Wireworld Ultraviolet 10 (UVV) Coaxial 1m

Wireworld Ultraviolet 10 (UVV) digital coaxial

Between a CD player, a streamer or a television and the converter that turns the digital stream into music, the coaxial connection remains one of the most widespread. It seems simple, yet this single cable carries both the audio data and the clock timing the converter needs to decode it. This Series 10 model from Wireworld therefore focuses on its internal geometry, conductors and insulation rather than its appearance.

An S/PDIF connection maintained at 75 ohms

The digital coaxial signal (S/PDIF) travels at frequencies of several megahertz, far beyond the audio band. At these frequencies, the cable behaves like a transmission line: its characteristic impedance must remain at 75 ohms from end to end, including the plugs. If it drifts, part of the signal is reflected at the ends, rounding off the pulse edges. The converter reconstructs its clock from these edges, and distorted edges make synchronization less consistent, a phenomenon known as jitter. An ordinary analog RCA cable often works as a digital connection, but with no guarantee in this respect. The Ultraviolet 10 is a true 75-ohm cable, across all its terminations.

Parallel strands in a helix rather than a twisted core

The DNA Helix design (short for Delineated Neutralizing Array), patented by Wireworld, replaces the bundle of twisted strands found in conventional cables with flat conductors arranged in layers, whose strands remain parallel to one another before being wound into a helix. In a conventional stranded conductor, the strands constantly cross one another, and each strand’s magnetic field induces small parasitic currents in its neighbors, known as eddy currents, which dissipate some of the signal’s energy. Keeping the strands parallel limits these losses. The “Tri” version used here combines three conductors, comprising twelve individually insulated strands. The move to Series 10 added groups of strands compared with the previous generation, Series 8.

Silver-plated copper for high frequencies

The strands are made of oxygen-free copper (OFC), copper with most of its oxygen removed to limit internal oxidation and impurities, coated with a thin layer of silver. This plating has a specific role in a digital connection: at high frequencies, current tends to flow near the surface of the conductor (the skin effect). In an analog cable, this phenomenon remains modest, whereas it directly affects an S/PDIF signal of several megahertz, which then travels largely through the silver layer. This is the fundamental difference from the Chroma 10, the entry-level model in Wireworld’s coaxial range, which uses the same Tri DNA Helix geometry with bare OFC copper. The Ultraviolet 10 thus occupies the second of the brand’s six coaxial tiers, below the Starlight 10 and the three precious-metal Starlight models (Silver, Gold and Platinum).

Composilex 5 insulation against friction noise

When a cable moves, vibrates or simply carries a signal, electrostatic charges arise at the contact points between the conductor and its insulation. This triboelectric noise is low, but it is superimposed on the desired signal. Composilex 5, a composite material proprietary to Wireworld, has lower triboelectric noise than conventional low-loss insulation materials, including PTFE (Teflon). It succeeds the Composilex 3 used in Series 8 and is one of the major developments in Series 10. Its effect remains secondary to impedance or plug quality, but it contributes to an overall coherent design.

Gold-plated RCA plugs for common connections

Both ends feature RCA plugs with 24-karat gold-plated contacts. Gold does not conduct better than copper; it protects the contact from oxidation and keeps the connection stable through repeated plugging and unplugging. The cable connects any device with a digital coaxial output to an input of the same type: a CD player or transport to a converter, a streamer to an integrated amplifier with an internal converter, a network player or console to a home theater receiver. On the device, the relevant socket is generally labeled “Coaxial” or “Digital”, sometimes with an orange ring, and should not be confused with the neighboring red and white analog outputs.

Technical specifications

Design and insulation

• Architecture: triple DNA helix (Tri DNA HELIX®)
• Insulation technology: COMPOSILEX® 5

Signal conductors

• Conductors
  • Number: 3
  • Number of insulated strands: 12
  • Material: silver-plated oxygen-free copper
  • Cross-section: 0.16 mm² (25 AWG)

Connectivity

• Available connectors: RCA, BNC 75 Ω
• Plug contacts: 24-carat gold-plated
• Configurations: RCA / RCA, RCA / BNC, BNC / BNC