Description
Designed and handcrafted using carefully selected combinations of 5N OCC solid silver conductors and Duelund tinned copper conductors, the Ultimate Silver Series is meticulously fine-tuned to achieve exceptional sound quality, musicality, and tonal balance.
Audiolund XLR to RCA/RCA to XLR Interconnect Cable ~ Ultimate Silver Series
- Upgraded Version: The XLR/RCA cable construction has been further refined to enhance overall sound quality.
1. Standard XLR to RCA format
- Constructed according to the standard XLR-to-RCA configuration, with Pin 1 and Pin 3 connected to ground, suitable for transformer-coupled outputs.
- Uses 9 solid-core 5N OCC silver conductors in multiple gauges: 15AWG + 18AWG + 24AWG + 26AWG + 28AWG + 29AWG + 29AWG + 32AWG + 32AWG, applied to both positive and negative signal paths.
- Each positive and negative signal path also incorporates 1 × 16AWG Duelund tinned copper conductor, blended with the 5N OCC silver conductors.
- For a 1.0-meter pair, the total conductor usage is approximately:
- 4m × 9 solid-core 5N OCC silver conductors, ranging from 15AWG to 32AWG
- 4m × 16AWG Duelund tinned copper conductor
- 2m silver-plated copper conductor for grounding
2. XLR to RCA with Pin-3 Open
- Constructed according to the Pin 3 open configuration used by MERGING+NADAC, Benchmark, Weiss, and other designs.
- The positive signal path incorporates 1 × 16AWG Duelund tinned copper conductor together with 5N OCC silver conductors.
- Uses 9 solid-core 5N OCC silver conductors in multiple gauges: 15AWG + 18AWG + 24AWG + 26AWG + 28AWG + 29AWG + 29AWG + 32AWG + 32AWG in the positive signal path.
- For a 1.0-meter pair, the total conductor usage is approximately:
- 2m × 9 solid-core 5N OCC silver conductors, ranging from 15AWG to 32AWG
- 2m × 16AWG Duelund tinned copper conductor
- Tinned copper shielding for grounding
3. XLR to RCA with Pin-3 Open added 10K Ohm resistor to ground
- Multiple types and layers of shielding materials are used to help minimize noise and RFI/EMI interference.
- A dedicated damping design incorporates various anti-vibration and isolation materials to help suppress mechanical vibration.
- Standard length: 1.0m, with other lengths available.
Sound Characteristics
The Ultimate Silver Series combines key sonic characteristics of the Xtreme Series and True Silver Series.
It delivers the natural, smooth, full-bodied, and musical presentation associated with the Xtreme Series and its Western Electric-inspired character, together with a quiet background. At the same time, the 5N OCC silver conductors contribute the sweetness, delicacy, speed, power, detail, and dynamic response associated with high-purity silver.
The combination creates a highly refined and comprehensive presentation that balances musical warmth and naturalness with modern silver clarity, speed, and resolution.
Using a combination of XLR and RCA connectors, this cable functions as an unbalanced XLR/RCA interconnect.
Conductor Cross-Sectional Area
For the Ultimate Silver Series RCA/XLR Interconnect, the estimated conductor cross-sectional area per meter, per +/- channel, is:
- 5N OCC Silver: 3.13 mm²
- Duelund Tinned Copper: 1.31 mm²
Choosing Between Audiolund’s Top Five Series
As a simple guide, each series is designed around a different sonic character:
- If you prefer the classic vintage Duelund/Western Electric sound, consider the Xtreme Series.
- If you prefer a modern 5N pure silver presentation, consider the True Silver Series.
- If you prefer the Duelund/Western Electric character with added pure silver characteristics, consider the Xtreme Silver Series.
- If you prefer the 5N pure silver character with added vintage Duelund/Western Electric qualities, consider the Ultimate Silver Series.
- If you value the Duelund/Western Electric and modern pure silver characteristics equally, consider the Flagship Series.
Recommendation
If you enjoy both the Western Electric-style character and pure silver sound, the Xtreme Silver Series and Ultimate Silver Series are both excellent choices.
The Ultimate Silver Series places greater emphasis on the modern high-purity silver presentation. By incorporating Duelund tinned copper conductors, it adds greater musicality, body, smoothness, and a slightly softer tonal character.
Highly recommended for listeners seeking the resolution and speed of OCC silver without sacrificing naturalness and musicality.
1) Default: Gold Foil + Black Stripe on Black Background
- Provides better wear resistance for the red copper and plastic decorative strips.
2) Silver Foil + Transparent Strip on Black Background
- The silver foil has lower wear resistance and should therefore be handled with greater care.
Cable Run-In
Most Audiolund cables use multi-core designs incorporating multiple conductor types and gauges. As a result, sufficient run-in time is recommended before making a final assessment of their sound.
The relatively thick solid-core OCC silver conductors may require a longer run-in period than Duelund tinned copper conductors, which use multiple parallel thin strands.
As a general guideline:
- Most Audiolund cables: approximately 100–200 hours
- Ultimate Silver Series: approximately 200–400 hours
The Ultimate Silver Series uses a particularly complex combination of multiple solid-core OCC silver conductors and Duelund tinned copper conductors and may therefore require additional run-in time before reaching a stable sonic presentation.
This is my second interconnect from Audiolund, first being an ultra short Ethernet cable. As expected from my previous experience, the build quality is top notch. The cable is very thick, in fact as thick as my Power Cord. There is an immediate improvement in SQ of my system after introduction of this cable with music now flowing even better with all more details easily audible. Music is organic sounding with zero harshness but at the same time maintaining that sparkle in the treble. Kudos to Danny on this fantastic cable which best value for the money in the market IMO.