Audioquest Yukon XLR 1m

Audioquest Yukon XLR, a balanced interconnect cable

Connecting an analog source to an amplifier via a balanced connection requires a cable that preserves the signal without adding noise or coloration. The Yukon sits at the top of Audioquest’s Rivers series, just above the Mackenzie, whose foundations it builds upon by adding air-tube insulation. Solid copper conductors, carbon shielding, and solder-free connectors define this interconnect cable, right at home in carefully assembled hi-fi and home theater systems.

The pinnacle of the Rivers series

Audioquest names its cables after rivers, and the Yukon crowns the Rivers series. Compared to the Mackenzie, which serves as its foundation, the improvement comes down to one specific point: polyethylene air-tube insulation replaces the solid material used in the models below it. The rest of the recipe remains shared, with PSC+ conductors, a three-layer carbon shield, and a three-conductor balanced geometry. The Yukon thus takes everything that made the Mackenzie and grafts onto it a more transparent dielectric.

Solid perfect-surface copper

The signal travels through Perfect-Surface Copper+ solid conductors, which Audioquest designates with the abbreviation PSC+. A single strand, rather than a twist of fine wires, eliminates the electrical and magnetic interactions between strands — one of the sources of harshness and blur in an ordinary cable. The copper surface receives a treatment that keeps it smooth and pure along its entire length, limiting distortion caused by the metal’s grain boundaries. The conductors are installed in a defined direction of flow, marked on the jacket, to drain high-frequency noise toward where it causes the least interference.

Triple-balanced geometry

The Triple-Balanced design distributes the signal across three conductors, one of which is dedicated to ground. The shield therefore never serves as a return path for the signal — a role it performs poorly in many cables. The positive and negative channels follow paths of identical quality, with the same very low distortion. The left and right channels travel in two separate jackets, which allows flexibility when routing connections behind a piece of furniture or a rack.

Polyethylene air-tube insulation

Around each conductor, the insulation is not a solid material but a tube in which the wire is surrounded primarily by air. Air absorbs almost no energy, and the polyethylene forming the tube itself exhibits low losses. This air-tube insulation reduces the blurring effect caused by denser dielectrics, which store and then release a portion of the signal’s energy in the form of distortion. This is the feature that sets the Yukon apart from the Rivers cables below it.

Carbon shielding against interference

Three layers of carbon and carbon-loaded synthetics form the noise dissipation system, which Audioquest calls the Noise-Dissipation System. Their role is to absorb and redirect radio-frequency interference before it reaches the electronics’ ground, where it would manifest as a veil over the sound. The coverage extends across the entire length of the cable. Combined with the defined direction of flow imposed on the conductors, this shielding keeps RF interference and electromagnetic fields at bay — both of which surround any audio system.

Cold-crimped, solder-free connectors

The XLR connectors are not soldered to the conductors. Audioquest cold-crimps them, creating a junction with no solder joint — soldering being one of the sources of distortion in a cable. The contacts, silver-plated, rest on high-purity purple copper barrels rather than the common nickel-plated metals. The assembly ensures a stable, long-lasting connection and solid mechanical retention of the connector.

Where to place this cable in a system

The XLR format requires two devices equipped with balanced inputs and outputs. The Yukon then connects an analog source (DAC, network streamer with integrated converter, CD player, or turntable routed through a phono preamplifier) to an amplifier or active speakers. The benefit of a balanced connection is most noticeable with devices whose internal electronics are themselves balanced, and over longer cable runs, where common-mode rejection protects the signal against noise picked up along the way. In a modest system or over a very short run, the difference compared to a good unbalanced cable narrows.

Technical Specifications

Cable Type

• Balanced analog audio interconnect cable
• Connectors: male XLR to female XLR
• Designed for high-end Hi-Fi and Home Theater systems

Conductors and Materials

• Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) conductors
• Pure purple copper contacts with silver plating
• Direction-controlled conductors for optimized signal transmission

Insulation and Dielectric

• Air-tube insulation in low-distortion polyethylene
• Reduced losses and preservation of audio signal integrity

Design and Shielding

• Three-conductor Triple-Balanced architecture with dedicated ground conductor
• Carbon Mesh Noise-Dissipation System (NDS) shielding
• Triple-layer carbon noise-reduction system against external interference

Connectors and Manufacturing

• Cold-crimped XLR connectors with silver plating
• Cold-welded terminations for a reliable and durable connection

Key Features

• High-fidelity balanced transmission
• Advanced reduction of RF and EMI interference
• Extremely low distortion
• More natural, detailed, and transparent sound reproduction
• Excellent dynamics and tonal accuracy
• High-end construction designed for long service life

Listening Benefits

• More open and better-defined soundstage
• Better instrument separation
• Greater respect for musical nuances and micro-details
• More precise bass and more natural midrange
• Audio signal preserved from source to electronics

Recommended Applications

• High-resolution Hi-Fi systems
• Premium Home Theater installations
• Preamplifiers, amplifiers, and audio sources equipped with XLR connections
• Demanding audio systems seeking neutrality and precision