Mundorf Silver/Gold alloy, Qables new developments.

[hoosterw]

Quite a long time I have been thinking how to fill the huge price and performance gap between the Silvercab and the Goldcab.

I could not exactly figure out how I could make an acceptable step in performance and at the same an justifiable step in the price gap.

But I happen to come across this German company, Mundorf, specialised in the production of Silver/Gold alloy wire. They produce a high quality alloy between Silver and 1% pure Gold.
Goldplated was something that I already tried out but I could not really justify the sound benefits against the price increase for such wire versus standard Silver. It would cost me more in wire costs then I actually found back in sound performance.

Now Mundorf manufactures a real alloy, that means melted and then extruded to wire, between pure silver and 1% pure gold and the alloy really makes a huge sonically difference in respect to silver only or goldplated silver. It seems that the melting creates a much more balanced and even crystal structure all through the silver then you can ever hope to realise with only plating the outer rims.

I have build the first cables and the feedback I get from them is really amazing. Every thing you expect from silver with the ‘touch’ of the transparency of gold.
Here is what Mundorf say about their wire:

The mixture of silver plus 1% gold has proven itself excellently as capacitor film for the MCap® Supreme Silver/Gold series capacitors. The resulting sound was so impressive that it was only natural to think of using this alloy for the internal wiring of electronic devices. Listening tests with individually isolated conductors quickly proved that silver/gold shows its superior strengths every bit as convincingly in this application as well. Purity and elegance are the terms that automatically lend themselves to this exquisite material. We offer the silver/gold wire in various diameters and insulated in PTFE.

So I am to introduce a new set of LOD’s based on the Silver/Gold Mundorf wire.
The first LOD’s will be available in a week or two, limited edition, all made by hand.

If the sales go well enough I intend to have the wire professionally manufactured so I can work on a tighter tolerance and gain even more performance out of this beautiful wire.

The pricing will initially be 95euro for a 6” iPod – mini LOD and 98euro for a 6” mini-mini cable. (International orders 114US$ for a 6” iPod –mini LOD and 118US$ for a 6”mini-mini).
I only wish the dollar would be a little more up the coming weeks .

Mundorf wire:

[hoosterw]

As announced above I would be introducing the new cable line based on the Mundorf Silver Gold alloy wire handproduced first.

But instead of this handwired version as announced, I decided to directly introduce the professionally manufactured cable. This is mainly because the handwired version could not meet my expectations in terms of accepteable tolerances and was not performing as I wanted.

I have named the new cable the Silvercab-pro.

Mainly because the mechanical design of the cable is the same as the Silvercab. The Silvercab-pro is, as are all our cable products, professionally and exclusively manufactured for Qables. Three solid core Silver/Gold alloy wires, each 0.5mm thick, the hot L and R are fitted in Teflon insulation and the third (ground/return) is coverd in PE. All this is balanced woven with glaswool fiber to gain optimum electrical characteristics. (see 3D picture below).





Positioned between the Silvercab and Goldcab this cable is an attractive alternative for the rather expensive Goldcab having all the silver characteristics but with the 'magical touch' of gold.

Interconnect cables using this new wire are available as of now but in limited quantities and in first instance only in iPod LOD's execution. The cables will be fitted with their own logo and you can recognise the cables by a gold and a silver Q on the heatshrink.



I hope that this brings another dimension to your Head Fi pleasure.

Hans Oosterwaal.

[hoosterw]

The outer braided sleeve from the Silvercab-pro Has been upgraded.

Up to now I used the same sleeve as on the standard Silvercab, Techflex mono filament (PEToflex). I found this to little difference between the cable lines.

I have now found a new multifilament nylon sleeve. This gives a more quality like look and feel.

All Silvercab- pro cables will be fitted with this new sleeve as of today.

Pictures will soon follow.

Thanks Hans.

[hoosterw]

Here a picture of the new and old sleeve.