Kimber Kable Orchid AES/EBU Coaxial Digital Cable

Orchid Is Kimber's Reference AES/EBU Digital Cable

Kimber Kable's Orchid is, in Kimber's words, "an AES/EBU cable of exceptional achievement." Kimber says it "has captured the passions of digital devotees and the respect of analog enthusiasts worldwide; both for recording and playback." It is the top of the Kimber digital range we carry today.

Smooth, Detailed, With Amazing Transient Attack

That is Kimber's own description: "The Orchid is smooth and detailed with amazing transient attack." Kimber says only the finest materials are used in its construction and that the technology is proprietary. It publishes no conductor material or gauge, so this page does not claim them.

Kimber publishes three measurements per meter: 47.1 picofarads of parallel capacitance, 1.06 microhenries of series inductance and 0.331 ohms of DC loop resistance. Orchid sits in Kimber's Specialty Series, whose digital slogan is "Push Every Bit."

Built for the Balanced Digital Standard

Orchid is an AES/EBU cable, the professional balanced digital link that runs on a 110-ohm twisted pair. Kimber lists it for both recording and playback. It is not a 75-ohm coaxial cable and will not fit an RCA socket.

The XLR Plugs, Explained

Orchid ends in a three-pin XLR plug at each end, one male and one female. Kimber factory terminates it with "studio grade" XLR connectors with silver-plated contacts. It does not name the plug's maker, so we do not claim it.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Stereophile lists Orchid in its Recommended Components 2025 Edition, calling it "expensive, but the best AES/EBU link JA has used." Reviewer SD is quoted: "Probably the best out there for now….A stunner!"

The listing adds that two more of the magazine's writers, RH and RD, "are also fans."

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 reference — Stereophile calls Orchid the best AES/EBU link its editor has used, so the recommendation is on record
• You record as well as play back — Kimber lists Orchid for both, so one cable serves the studio and the listening room
• You want silver at the contact — the XLR contacts are silver-plated, so the signal meets better metal at the pin
• 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. 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.

Other and longer lengths are available. Call us at 800-942-0220 and we will help.

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 — a source with an AES/EBU output
• 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.

What is Orchid made of?

Kimber does not say. It calls the materials the finest and the technology proprietary. Its published data covers electrical measurements, not conductor material.

Does Kimber publish measurements?

Three. Per meter, Orchid shows 47.1 picofarads of parallel capacitance, 1.06 microhenries of series inductance and 0.331 ohms of DC loop resistance.

Is this a coaxial cable?

No. Orchid is an AES/EBU balanced digital cable with XLR plugs on a 110-ohm standard. For a 75-ohm coaxial link with RCA or BNC plugs, look at Kimber's D-60.

Is there a step up?

Not in the Kimber AES/EBU digital range we carry. Orchid 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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