AudioQuest
AudioQuest Blizzard UK Mains Power Cable
Length
Connector
AudioQuest Blizzard Mains Power Cable
The AudioQuest Wind series of power cables features the following options:
- Monsoon
- Blizzard
- Silver Cloud
When comparing the High (Variable) Current power cables with the Source / Constant Current power cables, you will find that the High-Current cables feature larger gauge solid-core conductors, designed for power-hungry units such as power amplifier, powered subwoofer, powered loudspeaker, powered receiver, or integrated amplifier.
Blizzard power cables features Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) Conductors. At the top of the Wind series is the AudioQuest Silver Cloud power cable, and this is constructed with a combination of perfect-surface copper+ (PSC+) and perfect-surface silver conductors (PS) for ultimate performance.
Features:
Low-Z / Noise-Dissipation 3-Pole AC Power Cable
- Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) Conductors
- True-Concentric Conductors Minimize Strand Interaction & Magnetic Confusion
- Ground Noise Dissipation Technology (US Patent # 9,373,439)
- ZERO: No Characteristic Impedance
- 72VDC Dielectric Bias System (US Patent #7,126,055)
- Directionally Controlled Conductors
Some insight:
Alternating Current (AC), is a far-from-perfect power source. AC power technology is well over a century old and was never designed to meet the exacting standards of today’s high resolution audio-video components. AC noise is present at the utility source and is then exacerbated by radio frequency noise that is induced (picked up by the AC power cord) and coupled to the component power supplies and to circuit ground. This creates distortion and low-level signal losses via the “masking effect.” Further, power amplifiers can require immense reserves of transient current for their power supplies to react to and then stabilize during dynamic audio passages. Most AC power cords and power conditioner-regenerators, though helpful to a point, are simply not up to the task.
Power amplifiers present a real challenge for any AC power source, as the transient current requirements (though short in duration) can be many times that of the average (RMS) current consumption. Power amplifiers are also unique from all other components in that the current draw is dynamic, not constant, and it changes with volume and audio signal content. Though many AC power cords may feature low DC resistance to allow for some of this requirement, the characteristic impedance of the AC cable is equally responsible for assuring uncompromised performance. Many premium AC cords constrict or compress the audio transient as their characteristic impedance restricts the transient current.
GND-TECH (GROUND-NOISE DISSIPATION)
AC Ground wires provide protection from current-wiring faults, but they also act as antennas. Thus, they are subject to induced radio-frequency (RF) noise. This RF noise bypasses component power supplies and is typically coupled directly into a system’s most sensitive audio/video circuits. AudioQuest’s patented Ground-Noise Dissipation (GND) greatly reduces this distortion, yielding unprecedented levels of noise dissipation across the widest bandwidth (range) of radio frequencies possible. Our unique circuit topology utilizes a common-mode phase-cancelling array, in concert with proprietary dielectric materials which provide additional differential linear filtering. (US Patent # 9,373,439)
HIGH-PURITY TRUE-CONCENTRIC PSC+ CONDUCTORS
Blizzard uses only our very purest copper: 100% Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+). Both superior metal and conductor geometry greatly reduce ear-fatiguing Transient Intermodulation (TIM) Distortion.
DIELECTRIC-BIAS SYSTEM WITH BLACK-LEVEL RADIO-FREQUENCY TRAP (DBS)
All insulation is also a dielectric whose electrical properties affect the integrity of the signal. When the insulation is unbiased, dielectric-involvement (absorption and non-linear release of energy back into the signal flow) causes different amounts of time delay (phase shift) for different frequencies and energy levels, which is a significant problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio. AudioQuest’s multi-patented DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation. This minimizes the nonlinear time delays, resulting in clearer sound emerging from a “blacker” background. The inclusion of an RF Trap (a technology developed for AudioQuest’s Niagara Series of power products) in the DBS battery pack further reduces radio-frequency noise. The DBS battery packs will last for many years. A test button and LED allow for the occasional battery check.
DIRECTIONALITY
All drawn metal strands or conductors have a non-symmetrical, and therefore directional, grain structure. AudioQuest controls the resulting RF impedance variation so that noise is drained away from where it will cause distortion. The correct direction is determined by listening to every batch of metal conductors used in every AudioQuest audio cable. When applicable, arrows are clearly marked on the connectors to ensure superior sound quality. For most models of AQ cable, the arrows not only indicate the direction that optimizes metal-directionality as part of Noise-Dissipation, but also indicates non-symmetrical attachment of shield and GND in order to optimize full-system performance.
UNCOMPRESSED HIGH CURRENT TRANSFER
While many AC power cables feature low DC resistance in order to accommodate the demand for high current, a cable’s characteristic impedance is also crucial for optimal performance. Unlike most AC cables that constrict or compress an audio-provoked transient, AudioQuest AC cables combine low DC resistance and ZERO (no) characteristic impedance in order to deliver uncompressed high-current transients on demand.