Wireworld: Wireworld has "completely redesigned" its Series 52 (pronounced "five squared") audio cables. Chief engineer David Salz says they deliver the "highest fidelity the company has ever offered."
"Our approach has always been to design cables that sound as close to a direct connection as possible in double-blind listening tests" Salz says. "This means that in practice good cable design is all about minimizing the non-linear effects that degrade the audio signal. The theoretical ideal for this is to have a pair of conductors arranged in thin-walled concentric tubes to maintain completely consistent coupling between positive and negative conductors, thus minimizing adverse electromagnetic effects. The patented Symmetricoax design employed in all of our previous cables was a very effective way of approximating this ideal, and our reputation for lifelike sound quality was a direct result of this objective approach."
For 52, Salz says he improved on the Symmetricoax by employing four thin, flat conductors stacked in a parallel array that is then precisely wound into a helix shape—keeping the coupling between all the conductors extremely precise over the cable's length and "effectively neutralizing the electromagnetic losses."
That construction would be too bulky for speaker cables, so Salz adapted the stacked conductor arrangement by employing 12 flat conductors, stacked diagonally—an arrangement he dubbed "Parallel DNA design." "Each of the flat conductors is composed of a parallel group of six strands encased in high-density polyethylene. This arrangement provides for uniform conductivity across the entire audible spectrum, and minimizes all types of audible distortion for greater clarity and dynamics than any previous speaker cable design."
The cables come in three ranges: Eclipse 52, Silver Eclipse 52, and Gold Eclipse 52.
Eclipse 52 interconnects feature Teflon-insulated Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) copper conductors with silver-clad Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) plugs. SRP for a 1m pair is $449.95. Eclipse 52 speaker cables feature 10-gauge OCC copper conductors with silver-clad OFC spade lug terminations, and are available in standard ($1149.95, 2.5m) or bi-wire ($1199.95, 2.5m) configurations.
Silver Eclipse 52 interconnects and speaker cables feature the same construction as the Eclipse models, but utilize OCC silver-clad copper conductors. Silver Eclipse 52 interconnects are $699.95/1m. Silver Eclipse 52 speaker cables are available in standard ($2149.95, 2.5m) or bi-wire ($2199.95, 2.5m) configurations.
Gold Eclipse 52 cables also share the same construction as the Eclipse and Silver Eclipse lines, but employ OCC solid silver conductors. Gold Eclipse 52 interconnects are $1599.95 for a 1m pair. Gold Eclipse 52 speaker cables are available in standard ($8149.95, 2.5m) or bi-wire ($8199.95, 2.5m) configurations.
ELP price drop: ELP Laser Turntable has announced a price reduction of its flagship device, the Laser Turntable. Claiming that "direct distribution and improved manufacturing efficiencies have enabled ELP to drastically reduce pricing, further opening up the market for this unique technology to vinyl record enthusiasts across the globe," the company has set the new price "below $10,000" for its basic LT-L1RC model and $14,400 for its LT-2XR turntable, which plays 78rpm as well as 33rpm and 45rpm discs.
Interestingly, the day we received ELP's press release, faithful reader Jeff Wong forwarded a URL for an eBay auction offering a "chance to invest in the next generation of vinyl simulators." For $45,000, you can purchase 100% of the "full intellectual property ownership and rights" to a "vinyl turntable optical controller." Sounds like a laser turntable, no?
Nope. Read on and you'll see that "the primary purpose of this device is to manipulate the playback of digital sound (such as music on a CD, MP3 file, etc) simulating the effects of playing a vinyl disc on a turntable. Effectively using digital audio but physically controlling it exactly like a real vinyl disc with all the effects like scratching."
Never mind.
