AudioQuest Angel: Soaring, Heaven-Sent Sound

Nestled majestically atop AudioQuest's Bridges and Falls Series, Angel interconnects feature Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) conductors and AudioQuest's unique DBS system for clarity and depth unrivaled by any other analog interconnect. Very few cables that AudioQuest has produced come close to the resolution, transparency, and detail provided here, yet Angel retains a much more agreeable cost than many high-end audio cables. Get a taste of audio heaven and find out just how good your system is capable of sounding.

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. Angel 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
Angel, 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 an Angel and hear things in your music you’ve never heard before.

Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors
Perfect-Surface Technology applied to extreme-purity silver provides unprecedented clarity and dynamic contrast. Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of cable distortion. Extremely high-purity Perfect-Surface Silver minimizes distortion caused by the grain boundaries which exist within any metal conductor, nearly eliminating harshness and greatly increasing clarity compared to OFHC, OCC, 8N and other coppers.

Dielectric Bias System (DBS)
DBS is an AudioQuest patented system which does some pretty extraordinary things to the electrical properties of the cable yet operates completely outside the signal path. DBS simultaneously eliminates the "Dielectric Effect" as well as external interference.

The Dielectric Effect, simply put, is a form of phase distortion caused by the tendency of insulation material to randomly and unpredictably absorb and then release the electrical energy passing through the conductors. This causes smearing of fine detail and distortion of tonal balance. DBS eliminates this distortion by using a high voltage potential from the battery packs to electrically saturate the insulating material. The difference is shocking (pardon the pun), bass extends deeper, voices become fleshed out and every instrument achieves a truly jaw-dropping level of realism.

While the positive pole of the DBS pack creates the high-voltage potential inside the cable, the negative pole of the DBS pack is connected to a shield which runs the length of the cable, creating a virtual vacuum for external interference; energy that strikes this shield is instantly and completely drained into the negative portion of the battery creating ultra-black backgrounds, greatly enhancing resolution and dynamic range.

The best part is that because the batteries are simply creating potential not current flow, they will last 3-5 years; about as long as they would if they were sitting on a shelf.

Direct-Silver Plated Pure "Red-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. Red-Copper offers a cleaner, clearer sound over nickel-plated or OFHC metals commonly found in competing manufacturers' plugs. Direct-Silver Plating offers one more important step toward greater clarity and doing no harm to the signal.

Carbon-Based 3-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. Metal and Carbon-Loaded synthetics prevent most RFI from reaching the equipment’s ground plane.