Cardas ilLink Multi Media Cable - 3.5mm to Male RCA's - 2.5 Meter

Cardas ilLink Connects a Portable Source to Your RCA Inputs

A 3.5mm-to-RCA interconnect lets a source built around a small headphone-style jack — a phone, portable player, or compact streamer — feed a stereo system's RCA inputs directly, with no separate adapter in the signal path. What separates a premium cable from a bargain one is conductor quality and shielding against outside noise.

Cardas builds its ilLink cable on the same platform as its current Parsec headphone cable, replacing the headphone connector on the output end with a stereo pair of RCA plugs, for connecting a portable music player or laptop to a stereo system.

Grade 1 Copper in a Star-Quad Geometry

Cardas says ilLink uses Grade 1, 99.9999% pure oxygen-free copper conductors with an SPN clear coat, gauge sizes scaled to Cardas's Golden Ratio proportions, arranged in a shielded Star-Quad four-conductor geometry.

Carbon-Impregnated Shielding, Flexible Jacket

The four conductors are bound together in carbon-impregnated FEP tape, Cardas says, inside a super-flexible Alcryn rubber jacket built to survive daily handling. Overall gauge is 4x23.5 AWG, with a cable diameter of 0.204 inches (5.21mm).

The Connectors

ilLink ends in a 3.5mm mini plug on the source side and a stereo pair of RCA plugs on the amplifier side, built on the same termination approach as Cardas's Parsec headphone cable line.

Who Is This Interconnect Best For?

• Your source has only a 3.5mm output and your amplifier only takes RCA — ilLink bridges that mismatch with no separate adapter
• You are connecting a portable music player or laptop to a stereo system — this is the exact job Cardas built ilLink for
• You want Cardas's Golden-Ratio-scaled Grade 1 copper construction in a compact source cable — ilLink shares that same conductor and geometry approach with Cardas's current headphone cable line
• You are feeding a short desktop or bedside-system run — ilLink's flexible Alcryn jacket and compact gauge suit exactly this kind of run
• Your gear uses RCA on both ends instead — check your source's actual output jack before ordering; this cable only fits a 3.5mm jack on the source end

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug the 3.5mm end into your source's headphone or line-out jack, and the two RCA plugs into the matching RCA inputs on your amplifier or receiver, matching red to red and white/black to white/black.

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

Pairs Well With

A 3.5mm-to-RCA 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 RCA end of this cable

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this cable have a 3.5mm plug on one end and RCA plugs on the other?

Many portable players, phones, and compact streaming devices only offer a single 3.5mm headphone-style output, while most home amplifiers and receivers expect a stereo pair of RCA inputs; this cable bridges that one mismatch without an extra adapter.

What lengths does ilLink come in?

We carry ilLink in 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 meter lengths; call us if your run needs something longer.

What does the Star-Quad geometry do?

Cardas arranges ilLink's four conductors in a shielded Star-Quad geometry, bound in carbon-impregnated FEP tape, inside a flexible Alcryn rubber jacket.

Is ilLink balanced or unbalanced?

Unbalanced. This is a single-ended connection on both ends, not a balanced connection.

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