Omega-X Digital AES/EBU Cable

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.

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

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.

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

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. 

‌‌ArNi® Conductors
Shunyata developed this wire to be the finest quality wire available for audio purposes. The process begins with the highest purity of copper available – OFE C10100 or Ohno (single crystal). The conductors are then formed into virtual hollow tubes which eliminates skin effects as well as eddy current distortions. Premium fluorocarbon insulation protects the conductors and minimizes dielectric absorption and re-radiation, this greatly improves resolution and clarity. The wire then undergoes Shunyata's proprietary KPIP™v2  process for optimal conductivity.

Fluorocarbon Dielectrics
These ultra-high quality insulators are usually only found in wire used in the aerospace industry, satellites and the most expensive audiophile cabling. Fluorocarbon has special electrical characteristics; very low dielectric absorption, high dielectric strength and exceptional heat resistance.  When used in audio and power cables these dielectric materials reduce the perception of dynamic compression and improve low-level resolution and overall clarity.

Precision Matched Impedance (‌‌PMZ)
The Greek symbol Z stands for impedance. Shunyata's PMZ cables are built to exceedingly tight tolerances to minmize internal impedance fluctuations. Using high-precision manufacturing processes which run at one-quarter speed in order to create conductors with ideal electrical characteristics. This conductor surface variances, dielectric extrusion (aka insulation) and precision of the braided shield. This extra attention to detail results in superior signal fidelity, improved low-level detail and greater dynamic impact. 

Transverse Axial Polarizer (TAPc)
This is a Shunyata Research patent pending technology developed to improve the performance of their reference cables. The TAPc technology is a radical advancement of their original TAP technology which enables a significant reduction in the size of the modules – which for the first time allows this technology to be applied to power cords.  The sonic results of TAPc include a cavernous drop in perceived noise floor, effortlessly portrayed dynamics and a superb rendering of timing and coherency. The sonic benefits of the TAPc technology are quite simply unique and cannot be replicated by any competing product or technology. Even to an untrained ear, the effects of the TAPc are immediately apparent and repeatable across a variety of components and systems. In essence, the TAPc modules are force-multipliers that elevate the listening experience to a level many would not imagine possible.

CMode Filter
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 which effectively reduces common-mode noise without introducing the sonic compression effects associated with conventional filters. This filter reduces high-frequency noise distortion while delivering an analog ease and palpable background silence that closes the gap between digital and analog systems.

Kinetic Phase Inversion Process (KPIP) v2
Shunyata Research’s proprietary Kinetic Phase Inversion Process includes four days of continuous KPIP v2™ processing which refines conductor metals at a molecular level. This dramatically reduces burn-in time and significantly improves sonic performance, delivering a relaxed and life-like presentation. When compared to the original KPIP process, KPIP v2™ represents a dramatic performance upgrade on par with a component-level upgrade.

Cable Type: Twinaxial
Conductors: OCC Copper
Shield: 100% Foil Shield
Dielectric: Fluorocarbon
Connectors: Gold Plated Copper Contacts, Black Chrome Finish
TAPc: 50 elements
Cmode: Triple Element
PMZ: Yes
Characteristic Impedance:  110 Ω
KPIP v2 Processing: 8-days
Color: Grey Flex Jacket
Safety Assurance:
     Continuity and polarity tests – by two technicians
     HiPOT tests insulation breakdown @ 1,200 VAC