Cable Design

There are a very large amount of cable design permutations and white papers with loads of theory and justifications as to why one topology is superior to another.  I had experimented with many different topologies based on an untold number of white papers and 'proven theories' until the Friday before Good Friday 2004.  The previous cables that I had designed and made were very competent at what they did and were excellent value for money in their price bracket.  But there lacked that "je ne sais qua".  That sort of can't put my finger on it bit.  Excellent message but lacking that sparkle, that slam of the snare drum!   So the design experimentation went on for over 6 years.  Then by chance,  reverse the wires! just might do something!  Voila!  unbelievable!  such a simple thing and it had eluded me from the moment I commenced designing cables and it was so simple.  Many design permutations emanated immediately.   All the same topology but with different metals in different places.  Until January 2005 there was much fine tuning until the Generation 6 was derived and everything fell into place.  As you read the Morning Glory commentary I have dismissed the first design;
Morning Glory was the second and Evening Star the third.  Miranda  the fourth,.
Basically a massive earth bus for the return with twin platted ribbons for the signal.  Numerous shields and drains were incorporated with trial and error resulting in what I now call the Generation 8a Design of the Palm Friday Cable topology.
 

  • Morning Glory uses Copper as the earth bus with twin silver ribbons for the signal.
  • Evening Star is all Silver.  
  • Mayflower incorporates similar paradigm to the Morning Glory but incorporates a shunt that is multifilar, enabling greater flexibility and employs 2 x 0.8mm Solid cores high purity copper for signal and return.
       
     

  • Mythologies.
    There are many mythologies regarding the use of silver in cabling, namely it sounds brittle,  This is pure mythology and I trace it to poor connectors with cheap metallurgy. Brass connectors with Nickel and hard Gold plate ( which uses either Cobalt or Nickel to enable the Gold plate both its hardness and lustre, nominally >1.5% or either ). are the source of the brittleness that comes from using these poor connectors with noble metals such as Silver.

    Current Production Designs:

    All the designs listed above  have the following characteristics in common:

  •  

  • All are phase and impedance stable at all audio frequency.
  • All have very very quiet backgrounds.
  • None use solder.
  • All use high pressure bonding in a copper paste bath.
  • All Deliver the true energy of the performance being listened to.
  • All Cabling is supplied with Silver Plated Pure Copper Connectors designed  by myself.  I do the lot!  The assembly, testing, packaging and despatch!
     

     Variations
    The cable topology is fixed!   It works superbly and the cables: Morning Glory, Evening Star   will be around for a very long time.
     

    Downside

    OK there is a downside.  The cables are best used only where the RCA's sockets are a minimum 23mm  apart horizontally  and 45mm vertically.  The balanced connectors do not pose a problem of fitting into most appliances where balanced is used but a  25mm ( 1 inch ) minimum spacing between centres is required.
    The cables are very stiff.  Some say it's a bit of a mission  just getting them into the system, but the result is heavenly! worthit.
    The RCA connectors will require cleaning on a regular (  nominally 3-6 monthly ) basis and be inspected 3 monthly to ensure there is no Silver Sulphide buildup. This is easily removed with a silver cloth ( supplied  with each set ) or non abrasive tarnish removal silver cleaning solutions. A cable with a maintenance schedule!

    Presently only the Morning Glory cable has been reviewed.  Though an excellent review it has left me wondering what exactly is needed in a review to give the reader a better idea of what the cable being appraised stands for.  These days of law suits and political neutrality do not allow a more definitive statement to be made about an audio products' performance.  A necessity to use a comparator  a list of numbers and a standard that stands for something leaves the reader confused.  it's almost as if everything is perfect and nothing is perfect!
    But, one client has posted a testimonial review where he relates the cable to others he was auditioning at the time and made his decision on the basis of his comparisons of the cables he was evaluating with the Morning Glory as part of the mix: REVIEW AT CABLE ASYLUM BY RAYMOND R.
     

    So what do the cables offer.
    Morning Glory  offers an excellent entry into the Palm Friday Topology.  Smooth and powerful and effortless, keeping time and pace with any complex music and delivering stunning detail on all music it conducts from one appliance to the other.

    Evening Star offers another layer of extracted information that no other cable on the market today is able to glean while delivering one of the quietest backgrounds never heard ( pun intended !)


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