Siltech Favicon

The perfect connection

The plugs and other connectors used to terminate audio cables are a critical consideration when it comes to performance. Siltech has spent many years researching connector quality, and one thing has become very clear. A poor choice of connector can destroy the performance of even the finest cables.

Siltech works with carefully selected suppliers, concentrating on materials, mechanical integrity and contact quality. Every aspect of every plug or spade that we use is designed and assessed for these parameters, ensuring that our cable terminations provide the best possible connection between cable and equipment.

Every Audio Cable will be thoroughly checked

Integrity

The negative affect of substandard connectors is not widely understood. Often what customers see as the most impressive looking plugs are actually the worst sounding.

Many expensive looking connectors use poor materials, questionable construction and manufacturing techniques not conducive to proper signal transfer.

With connectors, beauty is more than skin-deep. That’s why Siltech’s are designed and built with three key criteria in mind…

The integrity of the mechanical interface between cable and plug – as well as plug and socket – is vital. Contact surfaces must mate perfectly – which means that pins and blades must be properly toleranced for size and shape.

The plugs should lock in place. This is easy with XLRs, but our RCAs feature a clamping system to ensure secure connection and guarantee the integrity of the ground path.

Finally, the cable-to-connector interface is also key. It must provide secure connection and support for the cable, without undue clamping pressure or constriction that may impair cable geometry, and possibly even damage conductors.

Materials and contacts

The right materials are needed for the job. They need to be robust, non-magnetic and electrically inert.

Clamping systems must be strong and able to withstand repetitive use, so no soft plastics and inappropriate metals may be used.

Plug should be strong enough to resist accidental damage and rough handling. Internal insulation should have the same low dielectric absorption found in our cables.

The physical design of audio connectors, and the materials used in them, result in the creation of contact points. Typically, mass market plugs use low quality brass with multi-layer plating, resulting in contact areas that are none too smooth.

This creates air caps and capacitive pockets between mating surfaces, which pass the signal through multiple material interfaces, each with their own sonic signature. It’s not necessarily the gold plating on your plug that matters. It’s what is underneath that does the damage.

Siltech works closely with carefully selected suppliers to design and refine proprietary plugs, perfectly matched to the dimensions and construction of our cables.

Our connectors might not be the most visually impressive on the market, but even on our entry-level cables their performance is exceptional, and a major contributor to the musicality of our products.

At the other end of the range, we feel justified in claiming that our flagship Triple Crown connectors are the finest available. At first glance, their massive construction might seem contrary to our stated aims, but this is because they need to use enough material to get the job done properly.

Triple Crown cables are by their nature stiff and heavy, which means that a secure connection between cable and connector, and connector and equipment, is critical to realising performance potential. Our plug design achieves perfectly balanced and secure clamping of both RCA and XLR cables. All contacts are made from mirror-polished monocrystal silver, ensuring material consistency throughout the entire cable.

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