NRG-X2: two-pole C7 power cable with Long-Grain Copper
AudioQuest NRG-X2 is a mains cable fitted with a two-pole C7 connector, meant to replace the stock cord of compact devices that do not use an earth contact: streamers, DACs, game consoles, powered desktop speakers and similar sources.
Its construction rests on three elements: long-grain copper, semi-solid concentric conductors and control over the direction of every conductor. The aim is to feed the device while adding as little distortion as possible and keeping the noise floor low.
Conductors and geometry
The conductors are Long-Grain Copper (LGC). In any metal, the borders between one crystal grain and the next are places where distortion arises: long-grain copper lessens that effect.
The geometry is Semi-Solid Concentric: the strands sit closer together and keep the same place along the whole bundle. The outcome is a clear drop in the distortion produced when one strand interacts with another.
Noise reduction
Every drawn metal wire has an asymmetrical grain structure, and therefore a direction. In Direction-Controlled Conductors that direction is chosen so the radio-frequency noise induced on the cable is led away from the points where it would turn into distortion. The right direction is established by ear, batch after batch, and it is one of the pillars of the brand's Noise-Dissipation technology.
Connector and lengths
On the device side the cable ends in a two-pole C7 connector, on the mains side in a European plug. NRG-X2 comes in five lengths: 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4.5 m and 6 m. The longer runs are useful when the wall socket or the power strip is far from the device being fed.
Key features
- Conductors: Long-Grain Copper (LGC)
- Geometry: Semi-Solid Concentric, compact strands in a fixed position
- Noise: Direction-Controlled Conductors and Noise-Dissipation technology
- Device-side connector: two-pole C7
- Lengths: 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4.5 m, 6 m
- Typical use: DACs, powered speakers, game consoles, streamers
