Solid-conductor speaker cable in PSC+ and PSC copper with Double Star-Quad geometry
AudioQuest Rocket 44 is a loudspeaker cable with solid conductors that pair two grades of high-purity copper: PSC+ (Perfect-Surface Copper+) together with PSC (Perfect-Surface Copper). The geometry is Double Star-Quad, the insulation is foamed polyethylene, and a carbon-based system takes care of noise dissipation. It is offered with Full-Range or Single Bi-Wire termination and in four lengths. Sold as a pair, one cable for the right channel and one for the left.
What separates it from the other Rocket cables is chiefly the metal: here both types of copper belong to the Perfect-Surface family.
Solid PSC+ and PSC conductors
A solid conductor has no strands interacting electrically with one another, which removes one of the main sources of distortion in stranded cables. The very smooth surface and the purity of Perfect-Surface copper reduce harshness and raise clarity when set against coppers such as OFHC, OCC and 8N. PSC+, purer still, further limits the distortion due to grain boundaries, which are present in every metal conductor.
Geometry and insulation
The way conductors sit relative to each other sets the capacitance and inductance of a cable, and it shapes the sonic result even when those values are well balanced. Double Star-Quad geometry yields less distortion than parallel conductors and than the more widespread twisted pairs. The air-rich foamed polyethylene insulation (Foamed-Polyethylene) absorbs very little energy: this limits the energy that gets stored and later given back as distortion, which with other materials leaves the sound less focused.
Noise dissipation and terminations
The negative conductors are coated with partly conductive carbon-loaded polyethylene, which hinders radio-frequency noise from returning to the amplifier. A carbon layer damps the interaction of positive with negative conductors, and an outer system, also carbon-based, attenuates interference coming from the surroundings. The conductors are Direction-Controlled, so that induced noise is drained correctly. The Full-Range version has two connectors at each end, for loudspeakers with a single pair of binding posts; the Single Bi-Wire reaches the loudspeaker with four connectors, feeding bass and treble separately on speakers designed for bi-wiring. Available lengths: 2 m, 2.5 m, 3 m and 4 m.
Key features
- Conductors: solid, in PSC+ and PSC copper
- Geometry: Double Star-Quad
- Insulation: foamed polyethylene (Foamed-Polyethylene)
- Noise control: carbon-based system and Direction-Controlled conductors
- Versions: Full-Range or Single Bi-Wire, in 2 m, 2.5 m, 3 m or 4 m
