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Wireworld Equinox 6 Interconnect Report

Posted by Duster (M) on August 4, 2012 at 14:40:32

Image: Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnect (Ohno Continuous Cast copper, Composilex composite material dielectric, DNA Helix twisted flat ribbon cable geometry) terminated with Wireworld Silver Tube rca connectors (silver plated OFC hollow center pin with Teflon insulator, silver plated OFC ground contact with silicone elastomer tension band, aluminum shell).

Wireworld Equinox 6 Interconnect Report

Application

Over the past several years, an ordinary Motorola DCT2224 digital cable television terminal placed in my 2-channel main audio system has been the center of much attention towards improving the audio performance of movie soundtracks, digital music channels, FM radio feeds, and general television viewing/listening including well produced documentary soundtracks. Many audiophile power cords, audio interconnects, CATV coaxial cables, and vibration control devices have come and gone, with the Motorola DCT2224 being the only immutable object unable to be upgraded nor invasively tweaked. For a number of years, a pair of VH Audio Spectrum Cu interconnects terminated with WBT Nextgen Cu rca connectors ($359.99/1m pair) have performed excellently when placed on the audio outputs of the Motorola DCT2224, but my impressions of the Spectrum Cu when placed on the digital CATV terminal has included a caveat of perhaps being "too good" or not ideal in terms of synergy for the particular application. I found the Spectrum Cu to be rather unforgiving towards numerous sonic artifacts often present in sub par audio program material, including edgy sounding aspects of less than stellar soundtrack engineering, audio processing anomalies on the broadcast end of things, and the inherently mundane performance level of the digital CATV terminal in and of itself. Nevertheless, I've found the unit to be worthy of serious audiophile attention, since such efforts have indeed provided more satisfying audible results. When I recently came across mention of Wireworld's moderate-cost level Equinox 6 interconnect ($199/1m pair), intensive research of the product moved me to take a chance and evaluate the cable for use with the Motorola DCT2224.

Description

The Wireworld Equinox 6 Interconnect features state of the art Ohno Continuous Cast single crystal copper wire, which is a real deal maker for copper line-level cable fans who desire a silky smooth, liquid characteristic while still retaining the "amber glow" sonic signature that copper conductors tend to present for line-level use vs. that of pure silver wire. The cable also features an obviously proprietary insulator called Composilex, a composite material which Wireworld claims to be an advanced dielectric that has replaced the use of Teflon in some Wireworld cable designs. Based on my subjective impressions, the cooler sounding sonic signature of Teflon is not present within my evaluation of the Equinox 6 interconnect, while not sounding as lethargic as PVC and PE can sound in many cases. Another notable design factor is the DNA Helix design: a twisted flat ribbon geometry which Wireworld claims to mitigate inductive loss and other performance issues (see text taken from Wireworld's product literature below). Otherwise, the appearance of the cable is not unusual and its flexibility is excellent, with no problem routing the cables throughout the configuration of my audio system. Perhaps the most immediately impressive design feature is Wireworld's Silver Tube rca connector:

The Wireworld Silver Tube rca connector deserves special mention here, since I subjectively believe the design to be on par with the best rca connectors I've ever experienced. It features a silver plated OFC hollow center pin with Teflon insulator, silver plated OFC ground contact with silicone elastomer tension band, and an aluminum shell. When the connector is plugged into an rca jack, the elastomer tension band positioned around the silver plated coper ground contact initially produces an unusually tight tension on the tip of the rca jack ground shroud until the plug finally slips onto the surface where it then provides a very firm but not a ridiculous amount of grip that would make the plug difficult to remove. The "feel" of this particular action is a joy to experience, and makes the notion of a locking barrel rca connector seem obsolete. The hollow copper center pin with direct silver plating is of obvious benefit and at least in theory is superior to the direct gold plated copper hollow center pin of the Eichmann Bullet Plug. Finally, the medium-mass aluminum shell that covers the Silver Tube rca connector is likely of benefit to the rigidity of the rca connector for vibration control purposes, as well as providing a level of EMI/RFI rejection. I'm so impressed by the plug that I look forward to implement the Silver Tube rca connector (8.5mm version only $10 each via Galen Carol Audio) for a DIY interconnect termination, and try to determine its intrinsic sonic merit apart from what it contributes to the sonic signature of the Equinox 6 Interconnect.

Observation

During the first 100 hours of burn-in, an incoherent veil seemed to obscure low-level information, with buried micro details and a level of micro dynamic reticence being of real concern about the future of this newcomer if ample burn-in time did not solve these fundamental issues. Fortunately, I found the Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnect to sound better and better, day after day, as the burn-in process progressed. That said, a substantial amount of burn-in time was required before I could do a proper evaluation. After 150 hours of continuous playback, the Equinox 6 interconnect certainly sounded far more open than it did previously, while a great deal of further improvement was found after 250 hours of burn-in. If a particular cable is actually deemed to be a keeper, I usually allow 400 hours burn-in before making a final judgement. In this case, it did not require any more time to make up my mind about the cable after the 250 hour burn-in mark.

In my experience, the Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnect presents a full bodied, information rich sonic signature including a well developed midrange with excellent presence. While not a definitively warm sounding cable, the gestalt is on the warmer side of neutral. I would tentatively assume that Wireworld's unexplained Composilex dielectric may contribute to this subjective perception of warmth vs. that of Teflon. After sufficient burn-in, the top end presented plenty of treble energy but was in no way bright sounding while sounding extremely smooth, with notable liquidity. The leading edge transients became better defined and more energetic as opposed to sounding a bit ill-defined and restricted prior to the 150 hour burn-in mark. Imaging and spatial cues within the soundstage are impressive and as integral as the reference cable provides. After 250 hours burn-in, the bottom end opened up and became more extended. I found the nature of the bass to be generous and well controlled, with enjoyable concussive impact readily apparent while listening to movie soundtracks with explosive audio content. Overall, in this application I found the primary difference between the Equinox 6 and the reference cable is the Equinox 6 presented a richer sounding tonality, while the reference cable sounded a bit leaner if not faster. I find more than satisfactory system synergy with the Equinox 6 placed between digital CATV source and preamplifier, and the reference VH Audio Spectrum Cu interconnects terminated with WBT-0110 Cu NextGen rca connectors placed between preamplifier and power amplifier.

I couldn't find a single caveat to mention while the Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnect was being evaluated within the context of my 2-channel home theater application, and can say it has subjectively bettered all interconnect cables above, around, and below its price point when placed on the audio outputs of the Motorola DCT2224 digital cable television terminal. How the Equinox 6 cable might fair when placed on a higher performance DAC or CD player is unknown to me, since my main audio system requires a longer interconnect for my DAC than the 1 meter length acquired for the digital CATV box.

The smooth liquidity, palpable presence, and obvious dynamics of the Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnect make it a real winner for my 2-channel home theater application, and believe it worthy of serious consideration by audiophiles who demand a high level of musicality within their critical listening sessions rather than a supremely analytical perspective. In my opinion, the Wireworld Equinox 6 interconnect is a new moderate-cost level favorite that I can gladly recommend, and a fine example of an affordable high performance interconnect of which audiophile experts, neophytes, and non-audiophile music lovers may find common satisfaction.

Cheers, Duster

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The following text taken from Wireworld's product literature:

http://www.wireworldaudio.com/ProdLit/WP_DNAnComposilex.pdf

-snip-

A perfect audio cable would transfer every sonic detail from one component to the next as if they were docked directly together, a condition called a ‘cable-bypass.’ Wireworld is the only company that follows through on this essential concept by designing cables to provide the closest sound to a direct connection. The current Wireworld cable designs incorporate the knowledge gained from over 30 years of continuous development based on this unique objective approach.

Progress in cable design has apparently been limited by a basic misconception of how signals flow through cables. The common belief that signal energy is transferred as electron flow within the conductors is not true. Most of the energy is actually transferred in the electromagnetic field surrounding the conductors. This misconception has lead to the false assumption that using thicker conductors would improve sound quality. Increasing the thickness of conductors can only reduce the amount of energy that is lost as heat (resistive loss), while it actually increases the electromagnetic (inductive) loss that causes most of the audible degradation that we hear from cables. Resistive loss is less audible because it affects all frequencies equally, while electromagnetic loss is very uneven, changing the shape of the musical waveforms.

The inductive loss of cables is complex, as it includes skin effect, proximity effect, eddy current resistance and mechanical modulation effects caused by structural instability. The DNA designs were formulated to provide a comprehensive solution to these effects based on their audibility in bypass testing. To minimize skin effect, the flat conductors in the DNA designs are as thin as a single strand, yet there are enough strands to provide very low resistance. The strands are completely parallel, providing the most direct signal path possible. The flat conductors are arranged in stacked arrays to channel the electromagnetic field energy as efficiently as possible (See blue lines in Illustrations). Furthermore, for each design, the spacing between the positive and negative conductors is fine tuned by ear to match the pure sound of a direct connection. The effect of that tuning is like focusing a lens, with the beautiful textures and dynamics of live music coming into vivid 3-D focus when the spacing is just right.

The DNA Helix design (patent pending) used in Wireworld interconnects consists of a stacked array of four flat conductors, which are twisted together and tightly compressed within a composite shield. In addition to channeling the electromagnetic field energy more efficiently than other designs, this configuration also provides superior immunity to EMI/RFI interference. The conductors in Wireworld interconnects are insulated with Composilex, a proprietary material technology that minimizes triboelectric noise and noise modulation distortion, resulting in quieter backgrounds and cleaner transients than cables that utilize conventional insulation materials.

By combining the most efficient designs with the best upgrade materials, Wireworld audio cables advance the art of preserving the natural tone quality, spatiality and effortless dynamics of live music.

-snip-

http://www.wireworldaudio.com/ProdLit/ISS_Connectors.pdf

-snip-

Wireworld connectors are engineered to provide the purest and most lifelike sound quality available. Awarded U.S. Patent #5,413,503, the Wireworld RCA plug design provides the highest conductivity of any RCA plug in the world. The most unique feature of this design is a silicone rubber tension band, which creates a smooth firm grip over any jack. The Silver Tube Mini Jack has solid one-piece silver-clad contacts for the ultimate in strength and sound qualtiy. With superior sonic transparency and a perfect fit every time, Wireworld connectors are simply the world’s best.

Bright gold-plated connectors may be beautiful, but they’re not a reliable indicator of quality in cables. Most gold-plated plugs are made of brass, which is plated with bright nickel and a thin layer of gold. Brass and nickel are rather poor conductors that introduce significant loss at the points of contact. Furthermore, the thick metal sections of conventional plugs reduce sonic clarity. Wireworld RCA plugs utilize thin- walled tubular contacts made of the best conductors, oxygen-free copper and silver, to provide distinct improvements in clarity, smoothness and dynamic range.

-snip-

• https://gcaudio.com/cgi-bin/store/showProduct.cgi?id=516   (Open in New Window)

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