AudioQuest's Big Sur mini cables feature Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) conductors and gold-plated pure "Purple-Copper" RCA plugs for a marked sonic improvement over standard mini cables. While theoreticians debate whether the true nature of the universe is analog or digital, one constant in our audiophile galaxy is that the music, dialogue, and sound effects which reach our ears is analog. In order to preserve this precious cargo, AudioQuest has designed a range of analog interconnects optimized for the single-ended world. Big Sur takes advantage of years of carefully balancing design and material selection in order to bring you a series of interconnects which, as much as possible, "Do No Harm" to the original audio signal.

Solid Core Conductors

Big Sur, like virtually all of AQ's cables, uses solid-core conductors for the analog pathway. Solid-core conductors are more efficient at transmitting small signals than stranded cables and are also vastly lower in distortion, a difference that is clearly audible from the first instant; the system sounds like someone turned up the volume! This efficiency also translates to more music coming through, plug in a Big Sur and hear things in your music you've never heard before.

Perfect Surface Copper + (PSC+)

Big Sur receives AQ's best copper, PSC+. A higher grade of copper than PSC, PSC+ receives the same proprietary Perfect Surface polishing process which, as the name implies, smoothes the surface of the conductors. Since treble and midrange frequencies travel very close to the surface in a solid-core conductor, eliminating even microscopic roughness on the surface of the conductor greatly reduces distortion. Sonically, PSC+ is vastly more resolving than PSC, like lifting a sheet off of the speakers, offering greater resolution, greater presence, far more extension top to bottom and far better grip in the lower octaves. For those who value a high level of resolution in their system, PSC+ is the ideal conductor.

Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation

Any solid material adjacent to a conductor is actually part of an imperfect circuit. Wire insulation and circuit board materials all absorb energy (loss). Some of this energy is stored and then released as distortion. Big Sur uses air-filled Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation on both conductors because air absorbs next to no energy and Polyethylene is low-loss and has a benign distortion profile. Thanks to all the air in Foamed-PE, it causes much less of the out-of-focus effect common to other materials.

Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation System (NDS)

100% shield coverage is easy. Preventing captured RF Interference from modulating the equipment's ground reference requires AQ's Noise-Dissipation System. Noise-Dissipation System prevents a significant amount of RFI from reaching the equipment's ground plane.

Double-Balanced Asymmetrical Geometry

Purpose designed for single-ended applications, Double-Balanced Asymmetrical Geometry offers a relatively lower impedance on the ground for a richer, and more dynamic experience. While many single-ended cable designs use a single path for both the ground and the shield, Double-Balanced designs separate the two for cleaner, quieter performance.

Gold-Plated Pure "Purple-Copper" RCA plugs

This plug design allows for a connection devoid of solder, which is a common source of distortion. Because the ground shells are stamped instead of machined, the metal can be chosen for low distortion instead of machinability. Purple-Copper offers a cleaner, clearer sound than the nickel-plated or OFHC metals commonly found in competing manufacturers' plugs.