Shunyata Theta Phono Cable
Shunyata Research

Theta Phono Cable

Theta Series signal, digital, and power cables were created using scientific innovation that has established Shunyata Research as a key contributor to the world’s top recording studios and heart-surgery labs.

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Description

Each component, material, and conductor within the Theta Series is custom-designed to extend the boundaries of signal resolution, even when compared to cost-no-object products. Theta Series products further expand upon Shunyata Research’s legacy of delivering uncompromising performance at prices that raise expectations for all products in their category.

Advancing Technology

Theta Series signal and digital cable products feature continuous-cast Ohno copper. Ohno copper is an ultra-pure conductor drawn using heated moulds that cast the wire into a singular crystalline structure. The Ohno conductors used in the Theta Series are then extruded with a fluorocarbon dielectric and custom-shielding elements using Shunyata Research’s exclusive PMZ (Precision Matched Impedance) process. This extrusion method tightens the tolerances of the conductor surface, dielectric and the precision placement of the shield. To achieve these finely drawn tolerances, the extrusion and braiding machines must be run at one-quarter normal speed during the manufacturing process.

Theta speaker cables and power cords feature VTX™ (hollow core) and VTX-Ag™ (pure silver centre) conductors, both with an outer layer of ultra-pure OFE copper for enhanced performance. Finally, all Theta cables are conditioned for 4-days using Shunyata Research’s advanced Kinetic Phase Inversion ProcessTM (KPIPv2TM), which conditions conductor metals at a molecular level. Theta Series cables are terminated with Shunyata’s custom-designed connectors and cold-soldered terminals. These custom-designed attributes elevate Theta Series performance far beyond expectation, regardless of cost.

The Sound and Fury

Theta cables disappear, allowing the system to express sudden dynamic shifts in timing and frequency extension with effortlessness and nuance. A loom of Theta cables allows a complex system of electronics and speakers to speak with a single coherent voice.

Like their more affordable Gamma Series counterpart, Theta cables imbue the system with an unassailable sense of coherence, as if everything is in focus, without distortion or hard transients. There is an absence of perceived noise, allowing spectral and textural subtlety to come to the fore. Unlike common copper cables, Theta Series cables deliver explosive dynamics and pitch perfect frequency extension, even when compared to far more expensive cables. Theta’s larger gauge VTX™ conductors add weight, dimensionality and an expansive, room-filling sound-stage.

Technology

Shunyata Research produces select cables using a ‌Precision Matched Z (‌‌PMZ) concept. This means that tolerances of the conductor surface, dielectric extrusion, and the precision of the braided shield are held to minute variances. To achieve these tight tolerances, the extrusion and braiding machines must be run at one-quarter speed during the manufacturing process. (Note: Z means impedance)

Ohno wire, also called ‌PCOCC was invented in 1986 by professor Atsumi ‌Ohno of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan. Copper wire is created by an extrusion process that pulls a rod of cold copper through a small orifice which creates multiple crystalline boundaries. By contrast, ‌‌Ohno wire is made by a process using heated moulds that cast a wire to form a single crystalline structure. ‌‌Ohno wire is well known for its exceptionally pure, grain-free sonic qualities.

Fluorocarbon dielectrics are usually only found in wire used in the aerospace industry, satellites and only the most expensive audiophile cabling. It has special electrical characteristics; very low dielectric absorption, high dielectric strength and exceptional heat resistance. When used in audio and power cables is reduces the perception of dynamic compression and it improves sonic low-level resolution and clarity.

KPIP v2™ Processing
Shunyata Research’s proprietary Kinetic Phase Inversion Process includes four days of continuous KPIP v2™ processing which refines conductor metals at a molecular level. This dramatically reduces burn-in time and significantly improves sonic performance, delivering a relaxed and life-like presentation. When compared to the original process, KPIP v2™ represents a dramatic performance upgrade on par with a component-level upgrade.

Cable Type: Coaxial

Conductors: OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) copper

Shield: Pure copper braided shield

Dielectric: Fluorocarbon

Connectors: Gold plated brass contacts, nickel matte finish

Tech: PMZ

Gauge: 16

Ground Cable: 10 gauge VTX

Color: Black flex

KPIP v2 Processing: 4-days

Standard Length: 1.00 meters

Safety Assurance:
Continuity and polarity tests – by two technicians
HiPOT tests insulation breakdown @ 1,200 VAC