Audioquest Angel Jack/RCA DBS 2m

Few mini-jack cables feature pure silver conductors. The Angel is one of them, and sits at the top of the Bridges & Falls series at AudioQuest. This range stands out for its compact format, where the two channels share a single jacket, designed for portable sources or installations where cable flexibility matters as much as transmission quality.

An ultra-smooth surface silver conductor

The Angel uses solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) conductors, the highest metal quality at AudioQuest. The benefit of a solid conductor rather than stranded lies in the absence of electrical and magnetic interactions between adjacent strands, a common source of distortion in conventional cables. The Perfect-Surface treatment aims to reduce surface irregularities in the metal and limit the effect of grain boundaries, those microscopic discontinuities present in any metallic conductor. The expected result: more linear signal transmission across the entire audible spectrum.

Silver has higher electrical conductivity than copper, but it is above all its ability to dissipate radio-frequency interference more evenly that justifies its use in this context. AudioQuest also applies directional control of the conductors to direct HF noise dissipation toward ground.

Insulation that relies on air

Any insulating material in contact with a conductor absorbs part of the signal energy, which it then releases with a slight time delay. This phenomenon introduces phase shifts that vary depending on frequency, a problem for audio signals that cover several octaves. The Angel partially overcomes this difficulty thanks to FEP Air-Tube insulation: a fluoropolymer tube (FEP) that surrounds the conductor with minimal contact, with most of the space occupied by air. FEP absorbs less energy than most extrudable insulators, and air practically none.

AudioQuest also differentiates the treatment of the positive and negative conductors. The negative conductor receives what is called “lossy” insulation (intentionally dissipative), without air or FEP, because its role in the circuit is not the same as that of the signal conductor.

The DBS 72V system and its RF trap

The Dielectric-Bias System (DBS) is a technology patented by AudioQuest. A pack containing batteries creates a 72-volt electrostatic field that continuously polarizes the cable’s insulation. This polarization stabilizes the molecules of the dielectric and reduces the non-linear phase delays mentioned above. The system operates outside the signal path: the batteries generate a potential difference, not a current, and their lifespan reaches several years. A test button and an LED make it possible to check their status.

The Angel also incorporates an RF Trap derived from AudioQuest’s Niagara power products. This filter prevents radio-frequency interference picked up from the environment from traveling back to the signal conductors via the DBS elements.

Three-layer noise dissipation

The NDS (Noise-Dissipation System) combines three alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetic materials. This multilayer shielding absorbs and reflects a large part of RF energy before it reaches the layer connected to the device ground. On conventional cables, interference captured by the shield is drained directly to the ground plane, which can modulate the circuit’s voltage reference and introduce a form of distortion. The NDS approach aims to filter this noise upstream.

Connectors without solder or nickel

The Angel’s RCA connectors are made of pure red copper, directly silver-plated with no intermediate nickel layer. Nickel is often used as an adhesion barrier in conventional plating, but AudioQuest considers it a source of distortion and eliminates it from its high-end connectors. Assembly is done by cold-weld, a compression process that avoids exposing the metals to heat and traditional solder alloys.

The ground body of the connectors is stamped rather than machined, which makes it possible to choose the metal for its acoustic properties rather than for its ease of machining.

A compact format with a few constraints

The Bridges & Falls series groups the two channels into a single jacket, resulting in a thin and very flexible cable. This format is well suited to connections with a smartphone, a portable music player, or a portable DAC. On the other hand, the RCA plugs are physically close together. AudioQuest indicates that if the left and right inputs of the receiving device are spaced more than 7.6 cm apart, the Rivers or Elements series, with their separately jacketed cables, will be better suited.

The name “Angel” refers to the falls of the same name in Venezuela, the highest in the world with a drop of 979 meters. The chemical symbol for silver (Ag) completes the allusion.

Technical specifications

Connectivity and terminations

• Type: analog interconnect cable
• Connectors
  • 1 x 3.5 mm mini-jack
  • 2 x male RCA
• Terminations: pure red copper silver-plated, with no intermediate nickel layer
• Connection process: cold welding, ensuring an optimal connection without signal degradation
• Length: 2 m

Conductors

• Perfect-Surface Solid Silver (PSS) conductors
  • Very low distortion
  • Solid structure eliminating strand interaction
  • Reduction of grain-boundary-related effects
  • More linear and more accurate signal transmission

Insulation and dielectric

• FEP Air-Tube architecture
  • Minimal contact between conductor and dielectric
  • Reduced energy loss
  • Improved reproduction of micro-information and dynamic contrasts
• Differential insulation of the negative conductor, optimized for its specific role in the signal

Noise and interference reduction

• Carbon-based multi-layer Noise-Dissipation System (NDS)
  • Absorption and neutralization of radio-frequency interference before it affects the audio signal
• DBS 72 V dielectric-bias system with RF trap
  • Stabilization of the cable’s electric field
  • Reduction of dielectric-related distortion
  • Improved temporal coherence of the signal

Architecture and geometry

• Double balanced asymmetric geometry
  • Separation of ground and shielding paths
  • Reduced interference
  • Quieter, more stable, and more dynamic reproduction