Black Beauty: ZERO-Tech interconnect in solid PSC+ copper, RCA or XLR
AudioQuest Black Beauty is an analogue interconnect that brings ZERO-Tech technology to a design with solid copper conductors. It runs between source, preamplifier and amplifier and is offered with RCA or XLR connectors.
Sold as a pair: the pack includes the two cables for the right and left channels.
Conductors and insulation
The conductors are single-wire Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+): there are no strands, and so none of the electrical and magnetic interplay between neighbouring wires, while the copper surface limits the distortion that comes from grain boundaries. The insulation is foamed polyethylene (Foamed-PE). Every insulator takes up some energy and gives it back late as distortion; polyethylene is low-loss and the foam holds a lot of air, which takes up very little, so the effect is greatly reduced.
ZERO-Tech and noise dissipation
ZERO-Tech cancels the electrostatic field between the send and return conductors, so the cable shows no characteristic impedance and no mismatch can arise with the circuits upstream and downstream. The outcome is radio-frequency noise dissipation that is linear, meaning even from one octave to the next, and transients that are not compressed. The Level 6 Noise-Dissipation system adds a resistive mesh of carbon and graphene, silver-plated drain wires and conductors that are Direction-Controlled, to lessen the masking caused by RF noise from mobile networks, WiFi and satellites.
Terminations and lengths
The RCA version is for unbalanced connections, the XLR one for equipment with balanced inputs and outputs. The plugs are very high purity Red Copper with silver applied straight onto it; the copper-plated, grounded shells stop the metal body of the connector from capacitively coupling RF noise into the conductors. Lengths: 0.6 m, 1 m, 1.5 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m, 5 m and 6 m.
Key features
- Conductors: solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
- Technology: ZERO-Tech, no characteristic impedance
- Noise: Level 6 Noise-Dissipation with carbon and graphene mesh
- Insulation: foamed polyethylene
- Connectors: RCA or XLR, silver on Red Copper, copper-plated shells
