Atlas Asimi Luxe XLR Interconnects

Atlas Asimi XLR Interconnect is designed to be effectively ‘invisible’ in the replay chain and to reveal the entire content and ambience of the recording without any sense of exaggerated detail or brightness.

The original aim was to take a completely fresh look at cable design and develop new techniques to create a cable which would satisfy the most critical listeners for years to come. This latest generation goes back to basics exploring different construction methods and experimenting with new materials.

High Grade Silver

Featuring pure silver conductors, Asimi XLR is manufactured using the highest-quality ‘Ohno Continuous Cast’ technique for drawing pure silver. Silver cables have a reputation for poor sound quality in some quarters, we believe the Asimi definitively shows the problem is with low-grade materials and poor manufacture, resulting in a cable with a coarse grainy structure which compromises sound quality. By contrast, in the manufacture of Asimi, the silver’s conductivity is minimised by ensuring that there is typically one grain in approximately 125 metres of a conductor, allowing the signal a continuous unbroken path.

Construction

The cable consists of a pair of conductors, each made up of six bundles of 12 multi-conductor wires, plus a thicker centre wire, all covered by a copper shielding braid. Conventional termination methods involve this braid being partially removed and twisted, therefore reducing the mechanical integrity of the screen, resulting in compromised RF resistance. For the Asimi XLR, Atlas developed a new system using two symmetrical drain wires (each attached to 180° segments of the plug) inserted between a 100% copper/Mylar foil and screen. This unique system connects the screen effectively to the cable return/plug interface and provides total 360° screening, without affecting the integrity of the screen in any way.

Conductor Geometry

Theoretically, the best dielectric (insulation layer) is air, but realistically a dielectric is needed to protect the conductor – although all conventional dielectric materials impose their own signature distortion and loss on the signal. We developed a new technique, using a microporous PTFE (Teflon) tape, which is wound around the core conductors, then covered again and stabilised using a protective FPE (Flexible PolyEthylene) dielectric. The process allows the required conductor geometry to be maintained and offers greater manufacturing consistency.

Analogue Masterpiece

Atlas use cold-weld terminations wherever possible, including current generation ‘dark Chrome’ XLR connectors. By reducing the number of materials and break points or loss in the signal path, there is more consistent construction and improved audio performance. Asimi, perhaps more than any other product, is responsible for Atlas now being viewed as one of a handful of top manufacturers worldwide.