is 1,280 meters (4,200 ft) long and 27 meters (90 ft) wide, the towers rise to 227 meters (746 ft) above the water. I'll be happy if they keep it as a toll free bridge for all those heading towards the Nappa Valley (for the over-priced wine tastings!) or worse - back to work in the city! So, let's take a closer look at this popular cable.
Solid Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC) Conductors: 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 conductor. For over 30 years AudioQuest has pioneered the use of superior metals; yet even we were surprised by this huge leap in performance. PSC clearly outperforms previous AQ metals that cost over ten times as much. 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 Golden Gate's very clean sound.
Foamed-Polyethelene 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. Tower 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-Dissipitation 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.
Assymmetrical Double-Balanced Geometry: Purpose designed for single-ended applications, Asymmetrical Double-Balanced 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 Connectors: 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 instead of machinability.
In The News
"If you're using freebie interconnects in your dedicated hi-fi, desktop, or portable audio system, I highly recommend moving up to AudioQuest's Tower immediately. You'll be amazed by what you hear. And if you move up AQ's Bridges & Falls line, you'll gain significant improvements in clarity, focus, tone colour, drama, and overall joy." Click here to read full review.
Main Features & Specifications
- Product Description: Stereo 3.5mm mini plug to two RCA plugs
- Geometry: Asymmetrical Double-Balanced (lower impedance on ground, same quality + & - conductors)
- Metal: Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC) Conductors
- Dielectric/Insulation: Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation
- Noise-Dissipation System (NDS): Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation System
- Plugs: Cold-Welded, Gold-Plated
- Jacket Colour: Black/Red braid PVC
- Available Lengths: 600mm; 1 Metre; 1.5 Metre; 2 Metre; 3 Metre; 5 Metre; 8 Metre
- AudioQuest Product Code: AQ-GOGMR/.6
- Manufacturer's Australian Warranty: 5 Years - Does not cover misuse or abuse
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE