Basis Perfect Signal Transmission Technology Interconnect Cable
Basis PSTT Interconnect Cable redefines the upper limits of loudspeaker cable performance. Never has an interconnect cable performed at state of the art levels in so many areas: bass definition, bass impact, midrange clarity, midrange naturalness, transparency, high frequency extension, high frequency “sweetness”, overall “microdynamics”, overall dynamics, image width, image depth, image stability, and overall focus.
When you audition Basis PSTT Interconnect Cable you will hear your system perform at new, far increased levels of clarity AND musicality (many times mutually exclusive attributes of a given cable). In the past, particular cable brands were known for one or two overall, pervasive sonic characteristics. Brand “A” might be known as the very detailed, but somewhat fatiguing cable. Brand “B” might be known as natural, but “closed- in” sounding. Basis cables have forever “raised the bar” of overall cable performance possibilities. Extreme detail, fabulous bass, along with total effortlessness and naturalness are now available, for the first time, in the same cable.
Please read below to understand how only a cable designed with proper engineering, resulting in perfect impedance stability, can perform at the level of Basis cable.
PURE PHYSICS AND PROVEN ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY
As with all design projects, we at Basis begin with research in the pure physics of the product involved. Those familiar with Basis will notice that this approach, using a “clean slate” with no predetermined design biases, has been the Basis approach with all products from the original Debut through the revolutionary Vector tonearm and the amazing Work of Art turntable.
From initial design through the final product the fundamentals of physics and electromagnetic theory have guided us toward the goal of offering the most truthful audio cables available. No “audio industry dogma”, theory, or standard practice regarding materials or configuration was allowed to intrude upon our research and the development of the cables. Available audio cables were only used to test our developing theories regarding the relationship between measured electrical characteristics and sonic performance in audio cables. Numerous examples of the best available cables and our own prototypes were measured for all electrical characteristics, then tested in state of the art stereo systems. Basis developed a database of electrical properties and sonic characteristics of cables that allows us to understand the connection between the measured parameters of any particular cable and its sound. No cable can be exactly predicted by measurements. There is no substitute for listening, and the Basis Cables are the result of many hundreds of hours of listening. However, a full understanding of the physics involved and an increasing ability to correlate sonic performance with measureable criteria are necessary to expand the envelope of cable performance.
A COMPLETE DESIGN
Most audio cables have been designed along one or two favorite features of the designer. In the case of one cable this may be the winding of the conductors into a particular pattern. Another cable’s “feature design aspect” may be its ratio of wire size. Yet another cable may claim the use of “air tube” technology as its greatest feature. Ironically, many of these claimed “advantages” actually result in sonic disadvantages. Many “air tube” designs, for instance, result in unstable geometry, where the conductors float in the air tubes, and give unstable electrical characteristics and unpredictable performance. We at Basis have measured 30% changes in electrical characteristics of such cables by simply changing the bend of the cable while measuring.
Many audio cable companies operate under the naive, erroneous assumption that capacitance, inductance, or both are “bad” and should be driven to zero if possible. Cables designed to be extremely low in either inductance or capacitance are typically of inappropriate impedance and grossly deviate from an effective transmission line. Such cables perform very differently with different types of equipment. As an example, most audiophiles are familiar with the flat, ribbon cables made by some companies. Flat cables typically result in unusual values of capacitance and impedance, which is why some such cables are actually unstable with particular electronics, even requiring discrete loading components to achieve stability. Basis cables, reflecting their “distortionless transmission line” design, are totally stable with all loads.
Fixating on one design aspect, as in the above examples, may make for “catchy” marketing, but invariably results in incomplete cable designs.
We at Basis understand that all aspects of an audio cable are critical. A complete design must account for many factors and not overlook any. Basis specifies such extreme requirements of materials and processes, all of which are necessary to achieve our performance and stability goals, that we have found only two high-tech/military cable specialist manufacturers in the USA who are capable of manufacturing Basis Signal Cables.
Basis PSTT Interconnect Cable effectively addresses all pertinent material and electrical properties, including:
1. Conductor material: The highest purity proprietary copper alloy is used throughout all cables.
2. Dielectric material: The most pure form of the world’s finest dielectric is used, un-dyed for all primary and secondary insulation needs as well as cable cores.
3. Skin Effect design: Basis has defined interconnect cable effective cross-sectional area and cable geometry to eliminate skin effect concerns, even at multiples of the highest audio frequencies, producing superior imaging, impact, reverberation, and tonality.
4. Impedance matching: Through innovative use of materials and geometry Basis has succeeded in bringing the impedance to match the connectors used, preventing reflections at the connector/cable interface. Phono-stage and line-level signals are therefore transferred without distortion-producing reflections at either source or load end.
5. Extreme, exotic-material double shielding: Transmitting the signal perfectly is a formidable challenge. However, shielding and protecting small phono-stage level and line-level signals from outside noise is just as important, though commonly overlooked. Most cables are shielded, to some degree, from high-frequency noise. None are effectively shielded from the always-present power-line frequency magnetic fields. Interconnects are typically in close proximity to power cords, component transformers, and household wiring. All are strong sources of low-frequency magnetic field noise. Basis Interconnects are double shielded, including a shield of exotic high-permeability material to eliminate RFI and magnetic noise from distorting your audio signal. Basis cables therefore deliver lower hum levels, lower noise levels, greater background “blackness”, higher transparency, and more low-level detail. Your amplifier will deliver more power to your speakers and exhibit lower intermodulation distortion as it is freed from amplifying non-musical noise, especially power robbing low frequency noise. Your loudspeakers will also be more coherent and lower in distortion when not reproducing this non-audio content.
6. “Distortionless Transmission Line” performance: Electrical characteristics are balanced in the single, unique condition to meet “distortionless transmission line” conditions. This balance of conditions, dictated by proven physics, is the only avenue to attain constant phase across a wide frequency range.
A constant perfect phase relationship between all frequencies produces results not attainable if this condition is not met. Foremost in the sound of a “distortionless transmission line” may be a “natural coherence” that can be “felt” on an instinctive level by the listener. The individual sonic properties that many audiophiles analyze, such as attack, decay, tonality, and soundfield echoes so convincingly “play off of each other” and combine as to make analytical listening almost superfluous. So involving is the music that analytical listening is actually much more difficult to perform in a system with Basis signal cables from source through speakers. To explain just how natural this effect of correct phase is please contemplate this analogy. Imagine sitting in the middle of a totally dark room with a person speaking behind and to the left of you. In a few moments you would be able to locate this person. Your mind automatically would analyze the slight difference in the arrival of the sound between your left and right ears. Your mind would analyze the echoes to further locate the speaker as well as to determine the size of the room. None of this process is conscious or subject to logical analysis. In a similar manner, when you first listen to Basis signal cables you will perceive a “rightness” which will transcend analysis……you will not need to analyze the sound. However, when you force yourself to analyze the sound you will find that the “mental checklist” you have learned to make while evaluating audio equipment, with factors such as stage width, stage depth, natural decay, attack, quality of soundfield echoes, resolution, transparency, will be fully satisfied.
WIDE SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY
The favorable impedance of the Basis Interconnect Cable (see item 4, above) combined with distortionless transmission line characteristics (see item 6, above) mean a cable which has neutral sonic characteristics and perfect phase performance when used with a wide variety of components. The Basis Interconnect Cables are as “at home” with OTL (output transformerless tube amplifiers) as high-powered solid-state amplifiers. Whether you use single-ended transformer-coupled tube amplifiers, push-pull tube amplifiers, solid-state amplifiers, tube or solid state phone stages and preamps, you will receive the same performance from your Basis Interconnect Cables.