KILIMANJARO
SPEAKER CABLE: EARTH FEATURE SERIES
Solid Perfect-Surface
Silver (PSS)
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DBS Anode |
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(+72V) |
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4 Size SST |
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HyperLitz |
DBS |
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Conductive |
Cathode (-) |
Counter Spirals |
Dielectric |
COUNTER SPIRAL (EARTH FEATURE) DESIGN Positive Conductor Group (inner circle = 12 AWG):
1 x 21 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
2 x 20 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
1 x 19 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
1 x 17 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
Negative Conductor Group (outer circle = 12 AWG):
1x 21 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors 2 x 20 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
1x 19 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
1x 17 AWG Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
DBS Anode (+)
DBS Cathode (-) (Negative Conductor Group + Conductive PVC Rods)
72V DBS Battery Pack Included
White/Black Braid over Black PVC Jacket
PERFECT-SURFACE SILVER: Kilimanjaro uses extremely high purity Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) conductors. All conductors are solid, which prevents strand interaction, a major source of distortion. Surface quality is critical because a conductor can be considered as a rail-guide for both the electric fields within a conductor, and for the magnetic fields outside the conductor. The astonishingly smooth and pure Perfect-Surface eliminates harshness and greatly increases clarity compared to other premium coppers or silvers. Because silver-plated strands, or anything less than the highest purity silver, often have an obnoxious tweeter-in-your-face quality, if you have heard any such cables, you will likely be stunned by the pleasure and sonic purity of PSS silver.
DIELECTRIC-BIAS SYSTEM (patent pending): Unfortunately, because insulation stores and releases energy, it is also a “dielectric.” In a cable application, all released energy is distortion. The misnomer “break-in” is often used to describe the pronounced improvement in performance as the dielectric adapts to a charged state as the cable is used. Whenever a cable does not have a charge on it, it is re-adapting to an uncharged state; it is becoming new again.
By maintaining a 72 volt dielectric-bias, far above the voltage of delicate audio signals, the DBS system provides considerably better transparency and dynamics than is possible even from a cable in continuous use. It takes a couple of weeks for the DBS system to reach maximum performance. Since DBS battery packs are attached when Kilimanjaro cables are first terminated, Kilimanjaro will be approaching or at peak performance by the time it is installed in your system. Since there is no “load” on the two standard hardware-store batteries, they will last for years. A test button and LED allow for occasional verification of battery performance.
COUNTER SPIRALING “EARTH FEATURE” GEOMETRY: Kilimanjaro and the other AQ “Earth Feature” cables have an inner circular array of positive conductors spiraling in one direction. Around this inner group, are the negative conductors, spiraling in the opposite direction. Even while the positive and negative conductors are crossing each other instead of being parallel, the relationship between the positive and negative groups is fixed and non-changing, adhering to one of AudioQuest’s most basic design tenets: consistency. The result is an astonishing clarity, like focusing a camera lens you had no idea was so far out of focus.
SST (Spread Spectrum Technology): Any single size or shape of conductor has a specific distortion profile. Even though radially symmetrical conductors (solid round or tubular) have the fewest discontinuities, any particular size does have a sonic signature. SST uses a precise combination of different size conductors in order to significantly reduce the audibility of these character flaws. The four different SST-determined conductor sizes used in Kilimanjaro allow an exceptionally clear, clean and dynamic sound.
CONDUCTIVE INSULATION: The five negative conductors in Kilimanjaro are insulated with partially conductive carbon-loaded polyethylene. This remarkable material damps radio-frequency garbage from being fed back into the amplifier. The sonic benefit is exactly the same reduction in “hash” and better dimensionality that comes whenever RF garbage is reduced in an audio circuit.
TERMINATIONS: AudioQuest offers a wide range of high quality connectors that allow Kilimanjaro to be securely attached to any type of equipment. AQ ends are dull looking because the silver (or gold) is plated directly over the connector. There is no harsh sounding shiny nickel layer underneath. AQ spade lugs are plain looking and soft because pure copper is soft. Also, compressibility facilitates a higher quality connection. AQ spade lugs are available in several sizes. AQ PSC Benda-Pins fit all equipment, except components accepting only a banana plug or BFA connector, in which case the AQ Crimp BFA/Banana provides unprecedented performance at a fraction the cost of those not-so-good sounding big “eye-candy” versions.
BIWIRING: When possible, running separate conductors or separate cables to the treble and bass halves of a speaker will considerably reduce distortion. BiWiring works because cable causes distortion, which can be minimized by keeping the bass energy out of the treble cable. Kilimanjaro is an ideal full-range cable. It can also be used as a double pair for maximum benefit from BiWiring. Kilimanjaro has also been designed to make it possible to Single-BiWire. The five conductors per polarity have been chosen and arranged so that they may be divided into two groups, allowing Kilimanjaro to be prepared with four connections on the speaker end.
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