Yukon: RCA or XLR interconnect in solid PSC+ copper with air-tube insulation
AudioQuest Yukon is an analogue interconnect with three solid copper conductors, designed for links between sources, preamplifiers, amplifiers and receivers. It is offered with RCA or XLR connectors.
Sold as a pair: the pack contains the two cables for the right and left channels.
Conductors and geometry
Each conductor is a single wire of Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+). With no strands, the electrical and magnetic interplay that arises between adjacent wires is avoided, and the surface quality of the copper limits the distortion generated at grain boundaries. With the Triple-Balanced layout the ground reference runs on a separate conductor, so the shield is never asked to act as a signal conductor: positive and negative have equivalent, low-distortion paths, with RCA plugs just as with XLR connectors.
Insulation and noise reduction
The two signal conductors are insulated with air-filled polyethylene tubes (Polyethylene Air-Tube). Air takes up almost no energy and polyethylene is a low-loss material: together they limit the energy that insulation stores and later releases as distortion, and they help keep the cable geometry stable. The carbon-based, three-layer Noise-Dissipation System alternates metal with carbon-loaded synthetics to soak up and reflect most radio-frequency noise ahead of the layer tied to ground. The conductors are Direction-Controlled, and arrows on the connectors show the correct way round.
Terminations and lengths
RCA termination is the one to choose for unbalanced inputs and outputs; XLR is for equipment with balanced circuits. In both cases the plugs are high-purity Purple Copper with silver applied straight onto it, joined to the cable by high-pressure cold welding, with no solder. Lengths: 0.5 m, 0.75 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+)
- Geometry: Triple-Balanced with three conductors
- Insulation: Polyethylene Air-Tube
- Shielding: carbon-based three-layer Noise-Dissipation
- Connectors: RCA or XLR, silver on Purple Copper, cold-welded
