AudioQuest Golden Gate Interconnect Cable - 2.0 Meter - 3.5mm Female to 3.5mm

Golden Gate Is a Mid-Tier Build on Perfect-Surface Copper

A 3.5mm mini interconnect carries an analog signal between two components using the same small plug most headphones use, so no adapter is needed on gear already built around that jack. What separates a premium cable from the one in the box is conductor quality and shielding against outside noise.

AudioQuest's Golden Gate uses Perfect-Surface Copper conductors, Foamed-Polyethylene insulation and Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation, the same insulation and shielding approach as Evergreen, Tower and Big Sur, at a mid-range price. It is also available as a Male-to-Female extension, built to the same construction.

Solid Perfect-Surface Copper Conductors

AudioQuest says Perfect-Surface Copper conductors minimize distortion caused by grain boundaries, one step below the Perfect-Surface Copper+ used in Big Sur, Sydney and Yosemite. Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of dynamic distortion in cables.

Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation

Golden Gate's Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation shields noise effectively, AudioQuest says, absorbing and reflecting most RFI before it reaches the ground layer, the same insulation and shielding philosophy used on Evergreen, Tower and Big Sur rather than the air-tube and carbon approach used on Sydney, Angel and Yosemite.

The Connectors, Explained

The standard Golden Gate cable ends in a 3.5mm mini plug on each end. AudioQuest also builds a Male-to-Female version, with a female 3.5mm jack on one end, using the identical conductors, insulation and noise-dissipation construction described above, for extending a 3.5mm cable you already own without replacing it.

Who Is This Interconnect Best For?

• You want Perfect-Surface Copper at a mid-range price in AudioQuest's mini interconnect line — Golden Gate sits between the entry Long-Grain-Copper tiers and the air-tube tiers above it
• Your source and amplifier both use a standard 3.5mm jack — the Male-to-Male version is a plain 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable that fits any such pair of jacks
• Your existing 3.5mm cable doesn't quite reach your gear — the Male-to-Female version extends it, built to the identical construction as the standard cable
• You want the same Foamed-Polyethylene and Metal-Layer approach as Evergreen, Tower and Big Sur, on a different conductor grade — Golden Gate shares that insulation and shielding philosophy
• Your budget calls for AudioQuest's air-tube, Carbon-Based tiers instead — AudioQuest Sydney carries that different construction approach at a similar price point

How Does It Connect to Your System?

For the standard cable, plug one 3.5mm end into your source's headphone or line-out jack, and the other into the matching 3.5mm input on your amplifier or receiver. For the Male-to-Female version, plug your existing 3.5mm cable's male end into the female jack, and the new cable's male end into your amplifier or receiver.

Then power up the system as usual. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

A 3.5mm interconnect is one link between a source and an amplifier or receiver. It usually joins these categories.

• Music Streamers — many portable and desktop streamers use a 3.5mm output
• Headphone Amplifiers — a common source for a 3.5mm line-level feed
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — some compact DACs use a 3.5mm output instead of RCA
• Stereo Amplifiers — the usual destination for the far end of this cable

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between the Male-to-Male and Male-to-Female versions?

AudioQuest builds both from the same conductors, insulation and noise-dissipation system described above; the only difference is the connector at one end. Male-to-Male runs from a source straight to an amplifier or receiver. Male-to-Female extends a 3.5mm cable you already own, adding reach without replacing it.

Does direction matter when I connect this cable?

AudioQuest controls the directional grain structure of its conductors so induced noise drains away from the circuits it would otherwise disturb; where AudioQuest marks a direction on the cable, connect it running from source toward amplifier as marked.

Is Golden Gate balanced or unbalanced?

Unbalanced. Both the standard and Male-to-Female versions are single-ended 3.5mm connections, not balanced.

Is there a step up?

AudioQuest Yosemite is the top of the mini interconnect range we carry. It moves to Perfect-Surface Copper+ conductors with FEP Air-Tube insulation and Carbon-Based Noise-Dissipation.

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