About Van den Hul The D-102 III Hybrid RCA Cable
With ever continuing technical improvements, it was logical to upgrade the original D-102 - which has been on the market since 1982 - with an actual Hybrid version naturally called D-102 III Hybrid. The same Linear Structured Carbon technology as used in 'THE SECOND is applied to the D-102 III Hybrid.
The van den Hul The D-102 III Hybrid is a very flexible balanced analogue interconnect with a triple layer shield delivered in a warm yellow-orange coloured outer casing. The sound is best described as pure, clean and very three dimensional with an extremely high resolution. This is a clear over-all winner and also an excellent solution for multi channel audio applications.
Conductors: The two centre conductors are made of 40 dense, and very pure silver coated strands made of a very high grade Matched Crystal (MC) Oxygen Free Copper. Over each centre conductor an extra Linear Structured Carbon (LSC) saturated layer is applied. This extra layer of LSC highly improves the quality of the signal transmission by performing electrical bridging on micro-scale and by converting the external magnetic field close to the conductors into an electrical signal again.The capacitance between the two internal conductors is a very low 37 pF/meter; so in balanced operation, even in rather high impedance circuitry, the overall losses and/or phase-shift remain very low.
What Is Linear Structured Carbon? Linear Structured Carbon (L.S.C.) is an uninterrupted chain of carbon atoms, perfectly aligned in multiple individually insulated fibres. It makes a thermally, chemically and mechanically extremely stable conductor, superior to any metal. It's sonic properties remain, unlike any metal conductor, the same over time. With the application of L.S.C. in van den Hul products they avoid harsh sound and in doing so, support the spatial information. Very smooth mid-band articulation and extremely high resolution are the result. The people at van den Hul apply L.S.C. both in combination with metal conductors (Hybrid) as well as a "solo" conductor.
Insulation: The insulation of the two centre conductors is made of polyethylene foam; one in white, the other in brown. Surrounding the centre conductors, special treated artificial filler fibres provide a perfect protection against losses caused by increased humidity over a longer period. The triple shielding consists of 2 helical layers with a total of 180 dense and very pure silver coated strands made of a very high grade of Matched Crystal (MC) Oxygen Free Copper with an extra layer of LSC saturated tape in between. The warm yellow-orange coloured jacket is made of HULLIFLEX.
Our Take
We're all familiar with the phrase "you get what you pay for" and over the decades we've met a big number of people who believe cables are like buying snake-oil! This is the cable we usually sell these folk. They've spent a lot on their gear and know that they need something better than the freebies, but don't want to feel they've been ripped off. The D-102 series has been around for around 40 years and has really only had minor changes which should tell you that world-wide it is still a big seller. Sure, there are some other very expensive analogue cables and recently (2020) we heard a pair of $8000 interconnects and were all gob-smacked at the difference compared to $1000 models. But having said that we believe the D-102 III delivers exceptional performance at the price and works well with a wide-range of components. It also gives the other brands at this price a real run for your money. Talk to one of our audio guys to discuss whether this is a product you should buy for your system.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Stereo RCA unbalanced interconnecting cable
- Conductor Material: High purity dense Silver coated high purity Matched Crystal OFC + Linear Structured Carbon saturated layer(s)
- 22 AWG - 40 Strands Per Conductor
- External Diameter Dimensions: 7.25 mm
- Resistance 20 °C / 68 °F: Cores: 5.5 Ohm per 100 metres
- Capacitance: Core-core: 37 pF/m
- Insulation: PE Foam Insulation
- Test Voltage: 300 Vrms min
- Outer Jacket: HULLIFLEX
- Outer Jacket Colour: Yellow/Orange
- Available Lengths: 800mm; 1 metre and 1.5 metre
- Manufacturers Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.