All About PreludeAudio.com

Prelude Audio is an audiophile cable manufacturing company made up of electronic technicians, audiophiles, and music lovers. We don't try to sell you a bunch of theoretical hype or technical jargon. We try to bring you the best value in audio and video cables for your audio system or home theatre including digital cables. We would never try to sell you a cable that we wouldn't be proud to own ourselves.

All of our audiophile cables use either solid silver or solid copper wire. We do not use silver plated copper wire in our audio cables. Silver plated copper can perform very well in video, digital, and power applications, but for audio frequencies the effects are very undesirable. In silver-plated copper, the audio signal, depending of frequency, may be carried by the copper core or ride on the silver plated edge of the conductor. Music consists of very complex waveforms riding in both the core of the wire, on the edge, and everywhere in-between. You can see how this can have an effect on the sound not only because of the difference in resistance of the copper and silver, but also because the complex waveforms are constantly crossing from copper to silver. This is a very oversimplified explanation, but we think you get the idea.

Breaking-in is a very misleading term when it comes to audio cables. There are many theories about why a new cable needs time to burn-in or break-in. Some manufacturers even say that the molecules in the wire need time to align. (Maybe if an audio signal consisted of DC only this might be true). The truth is that all audio cables need a period of time to burn-in, or break-in after they have been disconnected for any length of time. The reason is most likely because there are two or more conductors separated by an insulating medium, acting like a capacitor, storing and releasing energy. When cables are connected for a while, this stored energy is released and the cable is able to perform as it was intended to. New cables or cables that have been disconnected for a while may require a day or two to a week to harmonize with your system. Cables that have just been moved while still connected may require only a few minutes to an hour. It all depends on the materials and the construction of the cable, and has little to do with the quality or price you paid.

One more note on cables, cords and things. When it comes time to store a cable or cord, it should be rolled and not folded. When you buy them almost all extension cords are folded, as are the cables that come with your new phone. By rolling your cord in a circle instead of folding you eliminate the sharp bends in the cable that shorten the life of both the insulation and the wire inside. Coax cables are very sensitive and a sharp bend will usually deform the insulation that surrounds the center conductor, thus changing the impedance of the cable. This can give you some very negative results, especially when the coax is carrying a video or digital signal. Keep in mind even your least expensive cables and cords will last a bit longer if they are not subject to sharp bends or kinks. One more important reminder while we are on the subject, always handle the cable by the connector when you're inserting or removing the connector and never pull on the cable to remove the plug.

So sit back, close your eyes and enjoy that piece of music that you love so much. Or if you like, pop in your favorite movie, munch on some popcorn and forget your cares. Enjoy your system!