AudioQuest Coffee Coaxial Digital Cable

Coffee Adds the Bias Pack to AudioQuest's Coaxial Range

AudioQuest's Coffee is the fourth rung of its coaxial digital cables. Its solid Long-Grain Copper conductor carries a 10% silver plating, double that of Carbon. It keeps the Carbon-Based 5-Layer shield and adds a 72-volt Dielectric-Bias System pack on the cable.

Solid 10% Silver Over Long-Grain Copper

AudioQuest says a digital signal travels almost exclusively on the surface of the conductor, so it plates the copper with increasingly thick silver as the range climbs. Coffee's 10% layer is the thickest AudioQuest applies to copper. Above it sits only Diamond, in solid silver.

The conductor is solid, which AudioQuest says prevents the strand interaction that causes dynamic distortion. Hard-Cell Foam, injected with nitrogen, holds it at a fixed spacing so the impedance stays stable, and AudioQuest says nitrogen stores no signal energy to release later as distortion.

A 72-Volt Bias on the Insulation

The Dielectric-Bias System is a small battery pack on the cable. AudioQuest says insulation is also a dielectric that can act like a shunt filter, and that biasing it minimizes dielectric noise and linearizes the filter, improving wide-bandwidth dissipation of induced radio noise. The batteries see no load.

Around the conductor sits Carbon-Based 5-Layer Noise-Dissipation. AudioQuest says alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics shield the shield, absorbing and reflecting most radio noise before it reaches the layer attached to ground. That keeps the reference plane cleaner.

The RCA Plugs, Explained

Coffee ends in a cold-welded RCA plug at each end, plated with Hanging-Silver directly over pure Red Copper. RCA is the single-pin plug on the coaxial digital output of most CD players, streamers and DACs. AudioQuest joins plug to wire under high pressure with no solder, which it calls a common source of distortion.

Who Is This Digital Cable Best For?

• You want the most silver on copper AudioQuest makes — Coffee's 10% plating is double Carbon's, so the surface the signal rides on is as close to solid silver as the copper range gets
• You want the bias system without buying Diamond — Coffee is the least expensive AudioQuest coax with the 72-volt pack, so the technology arrives here
• Your CD player or streamer has a coaxial output — the RCA plugs fit the orange coax socket on most sources and DACs, so no adapter is needed
• Your rack is crowded with power supplies and WiFi — the five-layer carbon shield soaks up radio noise before it reaches the ground reference, so the DAC sees a cleaner signal
• Your gear has BNC or AES/EBU sockets — an RCA plug will not fit them. Call us and we will match the plug

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug one end into the coaxial digital output of your CD player, transport or streamer and the other into the coaxial digital input of your DAC or receiver. Then choose that input on the DAC and let it lock to the signal.

Then listen. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

A digital cable is one link in a digital chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Digital-to-Analog Converters — the receiving end of the link
• CD Players and Transports — the classic coaxial source
• Music Streamers — a streamer with a digital output
• Power Cables — clean power at both ends

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Dielectric-Bias System?

A battery pack that holds 72 volts on the insulation. AudioQuest says insulation acts like a shunt filter, and biasing it minimizes dielectric noise and linearizes that filter. The batteries carry no load and last for years.

Why plate copper with silver?

AudioQuest says a digital signal is so high in frequency that it travels almost exclusively on the surface of the conductor. Putting the better metal on the outside is, in its words, a superbly cost-effective way to maximize a digital cable.

What is Carbon-Based 5-Layer Noise-Dissipation?

AudioQuest's heavier shield. Layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics alternate five deep and, in AudioQuest's words, shield the shield, catching most radio noise before it reaches the layer tied to ground.

What is Hanging-Silver over copper?

AudioQuest's name for the plating on this plug. Silver is deposited directly over a pure copper base without the usual nickel layer beneath, so the contact carries the signal through better metal.

What warranty does AudioQuest give?

A limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, for cables bought from an authorized US dealer. AudioQuest will repair or replace a defective cable that has not been abused. Keep your proof of purchase.

Is there a step up?

AudioQuest Diamond Coaxial Digital is the top of the ladder. It moves to a solid Perfect-Surface Silver conductor and a six-layer shield.

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