SUPRA Cables Ply 3.4

Increasing cable size can usually reduce cable resistance, but at the expense of increasing cable inductance. This is musically unacceptable for high quality sound and music applications. Some solutions exist, but these may have other limitations, which can make them impractical.

Conventional stranded cables made from copper, silver or related conductors can suffer from complex oxidation, making the surface into a semi-conductor. The diodes so formed between the strands are not seen by steady-state signals, but look like the plates of a high value capacitor to transient signals. This causes low-level energy storage and release after transients, that is invisible to steady-state testing yet nonetheless is perfectly audible with many music recordings.

Supra Ply is a large-section, low resistance cable, which can overcome these limitations, by using a proprietary, pure tin-plating. This has the double benefit that tin and copper meld without forming a diodic barrier and that tin strongly resists most common causes of metal corrosion, hermetically protecting the copper, making Supra Ply ideal for outdoor use in either car (automobiles) vans and/or truck as well as marine applications, where salt water may quickly corrode a pure copper cable.

Even if oxidation should form on the outside of Supra Ply, it will be sonically benign, as in audiograde “metal oxide” resistors, which are really tin oxide. (Because Ply cables are tin-plated, they are effectively impervious to corrosion when used outdoors). Sonically, tin-plating has no known negative effects on sound quality, especially over time, leading to extended periods of good quality sound, with no likelihood of deterioration, as is usual when plain copper or silver-plated conductors oxidise.

Mechanical Specifications:

Crossection area 3.4 / 12 mm2 / AWG
Number of conductors 2 pieces
Number of strands per conductor 192 pieces
Strand diameter 0.15 mm
Conductor material Tin plated oxygen free 5N Copper
Insulation and jacket Heat and age resistant PVC
External size 7.2 x 7.2 mm
Weight 97 g/m

Electrical performance

Resistance 5.1 Ohm/km
Inductance 0.20 µH/m