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ALPHA-SNAKE
ANALOG AUDIO INTERCONNECT
SYMMETRICAL COAX DESIGN
24 AWG Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) Conductor (+)
Solid Long-Grain
Copper (LGC)
Symmetrical
AQ Solder
Conductors
At first glance, Alpha-Snake’s design looks like a traditional coaxial cable. However, there are many very
important differences, each of which greatly influences sound quality.
DESIGN BASICS: Alpha-Snake has identical conductors for the positive and ground connections.
Underneath the 100% coverage foil shield is a bare conductor, exactly the same as the insulated center
conductor. The conductor under the shield does double duty as a low distortion audio connection, and as
the drain wire connecting the shield to ground.
PVC Insulation
24 AWG Solid LGC Conductor (-)
Foil/Mylar/Foil Shield
Black PVC Jacket
Clear PVC Jacket
CONDUCTORS: Both of Alpha-Snake’s conductors are solid. Electrical and magnetic interaction between
strands in a conventional cable is the greatest source of distortion, often causing a somewhat dirty harsh
sound. Solid conductors are the most important ingredient enabling Alpha-Snake’s very clear sound.
METAL: Alpha-Snake’s LGC (Long-Grain Copper) allows a smoother and clearer sound than cables using
regular OFHC (Oxygen-Free High-Conductivity) copper. OFHC is a general metal industry specification
regarding “loss,” without any concern for distortion. LGC has fewer oxides within the conducting material,
less impurities, less grain boundaries, and definitively better performance.
INSULATION: Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is actually part of an imperfect circuit. Wire
insulation, circuit board materials all absorb energy (loss). Some of this energy is stored and then released
as distortion. The general cable industry ranks insulating materials by loss, with little regard for distortion.
AudioQuest ranks materials by damage to an audio signal. The PVC used in Alpha-Snake has too much
loss to be used in a quality video cable, but it has a very benign distortion profile through the audio range,
keeping Alpha-Snake’s sound pleasant and natural.
TERMINATIONS: Precision gold plated plugs are carefully attached with the very best solder. Through
choice of flux and metallurgy, AQ solder has been optimized to make a low distortion connection. All solder,
including “silver solder,” is a poor conductor. The difference you hear between solders is a result of
connection quality. AQ Solder does not have a high silver content because the more silver there is in solder,
the more difficult it is to make a good connection.
A combination of these major ingredients, and many more subtle details add up to explain how even an
inexpensive cable like Alpha-Snake can sound so good.
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