Cables
The fact that they provide triple protection from electric, magnetic and mechanical (i.e. vibrations) interferences makes Teresonic Clarison© audio cables unique among the industry’s most acclaimed audio cables. They are the result of many years of scientific research to prevent any outside EMI, RFI and other interference and crosstalk to impact the music signal. Comprehensive research in signal transmission and signal protection theory led to the Clarison’s unmatched performance and neutrality.
Each Clarison cable is handcrafted, using only carefully selected materials of the finest quality for high-end audio applications, and it is rigorously tested in order to ensure that it provides the highest level of audio performance. They are simply a testimony that science and craftsmanship work. Not hype. Compare Clarison to Nordost Valhalla, MIT, Shindo, TARA, or top-line Siltech…
Features
“Teresonic cables are as neutral, clean, ultra detailed, and fast as the Valhallas. They are as intrinsically musical and organic as the Auditorium 23s… Clarison cables are a real bargain, maybe a downright steal. So are the Audience, Auditorium 23 and for that matter, the Shindo interconnects. The difference is that with the Teresonics, you get the speed, slam, and transparency of the Valhalla along with the flow, musicality, layering, and tonal correctness you get with the Auditorium 23 speaker cable and Shindo interconnect combination.” – Jack Roberts, Read more…
Clarison cables’ unique construction and wiring topology provides some unique features, such as:
- Extremely high signal transfer speed
- High interference rejection; signal-to-noise ratio better than 110 dB
- Accurate balancing of capacitance and inductance in&inter cables
- Excellent damping factor - better than 100
- Extra low loss transfer characteristic
- Full cable symmetry for a quality of interconnection better than many ‘balanced cables.
Customers most often praise Clarison cables for ability to:
1) Provide natural midrange with more articulate voices.
2) Expose deep bass. Beware: new low octaves may suddenly appear!
3) Magnificent revelation of details that is not hyped up or spotlighted.
4) High, deep, and wide soundstage. Careful: the soundstage can outgrow your room.
Performance
At up to 97% of the speed of the light Teresonic Clarison cables are one of the fastest audio cables available.
Propagation speed is affected by insulation, such that, in a shielded copper conductor with air dielectric, it is about 97% of the speed of light, while in a typical coaxial cable it is about 66% of the speed of light. Therefore, all Teresonic cables use parallel transmission line topology and “air” as the primary insulator.
For example, Clarison speaker cables use “separate wire” topology: two separate cables for plus (+) and minus (-), meaning two cables for each channel for a total of four cables to connect a pair of speakers.
Extreme transmission speed results in fast transients and exceptional details produced by Teresonic Clarison cables.
|
Dielectric |
Dielectric Constant |
Losses (@10 kHz) |
|
Vacuum |
1.0000 |
0 |
|
Air |
1.0006 |
Virtually 0 |
|
Foamed Polyethylene (FPE) |
1.5 – 2.1 |
0.0001 |
|
Polyethylene (PE) |
2.27 – 2.5 |
0.0002 |
|
Teflon (PTFE) |
2.1 |
0.0003 – 0.0007 |
|
Teflon (FEP) |
2.1 |
0.001 |
|
Polyvinylchloride (PVC) |
4.0 – 8.0 |
0.01 – 0.05 |
The speed of radio signals in a vacuum is the speed of light, and so the velocity factor of a radio wave in a vacuum is unity, or 100%. In cables, the speed depends on the cable geometry and insulating material:
|
Speed (% of the light) |
Cable geometry/dielectric |
|
97% |
Parallel transmission line/air dielectric |
|
82% |
Twin-lead/ polyethylene dielectric |
|
79% |
coaxial cable/foamed polyethylene |
|
66% |
coaxial cable/solid polyethylene |
Clarison interconnects use separate cables for each channel, while plus (+) and minus (-) are separated by different materials (including air) inside each shielded cable, making for some of the best high end audio cables. See cross section diagrams for interconnects provided below.
Signal protection
Teresonic Clarison© audio cables are unique in the industry, because their signal-to-noise is better than 110 dB and they provide triple protection from electric and magnetic and mechanical (e.g. vibrations) interferences through the use of shielded cables.
Another important reason for shielding is to preserve the signal energy while it is contained within the cable. Cables carrying electric current are surrounded by an electromagnetic field. This field contains energy which is a part of the information transmitted through the cable. Without shielding, some of this energy is lost before it reaches the other end of the cable.
Shielding in Clarison cables is made of spiral (for flexibility) galvanized ferromagnetic material – carbonized steel, according to DIN 16 23 W.Nr.1.0338.6 standard. Such a shielding provides optimal protection of the audio signal in wide frequency range – up to 200 MHz, significantly above audio frequency range.
Why are shielded cables important, if not critical, in some systems? Every cable regardless of its length, whether a 2ft short interconnect or 10ft speaker cable, basically acts as an antenna for all electromagnetic fields around it. In today’s environment there is no shortage of such EMI and RMI, and it’s actually hard to avoid them. They may be created by a local radio or TV station, a neighbor’s electrical machine, or corona discharge on power line insulators (common in coastal or high-humidity areas). The most troublesome sources are usually inside the building. The offending source may be in the same room as your system or, worse yet, it may be a part of your system! Your own equipment: transformers in your amplifier, switching power supplies for your mobile electronics… Read more about EMI…
The only way to protect your precious music signal, and to get the most out of your high end audio cables, is to shield that cable. You have invested too much in your turntables, preamps, amplifiers, and speakers to leave the signal moving between them unprotected. Unfortunately, not all shields offer the same level of protection. Some, such as twisted wires can somewhat reduce crosstalk interference, while others may protect from electric fields. Only Teresonic cables are made to provide full protection from all three: electric, magnetic, and mechanical interferences (e.g. vibrations).
Adding carbon to the shields provides additional protection. Since carbon has a relatively low resistance in axial direction, but a relatively high resistance in radial direction, it reduces the overall resistance in the direction of signal propagation (axial), but increasing the overall radial resistance that prevents excessive signal leakage.
Clarison speaker cables
All Teresonic Clarison cables are fully shielded cables designed to provide the best signal protection in the industry. The world’s best WBT spades (see below) are standard connectors, while WBT banana plugs are optionally available.
Cross section legend:
1 Outside PVC insulating cover
2 Protective cover of elastic spiral ferromagnetic material (steel with carbon)
3 Inside polyethylene-polyurethane insulating material
4 Twisted OFHC pure copper wires of different diameters
Teresonic Clarison speaker cables are made of pure OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) stranded wires of different diameters. The wires are specially woven in order to minimize undesirable skin effects that cause the effective resistance of the conductor to increase with the frequency. Read more about skin effect…
Cross section of a single Clarison speaker cable is shown below. Each Clarison speaker cable is separately constructed and shielded. This means that every plus (+) cable is completely separate from a minus (-) cable – a set of four (4) wires is provided to connect a pair of speakers.
WBT 0681 Cu speaker spades
Teresonic Clarison speaker cables use only WBT 0681Cu fully insulated sandwich spades that are considered the best in the class. High-current spades use pure Oxygen Free Copper contacts and are constructed from a single piece of copper with 3-layer 24k supra gold plating.
» High-current spade
» Pure copper signal conductor
» 24 carat gold plating (nickel-free)
» “Sandwich” for constantly high contact pressure
» Elastomer oscillation damper for superb vibration damping and fracture resistance
The signal conductors in WBT spades are low mass construction made of pure copper. The quality of signal transmission is very high, particularly for high currents or low voltage signals. The base body is a nearly metal-free construction for low mass and to provide full insulation to meet the CE and IEC safety requirements.
The key for WBT spades superb sound quality is in the patented “sandwich” design of the contact fork. This protects from interferences, mechanical vibrations, and magnetostriction effects, so that contact microphonics are suppressed, if not entirely eliminated. Read more about magnetostriction…
The sandwich design, with elastomer (special rubber) inserted in the steel cap, provides high and uniform contact pressure while minimizing transition resistance. The surface of the copper conductor is protected against oxidation by nickel-free 24 carat gold plating to assure long-lasting low transition resistance levels. Read more about transition resistance theory…
The spade is connected to the cable by means of crimping. The two Torx screws with fine thread are making for a reliable connection with high tensile strength.
Clarison Silver interconnects
All Teresonic Clarison cables are fully shielded to provide the best signal protection in the industry, and, thereby, some of the best high end audio cables. The world's best WBT Nextgen 0102Cu (see below) are standard RCA connectors, while Neutrik XLR connectors are used in fully balanced version of Clarison Silver interconnects.
Cross section legend:
1 Outside PVC insulating cover
2 Protective shield: flexible ferromagnetic spiral (carbonized steel)
3 Two identical inside interconnect blocks (see figure)
4 Inside insulating "air"
5 "Fleet" cable comprised of stranded Litz-wires
The block (3) is comprised of Teflon™ exterior, pure silver shielding screen, and stranded silver plated conductors in the center.
The "fleet" cable (5) with PVC insulation divides the cable in two parts acting as an electrical screen, minimizing triboelectrical effects between the two signal blocks.
This cross section of Clarison Silver cables shows two completely separated interconnect "blocks" in "air" as dielectric and shielded by an internal shield. The entire cable is fully protected by an external shield made of a flexible ferromagnetic spiral. The spiral is made of carbonized steel with properties specifically developed to provide full protection from electric, magnetic, and mechanical interferences and crosstalk.
Clarison Silver interconnects are available with RCA connectors. Truly balanced interconnects are available with XLR connectors. See the section about Teresonic true balanced interconnects below.
WBT 0102 Cu RCA connector
Clarison Silver and Clarison Gold interconnects use exclusively WBT 0102 which we consider the best RCA connector available. Their unique "parallel" geometry fits perfectly with Clarison cables. Features include:
» ultimate conductivity (one-piece signal conductor made of pure copper)
» free from eddy currents
» wideband capability up to 200 MHz
» electromagnetic shielding (EMI)
» absolute secure signal transmission through pat. WBT collect chuck device
» two-piece clamping sleeve in black piano lacquer
The Central Contact Unit in WBT-0102 Cu connectors is a low mass signal conductor to minimize eddy currents that are the root cause of the skin effect in conductors. Read more about skin effect…
They are made of pure copper, the best conductor of electricity, to assure ultra rapid signal transmission and fine sound resolution. The signal conductors are gold plated (nickel-free) to protect against oxidation, providing lasting contact quality.
WBT-0102 Cu transmission bandwidth of up to 200 MHz exceeds by far the transmission bandwidth of conventional RCA plugs. This assures transmission of highest order harmonics in both analog and digital applications.
All WBT connectors are "locking" so the plug's outer contact clamps firmly to the RCA socket. The maximum contact pressure provides secure connection and minimizes the transition resistance. The two-piece clamping sleeve construction assures that the sleeve's cone does not turn while the clamping sleeve is tightened so that the contact elements are not exposed to twisting pressure. The centre pin is slotted and slightly bent up for a long-lasting and secure connection and lowest transition resistance possible.
WBT-0102 Cu minus contact element is connected to brass clamping sleeve in order to provide the necessary electromagnetic shielding. This works well with Teresonic cables assuring end-to-end shielding against EMI, RFI and other interferences, making your high-end audio cables even more effective at protecting your music signal.
Clarison Gold interconnects
Clarison Gold is designed for audio applications requiring ultra-fine resolution and superior performance across the entire audio spectrum. Although silver and copper have higher conductivity, gold's extremely high resistance to corrosion and high conductivity makes it the single most reliable conductor. Add gold's unique sonic properties, solder-less connections, superior shielding and superb craftsmanship, and you get the finest high-end audio cables available.
"It is with the guitar that you begin to really hear what the Teresonic Gold can do that I have never heard from a cable before. It's as if your amplifier just got more powerful. The solidity and power of the plucked strings is just intoxicating," says Jack Roberts of dagogo.com. "In every case the Gold cable was just more enjoyable, it lets the music flow better, sometimes it's more powerful, sometimes more delicate, but always more like real music."
Cross section legend:
1 Outside PVC insulating cover
2 Protective shield: elastic ferromagnetic spiral (carbonized steel)
3 Two identical inside interconnect blocks with (+) and (-) pure solid gold conductors (see the right figure)
4 Inside insulating "air"
5 Special insulating screen to separate (+) and (-) conductors
The conductors in Clarison Gold are extra pure (99.999%) 24ct solid gold. Such high purity isn't commercially available requiring a special purification process before gold is used to produce wires for Clarison Gold. This process includes proprietary thermal and chemical treatments resulting in elongated crystalline structure towards the surface of the conductor to further reduce the skin effect.
Silver has higher conductivity (lower resistance) than gold. But it tarnishes (oxidation), which means an oxide forms on its surface. This is basically different metal and at the contact point between them a "contact potential" appears. This creates an additional barrier (resistance) for the music signal. This is never the case with gold.
Gold density is 19,320 kg/cu.m, which is twice the density of silver (10,490 kg/cu.m) or copper (8,930 kg/cu.m). This means that the gold crystalline structure is more compact resulting in faster and easier signal propagation- hence the fine resolution of Clarison Gold balanced interconnects.
All connections in Clarison Gold cables are solder-less! That means there are no other materials (other than pure gold) involved anywhere in the path of the signal. All these lead to a superior interconnect for audio applications.
Cross section
Inside interconnect block is comprised of (a) special impregnated insulation tube and (b) solid pure (99.999%) gold wire in air.
The special insulating screen (5) separates (+) and (-) conductors in the cable to eliminate tribo-electrical effects between the two signal blocks
True balanced cables
Both Clarison Silver and Clarison Gold are available as single-ended (RCA) and as truly balanced interconnects with XLR connectors.
True balanced cables use three conductors and 3-pin XLR connectors. Three separate conductors are required, two of which are signal (+ and -) and one shield. The shield serves to guard the sensitive audio lines from interference. Only by using balanced line interconnects can you guarantee (yes, guarantee) hum-free results.
Quasi-balanced cables use only two wires and connect ground and signal (-) together. This solution doesn't offer true balanced cables benefits. Actually, it's usually less effective solution than standard single-ended cables.
Teresonic offers only truly balanced interconnects that are fully shielded and equipped with high quality Neutrik connectors.
Neutrik XLR connectors are the standard for balanced connections. High quality 3 pole male connector with black housing has gold platedcontacts. Male version is on one side of the cable and latching female on the other side.