Buy 2 components and get 4 free cables. Free shipping on all orders over $700.

0

Your Cart is Empty

Star Quad Cable Demonstration - Video

Star Quad  Cable Construction Details

Star Quad microphone cable diagram

Star-Quad Cable - Video Demonstration

Benchmark has recorded a lab demonstration that shows what happens when a standard two-wire cable is exposed to common sources of magnetic interference.

You will be able to hear the interference, see it on an oscilloscope, and view its spectrum on an FFT. A star-quad cable and a standard cable are exposed to the same sources of magnetic interference and the results are compared. This demonstration shows the dramatic difference between the two cables. The star-quad cable provided a 20 to 50 dB reduction in magnetic interference, keeping the interference below audible levels.

Note: The interference will play through the left channel while John narrates on the right channel.

View the video on YouTube

Additional Reading

 

The Importance of Star-Quad Microphone Cable thumbnail

"The Importance of Star-Quad Microphone Cable" - Benchmark Application Note, John Siau

 

 

 


Also in Audio Application Notes

Audiophile Snake Oil

Audiophile Snake Oil

by John Siau April 05, 2024

The Audiophile Wild West

Audiophiles live in the wild west. $495 will buy an "audiophile fuse" to replace the $1 generic fuse that came in your audio amplifier. $10,000 will buy a set of "audiophile speaker cables" to replace the $20 wires you purchased at the local hardware store. We are told that these $10,000 cables can be improved if we add a set of $300 "cable elevators" to dampen vibrations. You didn't even know that you needed elevators!  And let's not forget to budget at least $200 for each of the "isolation platforms" we will need under our electronic components. Furthermore, it seems that any so-called "audiophile power cord" that costs less than $100, does not belong in a high-end system. And, if cost is no object, there are premium versions of each that can be purchased by the most discerning customers.  A top-of-the line power cord could run $5000. One magazine claims that "the majority of listeners were able to hear the difference between a $5 power cable and a $5,000 power cord". Can you hear the difference? If not, are you really an audiophile?

Read Full Post
Closeup of Plasma Tweeter

Making Sound with Plasma - Hill Plasmatronics Tweeter

by John Siau June 06, 2023

At the 2023 AXPONA show in Chicago, I had the opportunity to see and hear the Hill Plasmatronics tweeter. I also had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Alan Hill, the physicist who invented this unique device.

The plasma driver has no moving parts and no diaphragm. Sound is emitted directly from the thermal expansion and contraction of an electrically sustained plasma. The plasma is generated within a stream of helium gas. In the demonstration, there was a large helium tank on the floor with a sufficient supply for several hours of listening.

Hill Plasmatronics Tweeter Demonstration - AXPONA 2023

While a tank of helium, tubing, high voltage power supplies, and the smell of smoke may not be appropriate for every living room, this was absolutely the best thing I experienced at the show!

- John Siau

Read Full Post
Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier

Audio Calculators

by John Siau June 04, 2023

We have added an "Audio Calculators" section to our webpage. Click "Calculators" on the top menu to see more like these:

THD % to dB Converter

Results update on input change.

Results

THD dB to % Converter

Results update on input change.

Results

Read Full Post