Zavfino 1877Phono Gold Rush Tonearm Cable

Description

Zavfino 1877Phono Gold Rush tonearm cable is the top model in a range of cables that has impressed us enormously – very few cables at any price can match the Zavfino products for sonic colour, vibrancy and above all an open and believably spacious sound character.  The Gold Rush may be the most expensive offering in the range, but it’s still modestly priced by the standard of other cables that we’ve tried here, most of which do not even match cheaper Zavfino cables for genuine sound quality.

What’s so different about the Gold Rush tonearm cable?  Not so much in terms of sharing similar high quality gold plated OCC copper connectors and H-Wound Litz wire configuration as other Zavfino cables, but here the actual wires are very different – a unique mix of gold plated PC-OCC copper and pure silver conductors are used, with a very thorough shielding arrangement incorporating graphene polymer in the insulation material (see below for more information on graphene in this application).

What We Say

As you move up the Zavfino tonearm cable range, from Cove up to the Majestic, you do get a progressive improvement in resolution, both in terms of detail but more importantly spacial resolution.  All Zavfino cables are unusually good with ‘space’ which contrasts starkly with so many other cable (usually more expensive) which just sound ‘shut in’.  It’s amazing what spacial information sits in the grooves of well recorded LPs.  The Majestic is a clear favourite, having a lovely expressive, colourful and musically coherent sound character; the Highlands is a pure silver cable which delivers much better resolution of fine detail, with a ‘lighter’ sound character, but still with that fantastic handling of ‘space’.  I find it quite difficult to choose between the Majestic and Highlands cables – bold and expressive on one hand, more analytical on the other.

Deciding to stock a relatively expensive cable like the Gold Rush was something that I resisted for some time; after all the existing Zavfino cables are all very good, by any standard, and astonishingly good value too.  A couple of customer enquiries gave me the impetus to get the Gold Rush in, and I’ve been doing some listening.  Source is the venerable Kenwood KD-990 deck (running ‘naked’ without its plinth), presently fitted with a 10″ GrooveMaster tonearm, and Phasemation PP-500 cartridge running into the mesmerisingly good Phasemation EA-350 phono amplifier, and thence to a Lab12 Integre 4 valve amplifier.  Actual listening was via headphones (the Lab12 Integre4 has a very, very good headphone output).  I chose a couple of LPs that I know well, and which are well recorded:  ‘Espana’, Argenta, LSO (Decca SXL 2020), and ‘Antiphone Blues’ (Proprius PROP 7744).  The Espana LP starts with crashing dynamics but within that there is quite a lot going on, with different strings and percussion really ‘going for it’.  Antiphone Blues is a wonderful natural recording, done in a Swedish church in 1974 with solo saxophone (Arne Domnerus) and the church organ – the recording is one where the rendition of ‘space’ can be either wonderful, or ordinary, depending on the quality of replay equipment.

Starting with the Majestic cable, both these LPs sound lovely, with a full and vibrant sound.  The opening part of Espana has amazing energy and I could hear the tympani being literally beaten to death (how did Decca manage this, back in the day?).  Lower strings were a bit diffuse and overwhelmed, though.  Moving to the Swedish church, the Majestic certainly gets the ambience and the relative placing of sax and the organ is believable and immersive.  The school that I attended had a colossal organ in the chapel, so I have clear memories of large and small pipes, and the various wheezing noises of bellows etc, and the Majestic delivered all of that beautifully.  All very enjoyable.

So, to the Gold Rush.  I had to go back and forth between cables a few times to be clear about what I was hearing, but on Espana, that opening track acquired much better clarity, resolution and order, without losing any richness; and dynamics were if anything even better.  Those diffuse cello sounds were now identified as actual string instruments, and the crashing tympani were more clearly audible from the very start of the track.  Later on, there is a solitary triangle, portrayed with crystalline purity – just lovely and utterly believable.  Moving on to Antiphone Blues was a bit of a shock – I thought that the Majestic ‘did’ space quite well but the Gold Rush really took me into that church and placed the sax and organ much more precisely within that lovely reverberant acoustic space.  The sax itself now had a really lovely, raspy and resonant edge that had previously been softened.  All that aside, the Gold Rush imparts the most beautiful sense of ‘order’ to the recording, which in my experience means that it’s very good with time and phase, both valuable quantities in good audio reproduction.  The Gold Rush is also extremely quiet, perhaps testament to the fancy screening which incorporates graphene.

To sum up, the Zavfino 1877Phono Gold Rush tonearm cable is easily the best that I have heard here, and while its price is not exactly budget, it’s a good deal less than some fancy and extravagantly accessorised alternatives that we have been offered over the years.  For someone willing to spend nearly £1k, the Gold Rush will deliver beguiling resolution of both musical details and sound localisation, with a lovely open and expressive sound character, which is a Zavfino hallmark but here elevated to quite another level.

Specifications:

• Conductor: Rare 24k Gold PC-OCC single crystal copper, blended with solid strand 99.9998% Pure Silver in a tight pitch construction
• Insulations: FEP/Tef dielectric, PTFE dielectric, ­Graphene polymer and fiberglass braided silicone coated breakouts, R-Flex 105C degree PVC jacket
• Shield: Aluminum mylar with silver coated copper tight pitch braid Ground: 50cm SPOFC ground wire with 24k gold plated OCC copper ground clip.
• Connector Female (DIN): 1877 Carbon straight limited edtions gold or TAD-3R Limited Editon Gold right angle DIN, 24k gold plated high purity copper insulated sockets in PTFE/Tef utilizing 1877 anti-stress pin construction.
• Splitter: Machined and anodized light weight aluminum
• Connector Male (RCA): 1877 ZXP-5 G series with OCC copper pin assembly in 24k gold,
• Sleeve 1: Polyethylene terephthalate(PET) custom monofilament sleeve with anti-static ­fiber in onyx gold.
• Processing: Deep Cryo treated
• Processing: Utra-Sonic-7™ Breakin
• Terminations: RCA-RCA, RCA-Straight DIN, RCA-Right Angle DIN
• Note: Majestic, Highlands, & Gold Rush tonearm cable (RCA-RCA version) use a different RCA due to shielding considerations.
• Length: 1.5m standard

Deep Cryo™ Treatment

All of the conductors used in our cables undergo Deep Cryo™ treatment before the insulation is extruded over the metals. Our research has proven that the conductor—and only the conductor— benefits from cryo-treatment. Materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC™), Teflon™, PE, and Silicon™ can all be adversely affected by cold-temperature annealing. Cryo-treating non-conductors and insulating materials can cause them to break down and become brittle.
The purity, size, and molecular structure of each conductor determine the specific temperature within the -186ºC to – a 196ºC range that we cryo-treat it at. Zavfino’s research into cold temperature physics has proven that the absolute lowest temperature is not necessarily the best for cryo-treatment.

This is a two-stage process. In the first stage we draw the bare conductor through a ceramic die into an ultrasonic cleaning chamber that bombards the conductor with multiple ultrasonic frequencies. This emulsification process removes all debris from the surface of the wire down to the molecular level and leaves absolutely zero residues.​

UltraSonic 7 High Voltage / Thermal Break-in

This is a two-stage process. In the first stage we draw the bare conductor through a ceramic die into an ultrasonic cleaning chamber that bombards the conductor with multiple ultrasonic frequencies. This emulsification process removes all debris from the surface of the wire down to the molecular level and leaves absolutely zero residues. After each individual wire is processed, we strand it into bundles and then subject the bundles to further treatment. During the second stage of the ultrasonic burn-in, we increase the voltage to a higher level that’s just below the threshold of the conductor. This adjustment in temperature allows us to get a unique “break-in effect” normally associated with cables that have had 30 to 40 hours of signal and/or current run through them.

Zavfino’s H-Wound™ + Zero Strand Loss:

Drawing on more than 18 years of manufacturing experience, Zavfino has developed a remarkable new technique for twisting stranded wire tightly around a central solid-core conductor. An electrical phenomenon commonly known as the “skin effect” occurs when electrons move through any solid core conductor. Higher frequencies travel along the outside (the skin) of the conductor faster than midrange and lower echelon frequencies. This results in smeared PRaT, muddled instrumental timbres, and an unnatural sound. Zavfino’s new H-Wound™ manufacturing technique negates the skin effect. Originally developed by OEMs Siemens and Klangfilm, Zavfino uses a customized transformer wire-stranding machine. We further modified the gears in this machinery to create windings at a slower RPM ratio with a much tighter pitch. This patented manufacturing process enables us to twist the wiring at the tightest pitch possible without overlapping the wire strands. Most wire-stranding machines can only fabricate windings up to a maximum of 300 twists per meter. Setting the bar far higher, Zavfino’s patented H-Wound™ cable winding machine creates a pitch rate of 14,000 to 16,000 twists per meter; which is unmatched by any other audiophile cable maker. Zavfino’s new Zero Strand Loss™ manufacturing technique protects the bundled conductors from being damaged during stripping and termination. By ensuring that each core has zero chipped, cut, or mangled strands, we can guarantee that each insulated core is 100% identical. For audiophiles, the sonic results of tighter windings and Zero Strand Loss™ conductors are cables with quieter backgrounds, remarkable timbral accuracy, lifelike PRaT, jaw dropping mid-range resolution, and superior low frequency extension. Our new H-Wound™ stranding technology allows us to protect the delicate electrical signal being transferred through our cables. Combined with Zavfino’s state of the art manufacturing techniques, our precision matched OCC Copper (Cu) and Silver (Ag) conductors used in the Silver Dart™ A/C power cord bring an unequalled purity and honesty to all forms of music. The results are previously unheard details, finesse, and accuracy across the frequency spectrum.

What is ZGRAPh-LDPTM..GRAPHENE.?

Zavfino is the first audiophile cable OEM to integrate graphene insulation into high-end A/C power cables as a dielectric shield. After more than two years in development with a leading American graphene polymer research company, we’re proud to unveil our new proprietary ZGRAPh-LDPTM conductive shielding/dielectric, first used within our Silver DartTM OCC A/C power cable.

The results of using ZGRAPh-LDPTM

1. Superior protection from electromagnetic interference as the graphene contour moulds to our copper shields and prevents EMI spikes. The end result is improved grounding and vastly superior
signal transmission.
2. Graphene has excellent Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) properties that eliminate static electricity and tribo-electric charging; both of which can negatively a ect a power cable’s performance.
3. Graphene’s high heat de ection reinforces the dielectric by 30%. This ensures that all of Zav no’s cables that are shielded with graphene will deliver unchanged performance for decades to come.
4. Graphene creates a 100% anti-corrosive barrier that prevents the ingress of oxygen into the shield and conductors. An air-tight seal and zero corrosion further guarantees consistency of signal transfer at a molecular level and unchanged sonic performance for a lifetime of usage.

Why Zavfino’s Graphene outperforms traditional shielding:

Electromagnetic theory stipulates that a signal inside of a closed electromagnetic eld cannot be a ected by interference from an outside source. Traditional dielectric insulation that uses braided Copper (Cu) or Mylar shields cannot ensure a perfectly closed eld. Copper braids and Mylar wraps both have gaps between their overlaid bundles and layers which inherently occur during manufacturing. Low frequency interference and high frequency noise will slip through these gaps and cause electromagnetic contamination and sonic degradation.  Zavfino’s primary goal is to keep any and all EM interference away from the signal’s transmission path. By utilizing our extrudable graphene polymer jacket over the shield, our new ZGRAPh-LDPTM cover solves a myriad of electrical problems which braided shielding innately causes. Our graphene dielectric ensures 100% coverage as it moulds itself to the traditional shield and drain of the cable. In efect, this creates a perfectly closed electromagnetic field.

Reviews:

Mono and Stereo Magazine ‘Best Buy’ Award –  https://www.monoandstereo.com/2017/10/zavfino-1877phono-graphene-gold-rush.html