October 15, 2007 -- Belden has released its Brilliance AES/EBU Digital Audio Cable (Part #1353A), a single-pair cable that the company says combines ruggedness, flexibility and installation efficiency with superior digital and analog sound performance.
Designed for ease of installation, the 100-ohm, Category 5e (TIA/EIA-568-B.2) UTP digital audio cable features 24 AWG stranded (7x32) bare copper conductors and offers a design that fulfills the marketplace need for an easy-to-install, single-pair AES/EBU audio cable. To prepare the cable for connectorization, one need only split the pair using a splitting tool, notes the company, thus eliminating previously-required step.
The cable features the company's patented "bonded-pair" design, which affords the product maximum ruggedness during installation and consistent electrical properties after installation. In addition, the bonded-pair technology assures the maximum rejection of noise from other cables at all frequencies from audio to RF.
According to Belden, in the bonded-pair cables, the individual insulated conductors are affixed along their longitudinal axes, resulting in a uniform conductor-to-conductor spacing.
This feature is especially important in field applications where rough handling and environmental conditions can alter the dimensions and physical properties of conventional Cat 5e cables, which in turn can degrade its electrical performance. The bonded-pair cables are ruggedly built to withstand the rigors of installation, thus ensuring the cables' consistent impedance and return loss characteristics.
The AES/EBU digital audio cable is intended for use in permanent installations of balanced-line analog or digital audio. According to the company, it is suitable for audio cabling used in professional A/V installations, such as recording studios, radio and TV stations, as well as in commercial sound installations, such as auditoriums, stadiums and hotels, and in other venues where conventional shielded audio cable would be used. The cable is also well-suited for use in sound equipment for outdoor concerts and other events where the cabling may be subject to harsh environmental conditions and rough handling.
As a bonus, according to the company, the single-pair AES/EBU digital audio cable can be used successfully in balanced-line analog applications. The cable's inherent low capacitance results in excellent analog audio performance, even over long cable runs. In the presence of unbalanced signals, the addition of a balun will enable the cable to support many coax-based signal types, such as analog audio, S/PDIF digital audio and professional AES3-id digital audio, as well as surveillance cameras.