Atlas Zeno 1:1 Headphone Cable
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Atlas Zeno 1:1 Custom Headphone Cable
Please Note: All Zeno cables ordered in lengths of 1m or 1.5m come supplied with the significantly more flexible black braid.
Atlas' Zeno headphone cables are designed to offer a significant upgrade over the cables bundled with even very expensive headphones. Brands typically using 1:1 (cable plugs into one earpiece) connectors include AKG, B&W, Oppo and Sennheiser. (Some brands may use more than one type of connection depending on model).
‘High-end’ headphones are growing in popularity at an extraordinary rate, but many users quickly come to realise that the original cables supplied with many models tend to be of average quality, not very durable and are supplied in typically quite short lengths.
Atlas Zeno cables are a high performance OCC copper replacement cable for dynamic headphones (not electrostatics) from most audiophile brands. For Atlas to achieve their design and performance goals for Zeno, they employed their proven cold-weld solder-free construction methods, the objective being to produce a signal path with the minimum of the breaks in continuity which degrade fidelity. Staying true to their design principles meant designing a new family of low-mass, wide bandwidth connectors. These Metik connectors are available in 2.5, 3.5mm & 6.3mm jack plugs plus a 4 pin XLR version in their ‘dark chrome’ finish.
Features :
- Atlas Metik Jack Plugs
- OCC Copper Conductors
- FEP Dielectric
- Co-ax Construction
Metik Jack Plug
The Metik is a robust, air tight metal to metal solder-free contact jack plug. Available in 2.5, 3.5 & 6mm versions.
In a cold-weld connection, the metal of the connector plug and the wire are squeezed together under a calibrated pressure to form a robust, consistent, air-tight metal to metal contact with no damage to the cable dielectric. The result is a smooth, uninterrupted signal path which behaves as one continuous entity, with minimal degradation of the signal compared to soldered connections.
Atlas also developed their own low mass/high bandwidth connectors to take this approach to its logical conclusion.
Ohno Continuous Casting Copper (OCC Copper)
The Ohno continuous casting method re-heats the extrusion as the molten copper is forced out of the mould and very slowly and gradually draws the grain or crystal down the conductor''s length, creating a ‘single crystal structure.’ Actually, because no copper is 100% pure, there will always be a few boundaries produced by impurities. The frequency of boundaries created are quite insignificant. A typical crystal in a copper conductor drawn to 0.3 mm diam. using the OCC process is 125.00 metres long!
The benefits are obvious, with almost no crystal boundaries, the audio signal is no longer impeded down the copper wire and more information and detail is delivered faithfully to the receiving equipment.
| Copper Purity Comparison (0.3mm Diameter) | ||||
| TPC | OFC | OCC | ||
| Purity | >99.9% | >99.99% | >99.999% | |
| Specific Gravity | 8.75 | 8.926 | 8.938 | |
| Gas Impurities (ppm) | ||||
| O2 | 200~500 | <10 | <5 | |
| H2 | <0.5 | <0.5 | <0.3 | |
| Average Crystal Size (Metre) | 0.007 | 0.02 | 125.00 | |
| Crystals Per Metre | 150 | 50 | 0.008 | |
FEP Dielectric
PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is cheap to produce and, as such, is the most commonly used insulation in AV cables. However, PVC is the worst quality insulation a Hi-Fi or AV signal can encounter as its high loss causes a significant reduction in signal velocity. PVC is better suited to power cables and should be avoided in Hi-Fi and AV signal cables.
Other dielectrics in common use are Polyethylene, Polypropylene and Polytetrafluoride Epoxy (better known as PTFE (Teflon™) or Teflon,) and the new and unique Atlas (PTFE).
FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) has a big advantage over PTFE in that it can be applied to sophisticated conductors at lower temperatures, preserving the integrity of the base material.
The table below shows the properties of a selection of dielectrics. Though not used as a dielectric in Atlas' cables, PVC is included for comparison purposes.
| Dielectric Material Comparison (0.3mm Diameter) | |||||
| Property |
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) |
Foamed Polyethylene (PEF) |
Polypropylene (P.P) |
Teflon (FEP or PTFE) |
PTFE |
|
Dielectric Constant (@ 50 -106Hz) |
4-8 | 2.3 | 2.25 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
|
Dielectric Strength (kV mm-1) |
23-30 | 30-50 | 30-50 | 20-25 | N/A |
|
Loss Tangent (% @ 50 - 106Hz) |
8-15 | 0.02-0.05 |
0.02-0.06 (@ 106Hz) |
0.02-0.07 | N/A |
|
Volume Resistivity (Ohms.cm @ 20°C) |
1012-15 | >1017 | 6.5x1014 | >1016 | N/A |
|
Tensile Strength (Kg mm-2) |
1.0-2.5 | 1.0-2.0 | 3.0-4.0 | 1.9-2.2 | 1.0 |
|
Melting Point (°C) |
-130 | 112-120 | 155-160 | 275 | 275 |
|
Max. Continuous Operating Temp. (°C) |
60 | 75 | 90 | 200 | 260 |
|
Min. Operating Temp. (°C) |
-15 to -40 | <-60 | -5 to -45 | <-60 | -250 |
Co-ax Construction
Central conductor (signal path) surrounded by dielectric material encased within a circular conducting screen which acts as the signal return path.
Specification :
- Construction : Twin Co-ax
- Conductor : OCC Copper
- Dielectric : FEP
- Conductor Resistance : 0.123 Ohms/m at 20°C
- Capacitance : 122.3 pF/m
- Inductance : 0.306 µH/m
- Outside Diameter : 7.0mm
Shipping options vary depending on the brand and or size, weight etc of the product. We utilise reputable couriers to ensure your products are delivered as quickly as is possible and safely. For more information please don't hesitate to get in touch with a team member.
Some products will ship from our stock whilst some products are made to order or will ship directly from the manufacturer. These products are labeled "direct from manufacturer"
