About The AudioQuest Rocket 33 Terminated Speaker Cable
When Bill Low created AudioQuest in 1980 it was really just a small variation of the audio activities he had started in 1972 when at school. He wanted the best audio sound then and we are pleased to say nothing has changed. It all started with speaker cable and the story continues.
The AudioQuest Rocket 33 cable does not look normal on the outside, and it is not at all normal on the inside. Amazingly clean and effortless performance is made possible by a sophisticated combination of extraordinary materials and extremely refined design.
Solid Conductors: All six of Rocket 33's conductors are solid. Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of cable harshness and distortion. Electrical and magnetic interaction between strands in a conventional cable is the single greatest source of distortion, often causing a somewhat harsh, dirty and confused sound. Solid conductors are the most important ingredients enabling Rocket 33's very clear sound. Whether a conductor is solid or stranded, skin effect is a prime distortion mechanism in speaker cables. Rocket 33 very simply keeps this effect out of the audio range by using conductor sizes that are below the threshold for audible distortion.
Long-Grain Copper/Perfect-Surface Copper: Rocket 33 uses a carefully finessed combination of Long-Grain Copper (LGC) and extremely high-purity Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC). LGC has fewer oxides within the conducting material, less impurities, less grain boundaries and definitively better performance. The astonishingly smooth and pure PSC further eliminates harshness and greatly increases clarity.
Spread-Spectrum Technology (SST): Any single size or shape of conductor has a specific distortion profile. Even though radially symmetrical conductors (solid or tubular) have the fewest discontinuities, any particular size does have a sonic signature. SST is a method for significantly reducing the awareness of these character flaws by using a precise combination of different size conductors. The six different SST-determined conductor sizes used in Rocket 33 allow an exceptionally clear, clean and dynamic sound.
Note On Bi-Wiring: Rocket 33 is an exceptional single stereo cable. If you want even better performance, then call us about the availability of Rocket 33 Single or Double-Biwire cable. Essentially this is twice the quantity of cable squeezed into the usual terminations as on Rocket 33 single cable.
Terminations: This description is for a pair of cables with AudioQuest silver-plated BFA "banana" plugs fitted to all ends. Audioquest offers a wide range of high quality connectors that allow Rocket 33 to be securely attached to any type of equipment. AQ connectors are either dull looking gold or silver because these metals are plated directly over the connector. There is no shiny and harsh sounding nickel layer underneath. AQ spade connectors are soft because better metal is soft, and facilitates a higher quality connection. For pieces requiring a banana plug or BFA connector the AQ PK-BFA/Banana provides unprecedented performance over conventional brass versions.
Directionality: All drawn metal exhibits directionality, whether in hardware store wire or in the best AQ cable. Manufacturer's wish they could design away this awkwardness, but they cannot. So they pay close attention to optimising performance by clearly marking the cables and the terminations. Please watch for these markings when installing any audio cables.
Insulation: In a low level cable the insulating material significantly affects the cable's performance. However, in a speaker cable the electrical effect of insulation is almost only heard as a dry irritating sound prior to a cable being fully "run-in" … technically "adapting to a charged state." The term "break-in" does not apply because taking away the charge will slowly return the cable to its "new" condition. The insulation's mechanical (hard vs. soft) properties make an important difference in stranded cables. The harder the better in order to minimise strand movement. Since solid conductors don't need hard insulation, they can take advantage of the vibration damping advantage of a softer insulation.
Our Take On The AudioQuest Rocket 33 Terminated Speaker Cable
Good quality speaker cable will "preserve" the original sound emanating from your amplifier. No, it won't make it better because that is not possible. However, the better the cable, then the closer you get to the original sound. Terminated pairs like these from AudioQuest take the hassle out of fitting the plugs yourself and actually cost less!
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Speaker cables with pre-attached banana connectors
- Solid Copper: Six solid, pure copper conductors of various sizes
- one 21-gauge perfect-surface copper, one 19-gauge long-grain copper and one 17-gauge long-grain copper conductor for the treble signal
- one 20-gauge perfect-surface copper, one 18-gauge long-grain copper and one 16-gauge long-grain copper conductor for the bass signal
- Conductors: Arranged in cross pattern to minimise mutual interference
- Current-carrying equivalent of a pair of 15-gauge conductors
- Jacket: Textile braid cable cover
- Standard Lengths: 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4.5 & 6 metre terminated pairs - other lengths available to special order - please enquire
- Terminations: Silver-plated AudioQuest SureGrip 300 banana plugs at both ends
- Manufacturers Warranty: 5 years
Note: Main Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE