Excerpted from *Audio Technology*

Founded in 1977 and located in Ballrechten-Dottingen, southwestern Germany, *inakustik* has been dedicated to bringing users a truly “low-loss” sound experience for many years. They have always emphasized scientific manufacturing and insisted on handcrafting, continuously researching and improving their products. The product I auditioned this time is their latest flagship model, the Referenz NF-4005 AIR pure copper signal cable.

Ultra-Low Impedance Cables

Inakustik believes that to minimize sound coloration and faithfully transmit the signal, it is necessary to reduce the impedance of the cable. Therefore, “low impedance” is the core of their technology. How exactly is low impedance achieved? Firstly, it depends on the overlay. Different materials have different dielectric constants, which affect the impedance of the cable. Air has the lowest dielectric constant. Recognizing this, Inakustik began research twenty years ago, using air as an insulator to reduce the impedance of the cable. Secondly, the impedance of a wire is related to the distance between the positive and negative conductors. Increasing the distance between the wires can also reduce the impedance.

Air Helix Patented Technology – Air Insulation

Inakustik has been continuously researching and improving these two aspects since the Black & White series of wires in 1999. The wires launched in 2004 increased the internal air content to 30%. The biggest breakthrough was the use of PE conduits within the wire, allowing the thinner cores to wrap around the conduits, increasing the distance between the wires and achieving an air content of 50%. Until 2015, the company developed the patented Air Helix technology, which uses supports to separate the core conductors, resulting in an air insulation ratio of nearly 100% for the entire wire. Air Helix is ​​constructed from sections of supports. Assemblers use nickel alloy clips to clamp each wire through each support section, and after threading, the supports are twisted clockwise. …This creates a helical structure in the wire core, similar to DNA, which can counteract magnetic fields and reduce inductive impedance. A new feature of the fifth-generation Air Helix architecture is point-to-point cabling… spanning the entire length of the cable. Point-to-point Air Helix delivers a more delicate and vibrant sound than its predecessor.

Patented Plug Design: Traditional XLR plugs are fixed in position, often requiring twisting the cable for a proper connection due to equipment placement constraints. This increases mechanical stress on the cable and can potentially cause deformation and connector misalignment. To address this, the manufacturer designed a unique and adjustable XLR 180° plug, allowing each plug to rotate within a +/-45° range, providing ample adjustment space. This flexibility reduces mechanical stress on the cable and makes it easier to align the plug relative to the rear panel socket, enhancing user convenience and minimizing damage to the cable structure.

Information Discrimination Ability
The third software I tested was John Coltrane’s famous album ‘Blue Train,’ specifically the SACD version included in the Japanese ‘Esoteric 6 Great Jazz’ set. In the movements of ‘Blue Train,’ although the saxophone and trumpet overlapped, the differences in timbre and rhythm between each instrument were clearly distinguishable. Furthermore, the piano, horn, drums, and double bass playing together in the middle of the movement were also clearly presented, with a strong separation between them and a strong contrast to the saxophone as the main instrument. The overall rhythm and atmosphere were superb, giving the feeling of listening to a live performance from the front row of a bar. …