The GM Evolution AC power cables is the absolute ultimate power cable design. It employs twenty four RSC conductors for each of the live, neutral and ground “earth” conductor paths. A total of nine low frequency conductor paths is used combined with the 72 RSC solid core high frequency conductors. The 72 RSC high frequency conductors are shielded in three separate groups for live, neutral and ground. Then the shields are combined to provide a phenomenal ground path together with RF/Emi rejectio
The Tara Lab's cacade burn/in disc is free, you can go to their web-site and down load it for free,I have found this to work alot better than most disc that one could buy for alot of money, it is my pleasure to help the community that I enjoy being a part of, Enjoy, The Cascade Noise / Burn in disc
Although there have been other “burn-in” test discs used by audiophiles in the past, the discs have mostly been a mix of pink noise and sweep test tones. The new CASCADE noise burn-in disc is a proprietary combination of white noise with frequency tone bursts and pink noise mixed at different levels. However, what makes it really effective is a series of descending and ascending (cascading) multi-octave square sweeps for better and more complete results than any other “burn-in” discs that have been made to date. The CASCADE noise burn-in disc may be used with audio electronic component and with audio cable including cables with attachments such as batteries or filter networks. Before and after results will be obvious with any of these cables.
The phenomenon commonly referred to as “burn-in” is confusing to some people. We prefer to think of the phenomenon as the conditioning of the system with continued use. The phenomenon of burn-in is actually a polarization of effects on a microscopic level. This microscopic world might be as little as a few thousandths of an inch along the length of the conductors within a cable; the thickness of one to three sheets of paper. At this level one can visualize the subtle electromagnetic waves around a conductive wire. These waves are moving through the dielectric (primary insulation) around the conductor. There is a problem at this microscopic level; not all frequencies carried by the electromagnetic waves will pass at the same attitude at every point of the conductive wire. For example, at some point along the conductor, there might be a tiny point of oxidation, and this will limit the range of high frequencies that can pass easily between the same amplitude, perhaps turning AC into DC and creating random audible noise in the cable. At other points, imagine air-gaps between the conductor and the insulation near the conductor surface. These tiny differences cause changes with respect to the different frequencies that are “stored and released” from conductor to dielectric and back again.
The new CASCADE noise burn-in disc is designed to completely condition the capacitive and diode-like effects within audio components and audio cables. The result is a more coherent and extended high frequency reproduction without the glare, along with a sense of listening experience. This will be noticed after just a few hours of using the CASCADE noise burn-in disc. Continued use of the disc, just a few hours at a time, or when you are able to run your audio system at normal listening levels for many hours at a time, will be extremely beneficial in improving the performance of all audio cables and components.
Here is an explanation of impedance, getting a better understanding of what a cable or componet has for impedance can and will help with system matching to obtain a synergy of balance within any given system, Impedance
A measure of the complex resistive and reactive attributes of a component in an alternating-current (AC) circuit. Impedance is what restricts current flow in an AC electrical circuit; impedance is not relevant to DC circuits. In DC circuits, resistors limit current flow (because of their resistance). In AC circuits, inductors and capacitors similarly limit the AC current flow, but this is now because of their inductive or capacitive reactance. Impedance is like resistance but it is more. Impedance is the sum of a circuit, or device's resistance AND reactance. Reactance is measured in ohms (like resistance and impedance) but is frequency-dependant. Think of impedance as the complete or total current limiting ohms of the circuit -- the whole banana. Since AC circuits involve phase shift -- i.e., the voltage and current are rarely in phase due to the storage effects (think "time;" it takes time to charge and discharge) of capacitors and inductors, the reactance is termed "complex," that is there is a "real" part (resistive) and an "imaginary" part (bad terminology, but it means the phase shifting resistance part). To summarize: resistance has no phase shift; reactance (capacitors & inductors in AC circuits) includes phase shift; and impedance, is the sum of resistance and reactance. Just that simple.
Dielectric's play a major role in how a cable will perform,it is best to know exactly what dielectric you have in a cable, what it's design purpose is and if it does what it was designed to do, here is an explanation of what dielectric is,
Insulating materials exposed to electric fields are called "dielectrics." Dielectrics are necessary parts in the construction of any cable because they prevent oxidation and keep the conductors from touching one another. In audio cables, relatively low voltage and current levels mean that dielectric strength is not the most important factor. Far more significant in its effect on the sound is a material's dielectric absorption. This characteristic describes the way a dielectric may discharge a secondary signal into the conductor out of phase with the audio signal.
As a current is passed through a conductor, an electromagnetic field is created which interacts with the dielectric material and temporarily displaces the molecular structure. If the dielectric material has good elasticity and can return quickly to its normal state, then the material is said to have low dielectric hysteresis or loss and will have little audible effect on the signal.
Jebsmith73, how did you do that kind of grounding?, if the ground is to long,it does not work as good, just like most house ground's, an example, I run a 25ft dedicated ground for my amplifier, and in turn, that sound real distant, crashed the sound stage etc..., connected my amp ground back to the inside the breaker box, and the box is exactly oppisite from the main power box on the brick side-out side of the house that uses a 4ft earth ground, sounded hugely better in every way, this is the way the dedicated line for the amp is connected now, it's by code, but the main reason I did the code was because of the shortest possible ground that I can possibly have here without getting a dedicated breaker box for intire system, cheers.
Shielding is used to protect the signal conductors from RFI and EMI. Braided shield is good for EMI, and foil for RFI. Combinations (foil and braid) are used for long runs for RF cables.
TARA Labs exclusive Parallel Shielding System was formulated to "common" any electrical potential (EMI interference voltages) between shields in RSC® Master Gen 2 and RSC Air™ interconnects. Our parallel shields connected together act as a 'star-ground' for the shields and the RFI/EMI radiation. By commoning the electrical potential in the shields, a better 3-dimensional reproduction of the soundstage is achieved due to both channels having the same level of reduced background noise. Example: A preamp's transformer often concentrates radiation more toward one channel of the interconnect pair. If there is no shield, RFI would be modulated with the audio signal, often making the high frequencies sound bright or grainy. When shielding is used this sonic glare is reduced. When the shields are commoned, the left and right channels' bandwidth and EMI interference effects are far more equal channel to channel. The result is better imaging, spatial cues and a naturally quiet background.
Actually, it was not my issue, it was the original customer of the speaker cables I ended up with. The ground issue was found at the preamp, therefore the second set of cables, which I eventually ended up with, were not needed. The cables shipped to my dealer for replacement, and the issue was solved before they were replaced. Obviously, Tara was looking for a sale, and I got the call. Since I knew the original customer, on his referral I snapped them up. And glad I did.
Hi Colekat, Glad you made it here, I have question for you, I may have the same problem as you did before you Talked to Tara, the grounding on your HFX Box, what did you end up doing to get best result's?, I have my HFX componet grounding to a componet, I do not believe work's as good as it need's to be, I know alot about industrial welding, all of us alway's cleaned the surface by grinding the metal bright to get best contact for ground, as you know, I will not grind the paint off my componet for best ground, so it is my opinion, that my ground at best is below average, can you help me with advice?
Hi bvdiman, man you are right on the money, what happens to people on these threads? I would love to tell someone how my cables sound in my system, but I don't think anyone gives a rats ass! I haven't had a lot of different cables, but the better known... Analysis Plus, which I still use with great results, Snake River Audio Signature, WireWorld Platinum Eclipse 7, Thales, Synergistic Research Element, which are pretty damn good, just a hassle to keep organized, but the Tara Evolutions are clearly my best overall sounding cables. Although they are a hassle to manage some too. The music just flows through these cables! The presentation is remarkably real. Every facet of the music is remarkably clear. Delineation is best I ever heard in my system. These cables have brought forth the strengths of every component in the chain. I prefer a strong midbass and detailed sound, I have an Esoteric source and these cables have snapped them into focus without the clinical feel to the music. I would love to say more, but first see if anyone is reading, lol!
The “TARA” in TARA Labs is an acronym for “The Absolute Reference Audio.” Since the company’s beginnings, TARA Labs has been known among audiophiles as a manufacturer whose cables set the performance standards and whose technological innovations and patents constantly advance the frontiers of the industry.
TARA Labs started in Sydney, Australia in 1986. They began by developing cables and experimenting with different types of conductors. An early result was the Phase II speaker cable which was submitted for review to Stereophile magazine in 1988. The response to the very favorable review from this little-known cable manufacturer was overwhelming. TARA Labs moved to the United States later that year.
The introduction of Rectangular Solid Core® cables in 1992 is an example of the type of innovation that is responsible for the continuing success of TARA Labs. RSC® cables are the only cables in the world to use a solid, extruded conductor with a rectangular cross section. These conductors improve on the performance of regular round solid core conductors by having the current-carrying capability (power) of a large conductor, combined with the frequency linearity (musical accuracy) of a small conductor.
Another recent innovation is the introduction of Isolated Shield Matrix™ technology, which uses the world’s first completely isolated, floating interconnect shield and a separate unit called a Floating Ground Station (HFX) to remove radio frequency interference and electromagnetic interference from the audio signal.
As well as these innovative high quality audiophile products, TARA Labs also produces a range of audio cables under the names of TL™ series, Prime™ series, Onboard™ series, Zero™ series and Omega™ series to name a few. The TL & Prime series utilize many of the features and technologies developed for TARA Labs’ high-end products but offers them at more affordable prices.
Today TARA Labs produces a full range of cables and accessories which are sold through dealers throughout the U.S. and Canada and in 38 countries worldwide. Products are regularly reviewed in respected audio magazines the world over, including Stereophile and The Absolute Sound in the USA, Audiophile magazine in Hong Kong, and numerous professional audiophile magazines throughout the world. Recent reviews, as well as technical information and product descriptions, can be found on the TARA Labs website: www.taralabs.com.
TARA Labs operates and manufactures all of their cables in Ashland, Oregon, USA.
A solid, extruded conductor with a rectangular cross section. This technology is a TARA Labs exclusive.
Rectangular Solid Core® interconnects and speaker cables have become the reference standard for reviewers and serious audiophiles the world over due to their extremely accurate, neutral and frequency linear performance.
To understand the principle behind RSC® technology, it’s necessary to understand a phenomenon known as the “Skin Effect.” This principle states that in a round conductor higher frequencies will tend to travel towards the outside (or skin) or the conductor, while lower frequencies tend to be concentrated at the center of the conductor. The larger the diameter of a round conductor, the worse the effect will be, resulting in a significant roll-off of high frequencies in large gauge conductors.
Because of its rectangular cross section, an RSC conductor essentially has no center like a round conductor. Therefore it does not suffer the same high-frequency losses. It is the only conductor that is able to combine high current-carrying capability with extreme frequency linearity across the musical spectrum.
A proprietary technology introduced by TARA Labs that improves upon the performance and durability of typical stranded conductors. In typical stranded conductors, many strands of copper are bundled together to form a single conductor. The loose bundling results in air space between the strands. These air spaces will quickly produce points of oxidation, where the electrical AC signal can be modified and distorted. TARA Labs’ Pressure-Stranded™ conductors begin with soft annealed strands that are twisted together under tremendous force. The pressure results in more intimate contact between strands and elimination of the air spaces that cause oxidation. Pressure-Stranded conductors deliver a cleaner, clearer signal. Because they are not subject to oxidation, Pressure-Stranded conductors will perform better over time than typical stranded conductors, which will continue to oxidize, degrading signal transmission over the life of the cable.
Sts, Hi Steve, I read your site, it said you have been in business for 6 year's, you should correct it, it's on, about us, part of your web-site, sorry about the misconception of what your site currently say's, reply back when you can, thankyou.
An advance in the technology that was applied in the design of The One™ and The 2™. The ISM OnBoard cables employ a capsule that is fitted directly to the cable. The ISM OnBoard capsule enables more effective control over RFI, as well as offering the advantages of a sleeker, more compact design and ease of connection. Tara Lab's HFX, Grandmaster Duel mono block ground station, Air Evolution ground staion, all three of these ground station's are this technology, Isolated Floating Shield™
This unique and proprietary shield design is central to the Isolated Shield Matrix®. Unlike conventional shields, which are connected to the cable at the load end, the Isolated Floating Shield floats at both ends. It is completely decoupled, both mechanically and electrically, from every component in the system, including the cables themselves.
This is an important distinction because it has a profound effect on lowering the amount of RF intermodulation that can be introduced into the system via the cables. TARA Labs' in-house testing shows that the best of conventional shield designs are not effective at preventing RF intermodulation. The Isolated Shield Matrix, with its floating shield, dramatically reduces RF intermodulation of the audio signal.
In a typical interconnect the shield may prevent a certain amount of RF from modulating the signal through the conductors. But the shield is not deflecting RF energy in the environment - it is actually being absorbed. That energy is then returned to the system through the chassis of the component because the shield is coupled to the connector at one or both ends. By floating the shield at both ends, the Isolated Floating Shield avoids this problem. Energy absorbed by the shield is then transferred directly to the Floating Ground Station.
I thought I would post this because alot of thread's talk about RCA single ended and balanced cable's, it is my opinion that I can hear a clear difference with Tara Lab's cable's useing balanced, Balanced Line
The IEEE dictionary defines a balanced circuit as "a circuit in which two branches are electrically alike and symmetrical with respect to a common reference point, usually ground." This is the essence of a balanced interconnect. Namely, that two lines are driven equally and oppositely with respect to ground. Normally this also implies that the receiving circuits have matching impedances. Exactly matching impedances is preferred for it provides the best common mode rejection. Balances lines are the preferred method (for hum free) interconnecting of sound systems using a shielded twisted-pair. Because of its superior noise immunity, balanced lines also find use in interconnecting data signals, e.g., RS-422, and digital audio, e.g., AES/EBU. The principal behind balanced lines is that the signal is transmitted over one wire and received back on another wire. The shield does not carry any information, thus it is free to function as a true shield, but must be earth grounded at each end to be successful. (For a detailed tutorial on proper grounding practices, see: RaneNote 110 Sound System Interconnection) [Long Answer: To understand why balanced lines are so successful, first examine a balanced, or differential (equivalent term) output stage, and then an input stage: A differential output stage simultaneously drives two lines, one positive and one negative. The voltage difference between these two wires is the audio signal. The two signals form an envelope that rides the wires to the balanced input stage. Note that the audio signal exists uniquely between these two lines -- not between them and ground. The complete circuit path travels down on the positive line and back on the negative line. Ground is not needed to transmit the signal -- this is the essence and power of balanced lines. Ground is used only for shielding and safety purposes. Conversely, an unbalanced line is one that transmits the audio signal between one wire and ground. The circuit path is down the wire and back through the shield cable connected to ground. Ground is the return path; the circuit does not work without it. A balanced (or differential) input stage extracts the difference between the two input lines, and that, of course, is the desired audio signal. It receives the envelope sent down the cable by the differential output. This circuit's shining virtue is its great noise rejection ability. It has what is called great common-mode rejection. The concept here relies on induced noise showing up equally (or common) on each wire. It is mainly due to EMI (electromagnetic interference: passing through or near magnetic fields), RFI (radio frequency interference: strong broadcast signals), noisy ground references, or a combination of all three. The best balanced line designs have exactly equal impedance from each line relative to ground, guaranteeing equal noise susceptibility. Since the balanced input stage amplifies only the difference between the lines, it rejects everything else (noise) that is common to the lines.]
Some cable products use boxes attached to the cables that contain low-pass filter networks to filter RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) from the audio cables. These should not be confused with the Isolated Shield Matrix® products. The differences in both function and effectiveness are significant.
A filter network removes RFI from the audio signal by filtering out or rolling off all high frequency energy above a certain range. This affects a great deal of high frequency information at the upper end of the musical spectrum. Furthermore, these filter networks are connected directly in the signal path. When the signal is interrupted and fed through these low-pass filter networks, the cable's electrical characteristics are changed to make a modified cable interface with limited and unnatural filter characteristics. The high frequency bandwidth is reduced. The audio band is affected also, as it is subjected by the filter network to rippling, and slower rise time (in the case of the Fourth-Order Bessel low-pass filter.) Furthermore, in a filter network RF inter-modulation has not been addressed properly because the heterodyning effect still affects the audio band. Additionally, the amplitude of the extreme high frequency harmonics of the music are filtered off, along with the RFI distortion, by generic capacitors and inductors in the filter network. The effects of a filter network are therefore subtractive, and ultimately color the original signal.
Hi Sts, I agree!, +1, I enjoyed reading your site, you are a young company starting out, I believe you are on the right track, I remember when Tara lab's started out, it is difficult to compete, you are doing some nice thing's with the metal of conductor's, I would do R&D on RFI/EMI if I were you, one of my early post say's that I/Cs are essentially antennae's for RF singnal's,I posted 1-21-15,pm me some time, cheers.
TARA Labs Airtube™ technology emerged from our determination to minimize dielectric content of cables and eliminate coloration. Featured in all RSC Air™ interconnects, Airtube technology is used to suspend conductors inside Teflon® tubes to prevent the adverse sonic effects caused by typical dielectric material, such as fiber or PVC. These materials absorb energy and release it back into the conductor out of phase with the audio signal, causing distortion and coloration in the highly audible mid-bass and mid-range frequencies. By removing dielectric materials that cause distortion and coloration, Airtube technology allows listeners to easily experience neutrality, transparency and a wonderfully detailed, spacious soundstage
STs, I have posted a few time's what the conductor's are of tara lab's, the conductor's are trade marked and patent, to be able to get these kind of paper's within the industry,the conductor's are what's claimed to be described in all my post, that said, you cannot be serious, stop it already!, your claim's about Tara lab's information is false and ludacris!
AERO-PE A proprietary dielectric material developed by TARA Labs and used as insulation in most TARA Labs cables.
Dielectric materials sound different because of the different rates that the materials store and release energy at different frequencies. PVC, a common dielectric material, causes distortion and coloration mostly audible in the mid-bass and mid-range frequencies, whereas Teflon® causes distortion in the upper treble frequencies, making coloration less noticeable.
TARA Labs uses a proprietary dielectric material called "Aerospace Polyethylene™" or "Aero-PE™." This material is chemically treated to have low dielectric absorption and high dielectric elasticity. It reacts less with the signal in the conductor, making it more sonically neutral than other materials. Aero-PE is also extruded at a lower temperature than other insulating materials. Copper conductors insulated with Aero-PE are not exposed to high heat and therefore retain their specially annealed qualities.
Ghosthouse, oh, ok, I thought other wise because of sts came here again to criticize Tara lab's and say that all my information from the Tara lab's E-mail's and their web-site is false propaganda, do you own any Tara lab's cable's?
AudioLab. - The interview I quoted in my post is with Gabriel Caelin of Shunyata Research. See the 2nd line. No connection to Gabriel Gold so far as I know.
Tara Lab's cable's technology addresses this common interference by removeing it to good effect, portray's a better sound within any given system, Radio Frequency Interference/Electromagnetic Interference. The most common causes of noise and interference in the transmission of both audio and video signals.
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) refers to energy that is radiated by devices such as audio/video components, which contain transformers, AC cables and other electronic components that generate electromagnetic fields. The radiation of this energy is the major source of electromagnetic interference in an audio system. EMI affects the audio signal, adding noise and hash and obscuring low level detail and ambient information.
Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is actually a type of electromagnetic interference referring to signals within the radio frequency spectrum of 70 kHz and above.
The abundance of RF pollution in the environment has been compounded in recent years by the proliferation of appliances generating RF signals. Furthermore, digital technology in audio systems has exacerbated the problem because RF modulation of the transmission of digital information affects the audio signal also. For this reason separate Floating Ground Stations® for Analog and Digital Interconnects are provided.
In an audio or home theater system, the interfaces which are most vulnerable to RFI are the interconnect cables themselves, which tend to behave like antennae for RF signals. The order of magnitude between the audio signal in the cable and the RFI in the cable is close enough in both analog and digital signal transmission that it can be a serious problem. (NOTE: This problem does not generally exist in speaker cable because of its characteristic combination of high current and low impedance.)
Ghosthouse, LOL!, here is your author of what you posted,StS is a cable manufactuor that is Gabriel Gold, as you can see, he cannot get his hand's on such copper, he still uses occ 6-nines copper along with other types of metal for his cable's, a valiant effort that fall's completly short of what's possible!
Please contact TARA Labs for the location of one of our official distributor/dealers, where you can purchase official USA hand-made TARA Labs cables. Please be warned that there are cable counterfeiters all over the world, who claim to have, and offer official TARA Labs cables. These criminals manufacture and design fake TARA Labs cables, and sell at discounted prices. What a customer buys when dealing with them, is not a hand-made, lifetime guaranteed, official TARA Labs cable that is backed by almost thirty years of excellence. What they get is a cable that looks like a TARA Labs cable on the outside, but sounds horrible on the inside. The money you just spent on these counterfeit cables is lost!
These counterfeiters have not only targeted TARA Labs cables, but other high-end quality audio cable manufactures as well.
Please contact TARA Labs before you buy any TARA Labs audio cables.
Be warned!…..3T Audio is the only official distributor/dealers, to purchase authentic TARA Labs cables in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong.
Here is more patent and trade marked info about Tara lab's conductor's, Why Rectangular?
Our patented RSC conductors have become the definitive technology in high-end audio cables. The rectangular shape offers a unique advantage over round conductors. They have the necessary mass for solid bass, yet are thin enough for a coherent reproduction of mid-range and high frequencies. The RSC is not subject to the same high frequency losses that hamper traditional round conductors. To further understand the principle behind RSC technology, it is necessary to understand a phenomenon known as "skin effect" This principle states that in a round conductor, higher frequencies will tend to travel towards the outside (or skin) of the conductor, while lower frequencies will travel closer to the center of the conductor. The larger the diameter of a round conductor, the worse the effect will be, resulting in a significant roll-off of high frequencies in large gauge conductors. Because of its rectangular cross section, an RSC conductor essentially has no center like a round conductor. Therefore it does not suffer the same high frequency losses.
As seen on consumer review's of the Tara Lab's web-site,“The Omega Gold has a depth to the sound stage unmatched by any other cable I have listened to, incredible air, bass, mid-range to die for, transit speed is off the charts, very holographic sounding 3-dimensional life like sound, this cable will immerse you in music nirvana, if you want one of the best speaker cable's available, look no further, truly a game changer.” - Keith Henry-AudioLabyrinth
Hi Ghosthouse, what does this author tring to say here?,quote-People who claim six or eight nines purity? Let's just say that you cannot obtain certification papers for this type of purity. Anywhere. It doesn't exist - except in our audiophile world.End quote, Tara Lab's has patent's and trade mark for haveing the purest copper conductor's in the world, Here is the Tara lab's conductor info, full of trade mark's and patent's,The RSC Gen 2 (SA-OF8N) Conductor
Super Annealed, Oxygen Free, Eight Nines Copper (SA-OF8N) is the new standard in high performance copper purity.
TARA Labs Rectangular Solid Core® conductors are completely produced in the USA. We start with Oxygen Free Eight Nines Copper (99.999999%), and the copper rods are extruded into long, unbroken, mono-crystal copper rectangular conductors. The conductors are extruded into a unique rectangular shape having specific ‘frequency-tuned’ proportions. Rectangular Solid Core conductors are annealed with a process known as Super Annealing™.
Super Annealing™ or SA, softens the RSC® conductor and increases its conductivity. After annealing, the RSC conductors are polished in-line, and will become finished SA-OF8N® Rectangular Solid Core conductors ready for insulation using advanced polymers or liquid-film technology.
TARA Labs has continuously advanced the design and materials used in its conductor technologies. Previously, in our lower priced consumer grade cables, we were limited to the use of 6N, or six-nines (99.9999%) pure copper and the OCC or Ohno-Continuous Cast copper technologies.
Since the development of Rectangular Solid Core, we have moved beyond these lesser quality materials with the use of higher purity copper and our exclusive USA technologies. and this id the new generation 3 conductor here, used only in the Grandmaster Evolution interconnect-Making Sense of….Gen 3 Conductors
TARA Labs, Inc. has just announced the introduction of its Generation 3 Rectangular Solid Core® conductor, to be used exclusively in its state-of-the-art interconnect cable.
TARA Labs claims that the Gen 3 conductor has an increased bandwidth or high-frequency extension, that makes it unrivalled in important test measurements and listening tests.
TARA Labs’ Vice President of Product Design, Matthew Bond, said that the new Gen 3 conductor has the same current-carrying capability of a 28 gauge conductor but has the high frequency linearity of a 40 gauge conductor.
Matthew Bond explains why this is possible. “In a conductor with a rectangular profile, there is a huge reduction of ‘flux-linkage’ or ‘coupling’ of electromagnetic lines of force. These lines of force are created as the signal (music) passes through any conductor.” Bond said further, “In a round conductor there is a large center that tends to roll-off or attenuate much more of the high frequency information … this does not happen in a Rectangular Solid Core® conductor”.
According to Matthew Bond, the new Gen 3 Rectangular Solid Core® conductor is smaller than the current Gen 2 conductor used in most of TARA Labs’ audio cables. The Gen 2 conductor measures approximately 25 thousands of an inch wide and 12 thousands of an inch in height. Bond says that the Gen 3 conductor is about 66% of the size of the Gen 2 conductor, and that it is Super-Annealed™ to increase its conductivity.
Both the Gen 2 conductor and the smaller Gen 3 conductor are said to be Eight-Nines™ pure copper, which is 99.999999% pure. TARA Labs’ trademarks for this technology are 8N™ and SA-OF8N®. SA-OF8N means Super Annealed – Oxygen Free 8 Nines copper. According to Bond, the term ‘annealing’ refers to the method whereby a conductor can be made softer and more conductive.
"The wire used in all of our products, even the least expensive, is designed and produced to our specifications. You won't find Mil-Spec or cable warehouse wire used in our products. People who claim six or eight nines purity? Let's just say that you cannot obtain certification papers for this type of purity. Anywhere. It doesn't exist - except in our audiophile world. Copper is specified by CDA numbers which are the technical grades of the raw metal. The top-quality copper with certification papers is CDA-101. It has a specification of 99.997% purity. There are lesser grades such as CDA-102, 103 or 112- but you won't get certification papers. There's ETP copper which is a standard grade. There's mil-spec copper commonly used in hookup wire. CDA-101 wire can't be bought off the shelf. You have to make it yourself from the raw copper ingots.
So, as I said previously - we do exhaustive testing of all materials including wire purity. Wire purity does make a difference - to a point. Where the copper is mined is often more important than the absolute purity, just as purveyors of semi- or precious stones will have preferences for certain mines due to the types of impurities or inclusions that occur in various geographical locations. Naturally, we guard some of the more important findings and conclusions as our intellectual property. What I can say? Take drinking water. You obviously don't want lead or other toxic heavy metals. But how about calcium, iron or certain trace elements? Impurities aren't all the same by a long shot. Some in fact may be desirable. Think of steel metallurgy where the deliberate inclusion of minute amounts of foreign substances radically alters the materials properties of the raw metal.
Purity is very important as it relates to corrosion. Since electrons travel primarily on the surface of the conductor, copper oxide molecules become a significant impediment to current flow. That makes outrageous claims of 1ppm purity (1 part-per-million) inside the conductor utterly irrelevant."
A concise and well-referenced primer on copper and copper wire in Wikipedia...
Grey9hound, like I said, Tara lab's has NOT made consonant alloy since 1995, I said this a couple of post ago, what the Tara lab's cable's are now for the last 20 years is NO consonant alloy at all.
Audiolab your answer to "What is Consonant alloy?" was "consonant alloy is pure SA-OF8N 99.999999% copper (super-annealed, oxygen-free, eight nines pure copper, it is not an alloy at all, " That is NOt correct . That is why i gave him the correct info :)
Hi Bvdiman, I have posted many,many user comment's on this thread, if you back read what's been posted here since november 2014, a few Evolution model line user comment's, you do know their is different model Evolution cable's?, and as far as Audiocrack is concerned, he did not like being corrected when it came to what a HFX ground station or duel mono-block HFX ground station will do, and can do, I gave evidence concering this matter on this thread as well, also, all information on this entire thread is as accurate as can be period, all info is sent to me by request from Tara Lab's, and other info is pulled directly from their web-site.
Simply Googling TARALABS or visiting their website will get most if not all the infos here ~ more accurately, IMHO.
What's lacking are testimonials from 'real' users sharing/exchanging of experiences. I personally would like to hear feedback from Evolution and/or Grandmaster owners/early adapters. In my understanding, Audiocrack was one of the few, but was driven away by way this thread took course, unfortunately.
Thankyou grey9hound for the correction about consonant alloy, that was used a very long time ago, my last post about the current conductor's is a huge departure from what was made back then, Tara lab's has evolved their conductor's over the year's, they are now publicly shareing via their web-site what their conductor's are now, since they have everything they do copy written now and trade marked, I use to own the master gen 2 cable, those were produced in the early 90's to 1995, then in 1996, the decade anniversary cable replaced the master gen 2, the model called, The One, replaced the decade cable in 1996 and is still made today.
Awsome Grey9hound, However, Tara Lab's does NOT use 6-nines occ copper any more period,also, I confirmed with Tara lab's, they do not make consonant alloy conductor's anymore either, they have not done so for a few years now, this is the conductor now-Conductor Information
The RSC Gen 2 (SA-OF8N) Conductor
Super Annealed, Oxygen Free, Eight Nines Copper (SA-OF8N) is the new standard in high performance copper purity.
TARA Labs Rectangular Solid Core® conductors are completely produced in the USA. We start with Oxygen Free Eight Nines Copper (99.999999%), and the copper rods are extruded into long, unbroken, mono-crystal copper rectangular conductors. The conductors are extruded into a unique rectangular shape having specific ‘frequency-tuned’ proportions. Rectangular Solid Core conductors are annealed with a process known as Super Annealing™.
Super Annealing™ or SA, softens the RSC® conductor and increases its conductivity. After annealing, the RSC conductors are polished in-line, and will become finished SA-OF8N® Rectangular Solid Core conductors ready for insulation using advanced polymers or liquid-film technology.
TARA Labs has continuously advanced the design and materials used in its conductor technologies. Previously, in our lower priced consumer grade cables, we were limited to the use of 6N, or six-nines (99.9999%) pure copper and the OCC or Ohno-Continuous Cast copper technologies.
Since the development of Rectangular Solid Core, we have moved beyond these lesser quality materials with the use of higher purity copper and our exclusive USA technologies. and this id the new generation 3 conductor here, used only in the Grandmaster Evolution interconnect-Making Sense of….Gen 3 Conductors
TARA Labs, Inc. has just announced the introduction of its Generation 3 Rectangular Solid Core® conductor, to be used exclusively in its state-of-the-art interconnect cable.
TARA Labs claims that the Gen 3 conductor has an increased bandwidth or high-frequency extension, that makes it unrivalled in important test measurements and listening tests.
TARA Labs’ Vice President of Product Design, Matthew Bond, said that the new Gen 3 conductor has the same current-carrying capability of a 28 gauge conductor but has the high frequency linearity of a 40 gauge conductor.
Matthew Bond explains why this is possible. “In a conductor with a rectangular profile, there is a huge reduction of ‘flux-linkage’ or ‘coupling’ of electromagnetic lines of force. These lines of force are created as the signal (music) passes through any conductor.” Bond said further, “In a round conductor there is a large center that tends to roll-off or attenuate much more of the high frequency information … this does not happen in a Rectangular Solid Core® conductor”.
According to Matthew Bond, the new Gen 3 Rectangular Solid Core® conductor is smaller than the current Gen 2 conductor used in most of TARA Labs’ audio cables. The Gen 2 conductor measures approximately 25 thousands of an inch wide and 12 thousands of an inch in height. Bond says that the Gen 3 conductor is about 66% of the size of the Gen 2 conductor, and that it is Super-Annealed™ to increase its conductivity.
Both the Gen 2 conductor and the smaller Gen 3 conductor are said to be Eight-Nines™ pure copper, which is 99.999999% pure. TARA Labs’ trademarks for this technology are 8N™ and SA-OF8N®. SA-OF8N means Super Annealed – Oxygen Free 8 Nines copper. According to Bond, the term ‘annealing’ refers to the method whereby a conductor can be made softer and more conductive.
TARA Labs is widely known as the leader in cable technology and audio cable design. They are based in Ashland, Oregon. All cables are hand-made in the USA.
1-14-15: Audiolabyrinth Hi Gslone, consonant alloy is pure SA-OF8N 99.999999% copper (super-annealed, oxygen-free, eight nines pure copper, it is not an alloy at all, if you know what the word consonant mean's, just constant,you go a way's back, I remember the master gen2 cable's, I use to own them my self,I am pleased that you have been a long time Tara lab's owner, congrat's, the new cable's are far beyound the ole master cable's, if you wanted to do a cheap very cost effective up-grade on the older cable's, I can give recommendation's, however, I am not a dealer, you would of course have to buy from a dealer or direct from Tara lab's, reply when you can, thankyou for coming to this thread. Audiolabyrinth (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
An alloy is not pure copper. An alloy is composed of two or more metals. Consonant, the way they are using it, means blended together in a harmonious way. Their alloy is proprietary, so they are not saying what the other metal is, or what the mix % is. A simple search found this info The Consonant AlloyTM BREAKTHROUGH Explained
By Matthew Bond, TARA Labs Designer
The development of Consonant Alloy was a response to recent advances in copper technology that have resulted in ever increasing purity levels. This increased purity (expressed in the form of "99.9999% pure" or "six nines" copper) does result in measurable increases in conductivity over copper conductors of lesser purity. In the development of Consonant Alloy, I sought to increase conductivity even further by examining the use of different materials and, just as important, more sophisticated annealing processes.
Consonant Alloy is a proprietary blend of elements chosen for their conductive strengths and compatibility. It meets three important criteria: 1.) Consonant Alloy is more conductive than pure copper. 2.) Consonant Alloy is more linear and accurate than current alternatives to copper. 3.) It can be produced at a price that is within the range of the average audiophile.
Independent metallurgical testing shows the conductivity of Consonant Alloy to be substantially greater than "six nines" copper.' But this improvement is even more significant in terms of sound quality than the numbers may indicate. A purer, more conductive material sounds cleaner, more transparent and more neutral than one that is less conductive. Even small differences in conductivity result in audible differences in sound quality.
The word "Consonant" means "blended together in a Harmanious way." This very accurately describes the relationship of the elements that make up Consonant Alloy, and is a partial explanation for its success as a conductor material.
Examination of the structure of Consonant Alloy reveals a very long, unbroken crystal structure. This is important to conductivity because breaks between crystals in traditional copper conductors result in internal oxidation. These oxidized crystal junctions are electrical discontinuities which act as diodes to inhibit the flow of electrical current. Because of the homogenous crystal structure of Consonant Alloy, fewer such breaks occur than in even the purest form of copper.
After annealing, Consonant Alloy is buffed and polished in-line to produce a mirror-like surface that is visibly smoother than copper, even to the naked eye. This eliminates surface oxidation that can inhibit electrical flow and result in audible distortion.
Consonant Alloy vs. Alternatives to Copper
There are other conductor materials currently in use besides pure copper. Using the criteria of conductivity, frequency linearity and cost effectiveness, none can outperform Consonant Alloy.
Silver, for example, has long been known for its conductive strength, which is widely acknowledged to be greater than copper. The problem with silver is that contemporary designs tend to accentuate high frequencies when not designed or annealed correctly. Mathematical formulae reveal that for a given diameter, copper and silver conductors have different frequency response curves and linearity with frequency. For a silver conductor to sound as neutral, it must be slightly smaller than the equivalent copper conductor.
Solid silver conductors that are not annealed properly can be overly bright, even harsh sounding.
Since silver is a more expensive raw material, it is almost impossible for manufacturers to produce a reasonably priced silver conductor that has been subjected to the appropriate (read "expensive") annealing process.
Silver-plated copper conductors worsen the problem. Silver accentuates high-frequencies more than the equivalent skin-depth layer of copper would, delivering them out of phase with the underlying copper core.
Consonant Alloy is currently in use in TARA Labs' top of the line Rectangular Solid Core products: RSC Master Generation 2 and Decade speaker cable, interconnect, digital cables and power cords. In conjunction with TARA Labs' patented Rectangular Solid Core design, Consonant Alloy provides what I believe to be the ultimate combination: conductivity that far surpasses that of any form of copper, and frequency linearity far greater than either silver or silver-plated copper.
Material Resistivity ohms/circ. mil/ft Conductivity calib. to % Consonant Alloy 10.1 (Annealed) 100% 99.9999 Cu "6 Nines" 10.3 (Annealed) 99.4% 99.99 Cu "4 Nines" 10.1 (Annealed) 100% TM -- Consonant Alloy, Rectangular Solid Core and RSC Master Generation 2 are trademarks of TARA Labs, Inc.
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