Ecosse Reference The Director SE Digital Interconnect
The Brief: to design a no-compromise true 75ohm digital interconnect allowing the music to pass to the connecting component with least coloration - ensuring clarity and detail, resolution and dimension. We finally succeeded with 'The Director' and it may well be the finest interconnect we have in our entire range!
Here we use our award-winning ultra pure, grain free Monocrystal™ conductor for both 'going' and 'return' signal - paths, coupled with our unique Monocrystal™ MACH2Ag RCA’s. The centre conductor is multi stranded OCC copper in a polyethylene primary dielectric together with a foamed polyethylene dielectric that separates the central (going) conductor from the outer tight woven multi stranded OCC copper (return) conductor. A ‘separator’ of Conductive PVC completes the internal construction. Thus the signal is protected from EMI/ESI/RFI noise ingress by both the Conductive PVC shield and the Monocrystal™ Cu close-lapped braid screen resulting in smooth-as-silk digital signal with no 'roll-off' in high frequencies - a characteristic of inferior digital cables.
It is vital that quality digital cable closely matches the ‘characteristic impedance’ (75ohm) of the digital signal- this being the most important concern of digital signal transmission. Of near-equal importance is ‘capacitance’-which must be kept as low as possible. The topology of '‘The Director MD2 SE” digital interconnect is carefully controlled to match these required specifications –its a TRUE 75ohm cable.
High-end system owners of DAC/ transport set ups, or audiophile/videophile level A/V systems are recommended to audition 'The Director' if they require breathtaking dynamics and are passionate about getting as close to the action as is humanly possible - without annoying the neighbours too much!
The Director' may be specified with RCA-phono or BNC plugs or a combination of the two.
A word about our unique terminations
The terminations at the ends of cables - particularly digital cables - are part of the transmission path and therefore vital to it. They must not impede the delicate audio signal as inappropriate termination on a digital cable changes the so called characteristic impudence (and other electrical attributes) of the cable. Where a digital signal is concerned, the audio industry has set a standard of 75ohms, but this can be severely compromised by poor, compressing RCA plugs that grip the cable with a grub screw or a collett action. The cable loses it's integrity and the impedance can drop to somewhere in the region of 35 Ohms resulting in reflections and a deletions.
To maintain the quality of the all-important interface between interconnect and component and compatibility between wire material and plug, Ecosse has developed our unique non-compressing constant impedance MACH2Ag deep silver plated RCA plug. This high quality RCA plug consists of a centre pin and conjugate bracket shield* which together offer going and return paths for the audio signal. To maintain continuity and optimum conductivity, these contact points are made from Monocrystal™ copper - same as the conductor wire itself- which are then direct hard silver plated. (others use 'flash-gold' OFC plating which is a very thin coating that wears away very quickly and soon looks tarnished!).
The plug casing is precision machined from highest quality copper alloy and is deep-plated. This thick casing offers further shielding - effectively a second 'Faraday Cage' - and reduces the ingress and radiation of EMI, ESI and RFI 'noise' even further, to virtually zero. The interface of shield* and casing is one of high mechanical impedance, dissipating energy and rendering microphonic effects negligible. The full assembly represents Ecosse's Audiophile Grade RCA termination for smaller diameter cables and we believe the Ecosse MACH2Ag RCA to be the best available price wise, electrically, mechanically and aesthetically - anywhere!
These shells/shields are designed to perform a 5-fold function:
They provide a terminal to which the return/screen conductors can be firmly crimped and soldered.
They incorporate tiny teeth that grip the cable firmly and evenly around its circumference without compressing the cable and thereby maintain the cable's characteristic impedance right up to the solder joint.
When assembled, they form a Faraday cage, screening the signal right up to and including the RCA socket.
They form a union of high mechanical impedance with the outer casing, dissipating energy and therefore rendering the plug immune to the effects of microphony.
They firmly locate and clamp the centre pin's polypropylene dielectric, which, in conjunction with the outer casing, results in a strong, stable and extremely durable structure.
Technical Specifications
Monocrystal™-Cu rope-lay woven conductors
Monocrystal™ close-lapped braid screen
Conductive Polymer screen
RCA Direct silver-plated Monocrystal™ contact pins
Polyethylene and ultra low loss LDFPE dielectrics
Vibration-absorbing low density 9mm circular o/d LDPVC jacket
