AudioQuest Tower Stereo 3.5mm To 2 RCA Audio Cable
AudioQuest makes some exotic cables so don't conclude that the Tower 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 Tower Series proves that quality can be very affordable.
Bill Low, the AudioQuest chief cook and bottle washer was recorded in respected magazine Stereophile as follows: "All manufacturers can offer cables starting at (US) $25—that's not the challenge. What is, unfortunately, somewhat unusual is that we take our entry-level products 100% as seriously as any other product we make. While our efforts and intentions are the same for every model, in some ways, the 'affordable' models are our most important because they affect so many, many more people. And we like to think [the more affordable models] might both establish AQ's credibility and whet the appetite for higher-performance models later." So read on and make sure you check out the review link further down the page.
The Inspiration For The Tower Series
The image of London's dramatic Tower Bridge is so famous that it is often mistakenly thought of as London Bridge. Tower Bridge, completed in 1894, is an unusual combination of suspension bridges on the land side of the towers, and dual bascule spans in the center. As with the many bascule bridges in St. Petersburg, Russia and over the Chicago River, moving this weight-balanced roadway requires comparatively little energy, making it very efficient for allowing river traffic to pass. Tower Bridge's original hydraulic accumulators were a significant advance in storing the energy required to be able to open the two 1,000 ton bascules in only five minutes. So, let's take a closer look.
Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) Conductors: Solid conductors eliminate strand-interaction distortion. Tower's solid Long-Grain Copper allows a smoother and clearer sound than cables using regular OFHC (Oxygen-Free High-Conductivity) copper. OFHC is a general metal industry specification regarding "loss" without any concern for distortion. LGC has fewer oxides within the conducting material, less impurities, less grain boundaries, and definitively better performance.
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 color, drama, and overall joy." Click here to read full review.
Main Features & Specifications
- Description: AudioQuest Tower, 2 RCA plugs to 1 x 3.5mm stereo plug - analogue audio interconnecting cable
- Geometry: Asymmetrical Double-Balanced (lower impedance on ground, same quality + & - conductors)
- Metal: Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) Conductors
- Dielectric: Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation
- Noise-Dissipation System (NDS): Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation System
- Plugs: Cold-Welded, Gold-Plated
- Jacket Colour: Black PVC
- Available Lengths: 1 Metre; 1.5 Metre; 2.0 Metre
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE