Shunyata Omega-X Digital Cables - SPDIF and AES/EBU

Description

MY TAKE: The Shunyata Omega Digital cables are absolute marvels! Performance is otherworldly and easily the very best digital cables I have heard. - Galen Carol

OMEGA-X DIGITAL CABLES -

No series of products in Shunyata Research's historic product catalog has evolved as rapidly or dramatically as the company's digital cables. Shunyata Research designer Caelin Gabriel's background working with high-speed networking devices for the military provided invaluable experience in this arena. Combining this experience with relentless testing and research has made Shunyata Research's digital cables the most critically acclaimed, professionally adopted products of their kind.

The Omega-X digital cables are the finest performing digital cables ever produced by Shunyata Research, employing innovative, proprietary technologies that dramatically reduce common-mode noise, cable-induced jitter, and associated time smear. These advancements allow digital systems to perform at a level that rivals the world’s finest analog and master tape sources, unlocking the ultimate performance potential of digital playback.

The Omega-X cables don’t just improve digital playback, they literally redefine digital audio as a reference medium.

SCIENCE IN SERVICE OF SOUND -

Omega-X digital cables incorporate multiple design refinements and technologies that are exclusive to Shunyata Research. With innovations such as redesigned CMode filters, PMZ conductors, and KPIP v2 processing, Omega-X digital cables work in unison to eliminate digital domain noise distortions, jitter, and time smear. The performance results are nothing short of revolutionary. When applied as a complete system, Omega digital cables reveal a sonic landscape indistinguishable from world-class analog systems. The removal of any characteristic digital harshness leaves behind a fully immersive musical experience, bringing favorite artists and performances to life as never before.

DIGITAL CABLE APPLICATIONS - 

The Omega-X digital cables use complementary technologies aimed at achieving a pure, unadulterated, noiseless performance. Whenever possible, Omega-X digital cables should be installed and judged as a system.

Omega-X Ethernet cables have been assessed as having the most dramatic and profound impact on performance of any cable in their class. This is closely followed by the Omega-X USB and Omega-X Clock cables, both of which have drawn praise and awards from digital mastering engineers and reviewers alike.

For systems that depend on the AES/EBU or S/PDIF as the main digital interface, the Omega-X digital cables have been assessed by multiple industry veterans and digital mastering experts as best-in-class. 

The Omega-X digital cables are designed to unleash the ultimate performance from your digital rig.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE -
 

Everyone that owns and operates digital front end electronics or spends their days as a digital mastering engineer understands the limitations of the medium. Most of us will allow that digital media played through a server or rendered in the digital domain can sound electronic, edgy, noisy, forward and hard, especially with music that has powerful dynamics, scale and force. This can be especially true when comparing a digital front end-- even the most expensive, to a state-of-the-art analog reel-to-reel, master deck or turntable.

The application of a loom of Omega-X digital cables evaporates these quibbles by removing obvious forms of digital format distortion. Perhaps the most noticeable effect is the absence of compression, along with an expansion of dynamic peaks and an organic silence that emerges as if from a cavernous well. The music ebbs and flows with transitional ease, punctuated by crystalline clarity and effortless micro-to-macro dynamics that may startle even the most seasoned listener.

The listener intuitively relaxes into the music, having forgotten about the reproduction chain before them. 

REVIEWS -

The Absolute Sound: “Shunyata's digital cables are in my view the pinnacle of performance, but this new Omega-X series takes the sound quality a step further. They are expensive, but worth the price in a high-end system.”- Robert Harley, TAS Issue 361

GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGY -

TAP (Transverse Axial Polarizer) is a patent-pending technology developed by Shunyata Research to enhance the performance of its reference signal cables. The evolution of this technology has led to the creation of TAPc, a groundbreaking advancement that significantly reduces the size of the modules, enabling their application across a broader range of products, including power distributors, power cords, interconnects, digital cables and speaker cables.

The sonic results of TAPc technology include a profound drop in perceived noise floor, effortlessly portrayed dynamics, and an exceptional rendering of timing and coherency. These benefits are unique to TAPc, setting it apart from any competing product or technology. Even to an untrained ear, the effects of TAPc are immediately apparent and consistently repeatable across various components and systems. Essentially, the TAPc modules act as force multipliers, elevating the listening experience to levels many would not have thought possible.

KPIP v2™ Shunyata Research’s proprietary Kinetic Phase Inversion Process includes four days of continuous KPIP v2™ processing which refines conductor metals at the atomic 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.

Shunyata Research digital cables are produced 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. The result is better performance through a reduction of cable-induced ‘signal jitter’. (Note: Z means impedance)

Common-mode noise is different than differential noise and is much more difficult to measure and eliminate. For the purest signal possible, Shunyata Research has developed a CMode filter that effectively reduces common-mode noise without introducing the sonic compression effects associated with conventional filters. It reduces high-frequency noise distortion while delivering an analog ease and palpable background silence that closes the gap between digital and analog systems.

SPECIFICATIONS -

Cable Type:
S/PDIF, Clock-50, Clock-75: coaxial
AES: twinaxial

Conductors:
S/PDIF, Clock-50, Clock-75: SPC
AES: OCC copper

Shield:
S/PDIF, Clock-50, Clock-75: SPC 100% braided shield
AES: 100% foil shield

Dielectric:
AES: fluorocarbon
S/PDIF, Clock-50, Clock-75: PTFE

Connectors:
S/PDIF, AES: Gold/Copper contacts, black chrome finish
Clock-50, Clock-75: BNC

PMZ: S/PDIF, Clock-50, Clock-75

Characteristic Impedance (ohm):
S/PDIF: 75
AES: 110
Clock-50: 50
Clock-75: 75

TAPc: 50 elements

CMode: triple element 

KPIP v2 Processing: 8-days

Standard Length: 1.25 meters

Color: gray flex

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