Cable Asylum

Posted by Dave Pogue (A) on December 24, 2005 at 05:11:24

Most folks who tried the original Petra interconnect cables found them to be, at the very least, a terrific bargain. Even better if you reterminate them (I use mainly Bullet Plugs) or "denude" them and run them directly into RCA jacks without any plugs at all.

I was set to place a major order on behalf of friends and thought I better do a trial order first in case they had changed the formula/construction and screwed them up. I ordered two pairs of the 6-footers (@ $4.95) and two of the 12-footers ($7.95). The 12-footers looked the same as ever, but the 6-footers had a different-looking type font printed on the outer jacket that said, in all caps, PETRA OFC INTERCONNECT CABLE.

Oh, oh, I figured, bad news. So I cut up one of them and discovered some ominous changes. Now, this stuff is coaxial, with very fine stranded inner connectors covered by a poly-something dielectric, covered by a thin silver shield, then woven/stranded ground wires, and then a (gasp) PVC outer jacket. The RCA jacks are gold plated -- I'm SURE it's real gold -- and there's a silver plastic outer "jacket" at the plug ends, that's simply for cosmetic purposes and can (and should) be unscrewed and removed. It says "Digital" on it, which may be safely ignored.

Here are the changes to the new version. The inner conductor contains 15 fine copper strands, while the original contained 13 (Is this anal enough for you?). The dielectric is so much thicker that it will no longer fit into an RCA jack if you denude the cable. The silver shield is "tougher," more resistant to cutting than the original was. The outer jacket is the same outside diameter as the original, but the inside diameter is larger to accommodate the larger-diameter dielectric.

Still with me?

Okay, but what about the sound? It sounds SUBSTANTIALLY better -- more open, clear ... all the good stuff. At $4.95 for a 6-foot pair, remember. I've since ordered almost 50 pairs of these for friends, especially in Canada (since Starlink, where I get the stuff, won't ship to Canada). Think about it -- 50 pairs for the price of one fair-to-middling pair of "audiophile" interconnects. And I bet you'll be amazed at how they sound, having so far outperformed anything I ever used (originals costing up to $600/pr) and beating one friend's $800 ones, though his $3,500 Stealth Indras do remain top dog.

My assumption is that this new configuration/construction will ultimately be incorporated into all the Petra lengths and cable types (component video cables as well as audio ICs - same basic cable). All I know now is that the 6-footers definitely have the new construction, and the others might at some time, maybe even now, depending on whether Starlink has run out of the originals in any given length or type.

If you try these cables, don't bother asking anyone at Starlink whether what you're ordering has the new construction. They won't know what you're talking about. And no, I'm not affiliated, etc., but can recommend them for speedy delivery.

These cables used to be called "Music Boy," when they were made in the U.S. You can guess where they're made now.

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