Hmmm, yes it is: http://audiometallurgy.com/xhadow-precision-rca-plug-small.html The barrel assembly and rear lock nut are solid aluminum and the "contact" inserted into it is silver plated copper. All the best, Nonoise |
I just found out that the Xhadow connectors used by many of the cable makers out there is aluminum. I thought it was some non-conductive material like what the Eichmann Bullets use. Aluminum is a very conductive metal though not as good as cooper or silver and even if plated (like brass, which is bad) can impart some negative aspects to the signal. It's silver plated and maybe that is enough to negate any interference or at least less than the amount that brass imparts to the signal. Also, you can give Tony Bender a call and talk to him about his cables. If I remember correctly, he sources his silver from different places to get the best purity (I think it's four 9s). If you look at the termination you'll see it's really short since it's missing the brass barrel and if you think about it, it's as close to being just a wire as possible. Maybe that goes a long way to why it sounds so good, to me. All the best, Nonoise |
Not to start an argument here but the whole idea behind Darwin's philosophy is to eliminate the barrel completely. If the anodized coating applied to the aluminum barrel is enough to quell any interaction with the actual contact inside of it, then why not coat a brass barrel and be done with it, saving cost? We all know, from experience, just how "non conductive" dielectrics mess with the signal on a wire, even when not always in direct contact with it and here you have the contact very snugly placed inside a "non conductive" outer barrel. It is said to be non magnetic, not non conductive, hence the anodized coating, which should stop or address in some part, conductivity. Granted, this is all theory until someone makes a comparison but from what I'm getting with the Darwins (and for the cost) I'm content with what I have. Also, has anyone talked to Tony Bender at Darwin cables? All the best, Nonoise |
