Kimber Kable Silver Streak Interconnect Cable - Ultraplate Black RCA to RCA

Silver Streak Is Kimber's Copper and Silver Hybrid

Kimber Kable's Silver Streak pairs two copper conductors with one silver one. Kimber calls it its first copper and silver hybrid cable and places it in the Summit Series. It has been in the line since the mid-1990s. Like every Kimber cable, it is braided and terminated by hand in Ogden, Utah.

Other length & termination options are available. Call us to discuss your needs.

Two Strands of Copper, One Strand of Silver

Kimber names the conductors: two strands of its TCSS copper and one strand of its AGSS silver, each in VariStrand form with mixed gauges. The three are woven in Kimber's three-wire braid. The braid does the noise rejection. There is no separate shield around it.

Low-Loss Fluorocarbon and Hand-Soldered Ends

Each conductor sits in a low-loss fluorocarbon dielectric. Kimber publishes the result: 53 pF of capacitance, 0.75 µH of inductance and 0.061 ohms of resistance per meter. The plugs are soldered on by hand under nitrogen, which keeps the joint clean as it cools.

The Ultraplate Black Plug, Explained

Silver Streak ends in Kimber's Ultraplate Black. It is the black-finished version of Kimber's own RCA plug, machined from solid metal stock. Kimber says the Ultraplate contact surface gives high conductivity and long life. It also works with any plating on your gear. Inside is a solid Teflon dielectric and a split center pin that grips the jack.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Sam Tellig, writing in the November 1996 issue of Stereophile, said the Silver Streak "represents a major performance breakthrough for the price." He added: "The sound is cleaner, quicker, less confused."

Todd Warnke, reviewing for SoundStage! in April 1996, wrote that "the Silver Streak sets a new standard for me." Both reviews date from the cable's first year, and Kimber has kept the design in the line since.

Who Is This Interconnect Best For?

• You want a taste of silver without an all-silver price — Silver Streak puts one silver strand among two copper ones, and reviewers heard a cleaner, quicker sound, so busy passages untangle
• Your sources sit near power supplies — the three-wire braid cancels induced noise along its length, so the shelf stays out of the music
• You dress cables in tight spaces — three thin jacketed wires bend where a fat cable will not, so the plugs sit square on the jacks
• You want a plug that grips — the Ultraplate Black's split center pin seats firmly on the jack, so the connection stays clean
• Your components both offer XLR — Silver Streak is single-ended RCA. If both your components have balanced XLR jacks, choose the Kimber Silver Streak XLR instead. Or call us and we will match the connector

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Run Silver Streak from a line-level output, a DAC, streamer, CD player or phono stage, to a line-level input on your amplifier or preamp. Keep left to left and right to right. Push each Ultraplate Black plug straight on until it seats. Pull it off by the barrel, never by the cable.

Then listen.

Measure the Path, Then Add a Little Slack

Measure the route the cable will really take between your components, around shelves and behind the rack. Then add a little slack. As audio legend George Cardas puts it, "A cable that's just long enough usually turns out to be just not long enough." Keep the left and right cables the same length. We recommend a matched pair.

RCA or XLR? Check Both Ends

If both components offer balanced XLR jacks, we recommend using XLRs. If one has only RCA jacks, use RCA, and skip the adapter. You only get the possible benefits of a balanced output with a pure XLR-to-XLR connection.

A Long Run Between Components?

If your amplifier and speakers sit far from your source, we recommend a long interconnect over a long speaker cable. A really long interconnect affects system performance less than a really long speaker cable.

When Is It Time to Upgrade?

An interconnect often stays in a system for years, so it is easy to overlook. Look again when something else changes: a new DAC, streamer or phono stage, a better amplifier, or a move to components with balanced XLR jacks.

Pairs Well With

An interconnect is one link in the chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Integrated Amplifiers — the usual input end
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — DAC output to amplifier
• Phono Preamplifiers — phono stage to line input
• Speaker Cables — the last link to the speakers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ultraplate Black connector?

Kimber's own RCA plug in a black finish. Kimber machines it from solid metal. It uses the Ultraplate contact surface and has a solid Teflon dielectric and a split center pin.

What does VariStrand mean?

Each conductor is made of strands in more than one gauge. Kimber uses this stranding in every interconnect it makes and says the mix of gauges spreads the signal across the bundle.

Is Silver Streak shielded?

There is no separate shield. Kimber relies on the three-wire braid to reject noise, which is why the cable has no outer jacket.

Why mix copper and silver?

Kimber built the Silver Streak as its first hybrid, with two copper strands and one silver. The silver strand is Kimber's AGSS, the copper its TCSS.

Is there a step up from Silver Streak?

Kimber Silver Streak with WBT-0114 Cu plugs is the next rung. It is the same Silver Streak cable ended in WBT's nextgen plug with a locking collet clamp.

Need a Different Length or Connector?

The most popular configurations are shown on this page. If your system requires a different length or termination, call our audio experts. We’ll help you choose the right configuration and arrange a custom cable for your system.

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