Kicking off the Audioquest River Series, Columbia represents an advanced expression of AudioQuest values and technology at a very attainable investment.
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PSC+ Conductors: Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of cable distortion. Extremely high-purity Perfect-Surface Copper™ (PSS) minimizes distortion caused by grain boundaries that exist within any metal conductor, eliminating harshness and greatly increasing clarity compared to all other conducting materials.
PE Air-tubes: Air is the best insulation because it does not absorb and later release energy. The large PE Air-Tubes used in Columbia have almost nothing but air around the PSC+ conductors.
Dielectric Bias System (DBS) (US patent 7,126,055): Greatly improved performance is made possible by a constant 48 volt charge on all Columbia's insulation. When insulation is unbiased, its dielectric properties cause different amounts of time-delay for each frequency and each signal level, as if each were a coin dropped in different thickness/viscosity shampoo or engine oil. Similar to how the earth's magnetic field makes all compasses point north, the AQ DBS system creates an electrostatic field which causes the molecules of the insulation to all point in the same direction. This minimizes the multiple nonlinear time-delays. Sound appears from a surprisingly black background with unexpected detail and dynamic contrast. Because DBS battery packs are attached when Columbia cables are assembled, Columbia does not require any additional run-in period. Because there is no "load" on the batteries, they will last for years. A test button and LED allow for occasional verification of battery performance.
Noise-Dissipation System: Two different shield strategies (conductive PVC and foil) are used to greatly reduce RF energy BEFORE getting drained to ground. This significantly reduces signal modulation distortion.
Triple Balanced: The 3 conductors in "Triple Balanced" Columbia cable ensure that whether prepared with RCA or XLR connectors, the positive and negative signals have equally low distortion conducting paths. The 100% coverage shield is never used as an inferior audio conductor.
Cold-Welded Connectors: Our new cold-weld system provide a superior connection that ensures that the structural integrity of the conductor is kept completely intact.
Key Bullets:
Noise-Dissipation System
Solid PSC+ Copper
Cold-Welded OCC Connectors
PE Air-Tubes
48V Dielectric Bias-System
Out of the Box Experience:
1 Stereo pair of audio interconnect cables with RCA or XLR connectors
Directional. Take note of the arrows that should point downstream
48V DBS Columbia ready to listen to right from the box
User Guide
Features and Benefits:
Features
Benefits
Triple Balanced
Equally low distortion conducting paths for both positive and negative signals.
Solid PSC+ Copper
Solid conductors to prevent strand interaction. PSC+ copper means fewer oxides, impurities and grain boundaries for purer sound.
Cold-Welded Connectors
Our new process results in a highly robust weld without applying conductor damaging heat.
PE Air-Tubes
Air is the best dielectric. PE Air-tubes combine the "friendly" sonic signature of PE with the superior insulation characteristics of air.
48V Dielectric Bias-System
A constant 48V electro-statically aligns the dielectric putting Colombia in a "ready-to-listen" state at all times.
Noise-Dissipation System
Significantly reduces signal modulation distortion.
Technology
Three decades of research and testing are behind every AudioQuest cable.
