Solid Core Cables   On this Page :   Overview    Eddy Currents    Connectors NEW DNM Stereo Solid Core Resolution 2 speaker cable (see below) Ready-Made DNM Cables are available, just select your type and the length Why buy your cables made by DNM? DNM invented these cables, so we know the best way to build them We use non-mechanical cable preparation to protect the soft copper solid core conductors DNM can customise the cable for your system and offer system advice DNM offer the ideal connecting plugs Cable strain relief is built into DNM-built interconnect cables Balanced XLR cables need a special cable build, developed by DNM Only DNM can build HFTN interconnect cables. See more in the DNM Online Shop here. Overview of DNM Stereo Cables In 1984 DNM made the first spaced-pair single solid core audio cables which over time became recognised for their unique clarity of sound. They were designed to give improved magnetic performance and good amplifier loading, factors which have been neglected by other cable makers. Low cost and high performance ensured the commercial success of DNM cables for over 23 years. In 2007 DNM cable research moved on : driven by the demands of our amplifier technology, we announced Stereo Solid Core Precision audio cable using a unique design of ribbon to enhance performance and ease of use. Now in 2013 we have progressed again to two new even higher performance speaker cables, a replacement for Precision called DNM Precision 2 and a replacement for the heavier DNM stereo speaker cable called DNM Resolution 2. Full Resolution 2 announcement details here. DNM Stereo Solid Core cable is designed to enable any amplifier driving the cable to work optimally into the cable load. Ultra high frequency interactions between the amplifier and cable play a major part in determining the sound quality of the combination, but observed differences in sound are normally attributed to the cable alone. The design of the insulated casing (the ribbon) plays an important part in the sound quality of DNM Stereo cables for reasons shown in this link How DNM Stereo Solid Core cable works. One key aim of the new DNM Stereo cable design was to make the preparation and termination of the cable much easier, so that customers could choose to fit the connectors themselves and save money. Our DNM online shop sells cables and connectors and also offers a construction service for customers who prefer to purchase complete ready-to-use cables. This link gives detailed information with illustrations about Preparation/Assembly of DNM stereo cables and Directionality. Since 2008 the DNM range of stereo solid core cables has been extended to three types, two stereo/bi-wire speaker cables and one stereo interconnect cable, offering an ideal cable for most applications with the clearest sound regardless of price. DNM Stereo Solid Core Precision 2 speaker cable - is a compact (see dimensions) dual channel ultra-high resolution cable intended for use in smaller audio systems with higher sensitivity speakers (over 89dB/W). More Information NEW : DNM Stereo Solid Core Resolution 2 Speaker cable (see dimensions) Designed for use with normal-to-low sensitivity loudspeakers DNM Resolution 2 improves on the audio performance of DNM Precision 2 but it can be used with larger audio systems, longer cable runs, speaker sensitivity below 89dB/watt and more powerful amplifiers. The ribbon dimensions are set to reduce the capacitance and slightly increase the inductance, to ensure amplifier stability with longer runs of cable. The result is a stereo ribbon 22.4mm wide and 2.4mm thick with the same facility for easy installation as the Precision cable but with a much higher performance when using medium to low sensitivity speaker systems. The DNM Resolution 2 ribbon contains four 1.2mm diameter high purity copper conductors. A single length of DNM Resolution 2 connects two stereo speakers or one bi-wired speaker. Easy-separation lines in the ribbon make cable preparation very easy. The unique design of the DNM ribbon places the conductors above the ribbon's centre-line to project the magnetic field through air rather than insulation material. The cable's structural Q is low because the easy-separation lines also reduce the ribbon's stiffness. Visually DNM Resolution 2 is equally advanced, with a semi-transparent outer ribbon and coloured insulation on the conductors but a third layer of brown insulation makes the ribbon appear light brown and it blends into the background in the room. The insulation colours are visible but only when needed - as the insulation is stripped. The electrical parameters of DNM Resolution 2, its capacitance, inductance and resistance, are aligned to improve the driving amplifier's stability and sound quality. The characteristic impedance of DNM Resolution 2 is accurately matched to our optional high frequency termination networks (HFTN's and ZRTN’s). HFTN filters greatly improve performance when the cable is connected to amplifiers using negative feedback. They can be added at each end of the cable when the ultimate audio performance is required. The recommended way of using the new DNM Stereo Solid Core Speaker cables is as follows :- The cable directionality can be determined by noting that the print runs in the same direction as the signal. At the amplifier end separate the cable just enough to allow the plugs to be fitted and plugged into the amplifier. Run the ribbon complete without separating it as far as possible towards the speakers to gain the full performance benefit of the fixed spacing of all the conductors. Run the cable along the planned path to the furthest speaker before cutting it to length. Then separate the cable ribbon into the two channels back to the point midway between the speakers to allow connection to the left and right speakers. See the illustration of how to separate the speaker cable ribbon for use. Compare the size and specification of all three DNM Stereo cables including the NEW Resolution 2 speaker cable This cable is available in our online shop. The three DNM Stereo/Bi-Wire cables are available to be sent to most countries in our new online shop. How DNM Stereo Solid Core cable works DNM uses scientific principles to set the basic cable parameters, defining the magnetic and ultra-high frequency characteristics, both factors that really do affect the audio performance of a cable. Less certain aspects of cable design, such as conductor shape and propagation velocity of the insulation material, add to the mystique of hi-fi cable design and increase the price but not the performance. DNM Design considers the interface between amplifier and cable to be vital for best sound quality. We therefore concentrate on getting the basics right and our tests have confirmed that complex cables with speculative design features, even though they cost much more, usually lack in sound quality compared with DNM cables. The main features of DNM audio cables are described below. Three domestic DNM cables are now available at a modest price but they all give very high performance. DNM Solid Core conductors DNM uses single solid-core (round-section high purity copper) conductors to ensure that magnetically generated back-EMF is truly proportional to the signal. This contrasts with the untidy magnetically-generated eddy currents that interfere with the audio signal in the conductors of heavy multi-stranded cables and cables using flat section conductors. The three DNM Stereo cables use different conductor diameters to suit the application : 1.20mm for normal speaker application (Resolution 2) 0.85mm for high sensitivity speaker application (Precision 2) 0.4mm for interconnect application. The insulation and cable construction DNM stereo solid core audio cables use LDPE (low density polyethylene) insulation in a unique ribbon that is designed to improve the audio performance. New photos of DNM Ribbon Cables here (in a new window). The DNM stereo ribbon is dimensioned for the application and it contains four conductors that carry two channels for stereo or one bi-wire channel. The ribbon is a key element because it controls the all-important spacing between the conductors defining the RCL balance (resistance, capacitance and inductance) which determines the ultra-high frequency loading - a factor that definitely affects the sound quality of the driving amplifier. The DNM conductors are encased in a semi-transparent outer ribbon. The ribbon has an offset between its own plane and the plane of the conductors, as shown above. This causes air to be the primary dielectric, reducing the capacitance between the conductors and increasing linearity. Carefully selected spacing between the conductors minimises the high frequency reflections that can reduce the performance of the amplifier. An easy-separation feature is designed into the ribbon which has the added advantage of reducing its tendency to resonate when the speaker current causes the conductors to be magnetically pulled together (reducing the Q of the structure). The combined effect of all the advanced features in DNM Stereo Solid Core cables offer a new level of sound clarity at a modest price. The three versions of DNM stereo cable are illustrated in detail here to compare their cross-section size, the drawing also shows dimensions and full technical information. Full cable preparation and assembly instructions here - extremely thorough, with helpful photos. Original Mono Solid Core Cable Since the early 1980's, there has been an increasing demand for high-quality interconnect and speaker cables. What began as a quest by music lovers to get that little bit more out of their hi-fi systems has grown into a multi-million pound business, full of marketing hyperbole, exotic packaging and enough expensive metal to build a ship! Unfortunately, many of these over-engineered cables owe more to increasing the perceived value of the product than to improving sound quality. Ribbon-type solid core cable was originally developed by DNM back in 1984 and now has many converts. It represents the opposite approach to most of the audiophile cable market, but it is designed for domestic audio - and for that application we believe it is the best at any price. The majority of cables used in audio have been selected for their low inductance, low resistance and high capacitance characteristics as measured on the test bench. These parameters define what are believed to be the electrical properties most ideal in an audio cable. Applications, however, vary widely, from recording studios through public address systems and live concert amplification to the domestic, with each having its own particular demands. No multi-purpose cable can suit the precise requirements of the domestic music lover as well as one designed specifically for that purpose - as home listening tests prove! There are good technical reasons for this.

Eddy Currents Once the cross-sectional area of a cable exceeds a certain size, things begin to go badly wrong with the sound. Complex interactions between the cable and the magnetic fields generated by transmission of an electrical signal cause circulating eddy currents, which also generate significant magnetic fields. A cross-section of a comparatively simple ten strand multi-core cable showing damaging field interaction. This magnetic mess reduces midband clarity and often creates a bright treble and indistinct bass. These induced magnetic fields oppose the original signal - the result is distortion. In short - smaller cross-sectional area gives greater clarity. When auditioning speaker cable, most of the differences heard are caused not by the cable itself but by the amplifier reacting to the revised loading of the cable. Large, multi-strand cables are recommended by some manufacturers because their low resistance is thought to maintain the amplifier's low output impedance. Whilst this is true, it has no sonic benefit at all because amplifiers sound better when driving through a resistive or inductive load. Large diameter high-capacitance cables connect the amplifier's sensitive feedback control system to a short circuit, a type of load that invariably worsens the amplifiers sound quality. A cross-section of the spaced pair DNM reson cable shows its simple, clean and uniform magnetic field frozen at an instant in time. It is easy to forget that music signals produce a complex, dynamic version of this picture-and the field interacts strongly with the conductors. Bearing this in mind, it would be amazing if different cable designs sounded the same - not amazing that they sound different!. Smaller diameter cables with higher resistance and inductance help to isolate the amplifier's feedback control system, improving clarity throughout the frequency range. This argument for the speaker cables applies equally well for each element in the audio chain, other cables and even electronics. So the interconnect cable is equally important and amplifier design is influenced by these considerations as well. The final proof is in the auditioning. Although our cables are inexpensive by high-end audio standards, we believe that they prove their worth, no matter how complex and expensive the competition! Connectors A question often raised by customers concerns the use of plastic bodied RCA plugs on our interconnect cables. Compared with competitors, these plugs look rather inexpensive but they assist the performance of DNM reson interconnect cables. Using a cable so carefully designed to minimise magnetic effects with a large chunk of metal soldered on the end would be self-defeating. Consequently, all our connectors have minimal metal content because metal is needed only for the signal path and the contact area. This DNM philosophy is consistent throughout the product range. Its formulation is a result of careful research into the effect of dynamic magnetic fields on audio signals. Understanding field effects should no longer be a quantum leap in audio thinking - especially for a technology led industry! (These connectors plus DNM cables are available in our new online shop.)

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