Signal Projects Andromeda Golden Sequence

 Signal Projects Andromeda and Golden Sequence Statement Series power cords

The "Statement Series" from the Greek-British manufacturer Signal Projects enables sound tuning of a fine, but perhaps decisive kind with the "no-nonsense" cables Andromeda and Golden Sequence. Plug in, play in briefly and enjoy not huge, but decisive improvements.

The eye listens. Also and especially with those system components that a high-end device neither can nor wants to hide: device connections and power cables. Signal Projects, a company based in Greece, recently sent something particularly fine: power cables from the Andromeda and Golden Sequence premium model series. They look incredibly good and can do a lot in terms of sound.

These fat "power cords" come in sturdy wooden cases with sliding lids that run smoothly. Inside are golden-brown (Golden Sequence) or shiny black (Andromeda) "constrictors" in helix strands, about as thick as the forearm of a ten-year-old child, five feet long and quite heavy or stiff. The splendor is assembled with IEC and Schuko plugs, some of which embody an in-house design: the contact pins come from Oyaïde OEM according to Signal Projects specifications, the housings of the plugs are manufactured in-house. The result feels extremely solid, which also applies to the "plug-in feeling".

The Athens-based company, which has a second location in Manchester, has been working on making cables better for a number of years, which applies equally to signal and power conductors. Lead developer Nick Korakakis, who studied at the University of Sheffield, remembers the days when he designed his first products in a sparse studio with old equipment and struggled with a multitude of distortions. "As the studio equipment got more sophisticated, some of the annoying distortion remained," says Korakakis. One reason to investigate the causes and to consciously tweak some parameters, such as the cable structure. And to "add a few pages to the endless book of music history," as Korakakis confidently notes.

The goal that he and his team were pursuing was to create uncompromising products that should "correspond to the greatly increased quality level of audio and video equipment". In short: Since high-tech with the best sound can now be found even in the lower price ranges, you should not use bell wire strips to connect the devices.

The solution à la Korakakis is a clever mix of materials in all areas, be it the actual conductors, the insulator material or the shielding. High-purity metals in a sound-enhancing mix, above all well-known good conductors such as copper, silver and gold, ensure low resistance and high conductivity in Signal Projects cables. "One of the things we use is copper with a purity of 99.99997 percent (6N)," explains the developer. The source material, which comes from well-known cable manufacturers worldwide, has "also gotten better and better in recent years," enthuses the Signal Projects boss.

The contact pins come from Oyaïde OEM according to Signal Projects specifications, the housings of the connectors are manufactured in-house.

The twisted cable structure, similar to that of a genetic material helix, ensures low inductance in conjunction with a capacitance that is also reduced as far as possible - and you can hear that, even with mains cables, which actually have no other function than transferring electricity from the socket to the socket with as little loss as possible Consumers, i.e. bringing the devices to the plant.

Of course, a power cable can always be a gateway for interference frequencies, whether they come from cell phone networks or are emitted by various radio stations and other radio sources. That's why Korakakis and Co. attach great importance to efficient insulation (“unfortunately, there is no perfect insulator, so we use a mixture of different materials”) as well as cleverly designed shielding and its grounding. "This is much more important than it was a few decades ago, because there are now many more interference frequencies on the road," says Nick Korakakis.

Especially with the latter there are a number of possible variations: Should the shield be grounded on both sides, only on one side of the cable or not at all? The solution is implied to be printed on the cold device plug: "Passive Shield Discharge System" can be read there. The potentials that build up in the shielding are therefore discharged via the grounding. Elsewhere, a defined charge is placed on the screen in order to "bias" it electromagnetically and thus accelerate the discharge of interference frequencies. Nick Korakakis considers this unnecessary. "There are a few other cable manufacturers who use a kind of active shielding, for example with batteries," says Nick. 

On the one hand, this serves to give the interference voltages caught in the shielding a direction and, on the other hand, to discharge them at a defined speed at a defined point. “However, we at Signal Projects believe that it is significantly more efficient to use said 'Passive Shield Discharge System' instead of an active solution, because it gives us the opportunity to achieve the same goal just as safely and, importantly, without changing the cable parameters ' says Korakakis. For this purpose, special coil wires, such as those found in some old radio receivers, are used as shielding over the entire length of the cable. Korakakis is convinced that these have “the ability to attract interference voltages just as efficiently as active shielding,

The Greek-British manufacturer specifies the capacity in picofarads (pf) per foot (ft) (1 foot = 30.48 centimeters). The Andromeda is 9.97 picofarads, which, according to Uwe Klose from the German distributor Applied Acoustics, is over the counter for 3500 euros in the 1.5-meter version. With the Golden Sequence, which is priced in significantly higher at 5000 euros for the same length, it is 9.77 picofarads. The resistance of the power cables is 0.97 (Andromeda) and 1.02 (Golden Sequence) milliohms per foot. And the all-important inductance is listed as 0.39 and 0.37 millihenrys per foot. The struggle for constant improvement, even in the decimal area, is noticeable. 

Care is also taken to have consistent resistance at both ends of the cable. This allows giving the interference currents a defined direction, even with the passive solution, and ultimately dissipating them via the earth, “safely and quickly”, as Korakakis emphasize. In addition, the cables are twisted in a special way. On the one hand, this makes them measurably less sensitive to high-frequency interference such as radio transmitters. On the other hand, it opens up the possibility of ideally insulating and shielding all conductors and keeping them at a clearly defined distance, which should lead to significantly lower inductance and capacitance values. In addition, the symmetry of the frequency response improves significantly. On the one hand, this makes them measurably less sensitive to high-frequency interference such as radio transmitters. 

The immense development work is paid for, whereby Signal Projects does not only vote according to measured values, but also by ear.

Ever since FIDELITY tested the highly effective isolating transformer Signal Projects Phoenix, we in the editorial team have known about the highly serious approach that Signal Projects takes. What Nick Korakakis and his team are bringing to the market is good for understandable sound improvements. Now, power cords don't make giant leaps, and they can't turn a mediocre collection of gear into a world-class chain. 

But if the basic requirements are right, then the elaborately made, optically and haptically appealing strips can provide exactly the fine tuning that was missing: the bass becomes a little blacker, fast impulses are a bit more precise, the musical events seem more orderly overall and that timing more consistent. Whether you hear the price difference between Andromeda and Golden Sequence - the latter uses somewhat purer metals for conductors and shielding than for the Andromeda - is a decision that every high-end user has to make for themselves. valuables supplied. 

By the way, they should have a stable stand and/or a reasonable mass, because Signal Projects power cables tend to simply pull lightweight components off the rack. You can't do anything wrong with it, there is always an improvement effect. By the way, they should have a stable stand and/or a reasonable mass, because Signal Projects power cables tend to simply pull lightweight components off the rack. You can't do anything wrong with it, there is always an improvement effect. By the way, they should have a stable stand and/or a reasonable mass, because Signal Projects power cables tend to simply pull lightweight components off the rack. You can't do anything wrong with it, there is always an improvement effect.

INFO

Signal Projects Andromeda power cable

Capacitance: 9.97 pf/ft

Resistance: 0.97 mΩ/ft

Inductance: 0.39 mH/ft

Maximum current: 48 A/230 V

Price: around €3500/1.5 m

Signal Projects Golden Sequence power cable

Capacitance: 9.77 pf/ft

Resistance: 1.02 mΩ/ft

Inductance: 0.37 mH/ft

Maximum current: 48 A/230 V

Price: around €5000/1.5 m

CONTACT

Applied Acoustics

Uwe Klose

Brandensteinweg 6

13595 berlin

Telephone +49 30 4614874

www.signalprojects.com/