Analysis Plus Digital Crystal Coaxial Digital Cable - XLR to XLR

Digital Crystal for AES/EBU, From Analysis Plus

Analysis Plus calls Digital Crystal "our best digital cable." It is made with Continuous Cast Copper braids, the metal the company calls solo crystal copper, in its patented hollow oval design. This is the balanced version with Abbatron XLR plugs, for gear with AES/EBU digital sockets.

Continuous Cast Copper in a Hollow Oval Braid

Analysis Plus makes Digital Crystal from Continuous Cast Copper, the metal it calls solo crystal copper, woven into braids in its patented hollow oval design. The company says the shape brings out the best in your equipment. It is the same copper Analysis Plus uses in its Solo Crystal analog cables.

Analysis Plus offers Digital Crystal in three configurations: single-ended with RCA plugs, balanced with Abbatron XLR plugs, and BNC. It publishes no impedance figure for the cable, so this page does not claim one. Lengths run from half a meter to four meters at the maker.

Why Analysis Plus Chose an Oval

Analysis Plus says a round conductor bunches current and suffers skin effect, while a rectangular one concentrates the field at its corners. Its hollow oval, it says, changes resistance least with frequency. A braid rather than a solid wire keeps the cable flexible and resistant to kinks.

The Abbatron XLR Plugs, Explained

Despite the word coaxial in the title, this Digital Crystal is a balanced AES/EBU cable with a three-pin XLR plug at each end, one male and one female. Abbatron of Meadville, Pennsylvania makes the plug, with beryllium copper sockets and tellurium copper pins for about three times the conductivity, Abbatron says. Analysis Plus does not state the contact finish.

Who Is This Digital Cable Best For?

• Your DAC and transport have AES/EBU sockets — the XLR plugs fit them directly and latch, so the link will not work loose
• You want the best digital cable Analysis Plus makes — Digital Crystal is the company's own top pick, built from its solo crystal copper
• You already own Solo Crystal Oval XLR interconnects — the same Continuous Cast Copper and the same Abbatron plug run through both, so the digital link matches the rest
• You want copper alloys at the contact — Abbatron's tellurium copper pins and beryllium copper sockets carry the signal through better metal than plain brass
• Your DAC has only a coaxial RCA or BNC input — this XLR cable will not fit it, and it is not a 75-ohm coax cable. Choose the Analysis Plus Digital Crystal RCA to RCA instead, or call us and we will match the plug

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug the male XLR into the AES/EBU input of your DAC and the female XLR into the AES/EBU output of your transport or streamer. The plug latches, so press the tab to remove it. Then choose that input.

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 AES/EBU?

The professional balanced digital standard. It runs on a 110-ohm twisted pair with XLR plugs and carries the same stereo PCM data as S/PDIF over a link that rejects noise the way a balanced analog cable does.

Who makes the XLR plug?

Abbatron, of Meadville, Pennsylvania. Analysis Plus lists the balanced Digital Crystal only with the Abbatron XLR. Older listings said Neutrik; the maker's current page does not.

What is Continuous Cast Copper?

The copper Analysis Plus calls solo crystal. It is cast so the metal forms very long grains rather than many short ones, and Analysis Plus uses it in its top Solo Crystal analog cables as well.

What is the hollow oval design?

Analysis Plus's patented conductor shape. Instead of a round bundle, the braided conductor forms a hollow oval, which the company says spreads current more evenly across the strands than a round or rectangular conductor.

What warranty does Analysis Plus give?

One year against mechanical defects, from the date of purchase, on cables sold as new. Keep your proof of purchase. The warranty is not transferable and does not cover cables that have been altered or misused.

Is there a step up?

Not in the Analysis Plus digital range we carry. Digital Crystal is the top of that ladder. If you want to go further, call us and we will talk through the whole chain.

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