Audioquest NRG Thunder HC EU IEC15

Audioquest NRG Thunder HC EU IEC15

3-pin power cord with low impedance and noise dissipation

• Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC) and Long-Grain Copper (LGC) Conductors
• Uncompressed high current transmission
• Ground Noise Dissipation (US Patent No. 9,373,439)
• ZERO (no) characteristic impedance (50 Hz – 1 MHz)
• 72 VDC Dielectric Bias System (US Patent No. 7,126,055)
• Directional ladder
  

Alternating current (AC) is far from the perfect power source. AC technology is more than a hundred years old and was never intended to meet the demands of today's high definition audio/video components. AC noise originates from the power source, is amplified by high frequency noise picked up by the power cord, and travels to the component power supplies and circuit ground. This creates distortion and signal loss at low levels due to the “masking effect”. Also, power amplifiers can require large peak current reserves to allow their power supplies to respond quickly and then stabilize during dynamic audio passages. Most power cords, power conditioners, and regenerators, while improving to some degree, are ultimately not up to the task.

Power amplifiers present a real challenge for any AC power source, as the current peak requirements (even if short-lived) can be many times the average (RMS) current consumption. Power amplifiers differ from all other components in that the power consumption is not constant but dynamic; it varies depending on the volume and content of the audio signal. Many power cords have low DC resistance to meet some of these requirements; however, the characteristic impedance of the mains cable is equally responsible for ensuring interference-free playback. In many premium power cords, audio pulses are clipped or compressed because current spikes are clipped by their characteristic impedance.

HIGH PURITY CONDUCTORS

A carefully matched composition of single-wire conductors made of Long-Grain Copper (LGC) and high-purity Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC) prevents individual strands from interfering with one another and thus prevents a main cause of transient intermodulation distortions that lead to listening fatigue. LGC allows for a smoother and more transparent sound than standard OFHC copper (oxygen-free, highly conductive copper). Furthermore, the amazingly smooth and pure Perfect-Surface Copper eliminates roughness and significantly improves transparency compared to OFHC, OCC, 8N and other premium coppers.

GROUND NOISE DISSIPATION TECHNOLOGY

Ground conductors on power cords provide protection from the imperfections of mains wiring, but they also act as antennas. Therefore, they are subject to the influence of radio frequency (RF) noise. This RF noise bypasses the component power supplies and is typically passed directly to a system's most sensitive AV circuitry. AudioQuest's patented Ground-Noise Dissipation greatly reduces distortion and delivers unprecedented levels of noise dissipation over the widest possible high-frequency bandwidth. Our unique circuit topology uses a common mode phase cancellation arrangement combined with proprietary dielectric materials that provide additional linear differential filtering. (US Patent No. 9,373,439)

UNCOMPRESSED HIGH (VARIABLE) CURRENT TRANSMISSION – THUNDER

With a current delivery capability of 20 A RMS at 125 VAC 50/60 Hz (16 A RMS at 220 - 240 VA 50/60 Hz), the Thunder/High (Variable) Current can handle current peaks with a multiple of the continuous (average) RMS power . This makes the Thunder/High (Variable) Current ideal for use on a wide range of mains conditioners, regenerators, AC isolation transformers and AC battery backup devices, as well as on any power amplifier, powered subwoofer, powered speaker, A/V receiver and integrated amplifier.

72V DIELECTRIC BIAS SYSTEM WITH CARBON RADIO FREQUENCY NOISE TRAP (DBS)

All insulation is also a dielectric, properties of which compromise signal integrity. When the isolation is unbiased, dielectric interference (absorption and non-linear release of energy back into the signal flow) causes different time delays (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 that saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation. This minimizes the non-linear time delays, resulting in a more transparent sound against a "blacker" background. By integrating an RF trap (a technology originally developed for AudioQuest's Niagara Series power products) into the DBS's battery pack, high-frequency noise is further reduced. The DBS battery packs last for years. A test button and LED allow the battery to be checked occasionally.

DIRECTIONALITY

All drawn metal strands and conductors have an asymmetrical and therefore directional grain structure. The resulting changing RF impedances are controlled by AudioQuest to direct noise away from where it would cause distortion. Proper direction of travel is determined by listening to each batch of metal conductors in each AudioQuest audio cable. Where direction of travel is a concern, connectors are clearly marked with appropriate arrows to ensure superior sound quality. On most AQ cable models, the arrows not only indicate the direction in which the metal running direction is optimally used for noise dissipation, but also refer to the unbalanced arrangement of shield and GND in order to optimize the performance of the entire system.