What makes Aural Thrills Different?

The unique feature of Aural Thrills Audio is the fact that ALL EQUPMENT (except sending component) in my reference audio system has been developed by me! From the phono stage, pre amp, mono blocks and cables, to the final sound of the speakers. Each product has been developed and tested by one person. This gives me a unique understanding of the reproduction of sound. With four years of college ear training, ten years as a professional musician in NYC, and unmatched passion, I feel that I have the tools necessary to create the finest reproduction equipment in the world. I have spent the last ten years learning the intricacies of tube amplifiers. Every part. Every wire. Every component. They all matter. Connecting all of this equipment with compatible cables has become a daily obsession. As one of my customers said, "I live audio."

In these days of endless loops of frustration, you can count on getting a real person when you deal with Aural Thrills. No press 1, press 5, etc. You get a real person from the beginning. Someone who can answer all of your questions. Emails are answered many times a day. Leave your number and I will call back, really! With a 60 day, no questions asked policy on all of my cables, you can be sure that your purchase will work with your total system sound.

Lastly, it is my commitment to make sure that every product is made to my standards. Every product guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Every order processed with the passion that only hand made goods can deliver. I put my reputation on the line with every product I make. I try my best to do all that is needed. I also try my best to keep prices reasonable.  Please consider that you are buying more than a constructed product. You are buying my mind, my craftsmanship and my ears which have worked on each component obsessively for countless hours.

Cable Design Theory

Aural Thrills Audio only sells very special cables! Designed to provide your system with the ultimate sound. They will not degrade the signal as many other cables tend to do. Why? Our cables have been specially designed to provide a clear, deep sound by utilizing solid core technology. Stranded wire has many points where the wires touch each other. This creates a smearing effect as the signal jumps from one wire to the other. The larger the wire, the more this effect becomes evident. Research also shows that stranded cables creates time distortions due to the uneven manner in which the signal travels.

Next we must look at the wire size. I am always amazed by the "oh wow" reaction of audiophiles upon seeing a very fat cable. In true American fashion, the belief that if a little is good, more is always better comes to mind. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! The major portion of an audio signal actually travels as a wave on top of the wire, much like a train travels on top of the tracks. A very small part of this wave travels inside the wire. Since the wire actually slows the signal down a time distortion is created between the signal on top of the wire and the part of the signal in the wire. The best way to minimize this effect is to use a small diameter wire so that very little signal is traveling through the wire itself.

The third item in cable construction to consider is the material surrounding the wire. Some companies use many layers of coverings to convey the image of huge size. Again, this is not a good thing. These layers act as huge capacitors for the signal. Capacitors store and then release their energy. The result is a smearing and time warp creating a cloudy sound. The cleanest sound is achieved by using Teflon. Teflon will not absorb any of the signal. This means the total signal arrives at the same time. None is released later causing distortions.

To shield or not to shield? In most cases adding a shield to a cable takes away a little bit of the spaciousness from the sound stage. Unshielded cables are great for Solid State equipment using lengths of under nine feet. They deliver a spaciousness and clarity of sound that most people find very appealing. When using Tube equipment or cables over ten feet shielding is needed. The transformers of tube amplifiers are gigantic EMI producing machines. Using an unshielded cable with tube equipment will result in an induced hum. Always use a shielded cable with tube equipment. Cable runs of over ten feet tend to act as huge antennas picking up local radio stations. (RFI) To avoid this you MUST use a shielded cable. Lastly, phono cables must be shielded. Cartridges produce very small amounts of voltage. some moving coil cartridges produce only .2mv. This low voltage is very fragile and must be protected from your local radio stations which will overpower this miniscule signal.

Cable Break In

All cables take a certain amount of time to burn in. This may sound crazy but it is true. I have heard many theories for this, but the one I tend to go with is the alignment of atoms within the wire. It changes as the wire is subjected to electrical charges and ends up aligning in the direction of electron flow. Most cable will sound good for the first hour or so. Then they start to degrade. They become bright, edgy, distorted, and closed in. The worst sound is at about 50 hours of play. Slowly the sound will began to improve and at about 100 hours things will start to really improve. The one exception to this scenario is Silver wire which breaks in much more slowly. We do offer a burn in service using the Hagerman professional model. It takes 48 hours to complete the process. The cable is subjected to a frequency sweep which contains signals above and below the frequencies of Human hearing. Although additional break in is still required, this really speeds things up. 

Warranty

Due to the length of break in I offer a 60 day return policy, no questions asked. Just pay for shipping. I can offer this warranty because I am so sure you will not want to part with this cable. All cables carry an unconditional lifetime warranty to the original purchaser. Just return to Aural Thrills Audio and we will take care of any problems. Cables that have been abused or mistreated will be repaired for a slight cost to be determined upon inspection.

Upgrades

For years I have wanted to get the Brass out of my cables. Brass is a terrible conductor and adds a real dullness to the sound. Silver is the best conductor followed by Copper and then Gold. Brass is way further down the list. The reason that RCA connectors are made of Brass is ease of manufacture as well as malleability. Conductive ability is not on the list of positives for this type of construction. Finally, I have designed what I feel is the finest connector on the market.. PERIOD. It uses a solid, pure Teflon base that has been machined to accept a center pin and ground conductor. Teflon is one of the most inert substances on the planet. The Teflon plug surrounds the RCA connections on your equipment as well as the cable wires to insure a quiet, interference free sound. Getting rid of the Brass allows the use of super conductor metals which insure the pristine delivery of your sonic pleasures. Why make a cable that is painstakingly designed to deliver all information and then plug up both ends with a poor conducting Brass connectors? Why use 99.999% purity wires and then use Brass in the circuit? Brass is really just copper with impurities in it. There is more to a good cable than the metallurgy of the wire. This design features a Silver,  center pin and a thin Silver return line to insure a minimal contact point. Silver has a sound of great detail, air and space. The thing that really impressed me the first time that I heard this design was the spaciousness and unbelievable detail.  Next I noticed the black background. A product of the solid Teflon plug. These plugs sound as good or better than the WBT NextGen's which sell for $35 EACH. These plugs blow away and are more reliable than the Eichman Bullet. These plugs sound better than any Brass plug made! No one else has them.

Add Silver Teflon Rca Plugs

Only $79.99