NRG-Y2, NRG-Y3, NRG-Z2, and NRG-Z3 AC cables take advantage of the same get-out-of-the-way and Noise-Dissipation technologies as the NRG Storm Series of AC cables.
All these models feature Zero Characteristic Impedance for Uncompressed Current Transfer:
A non-technical analogy for this might be that if you drop a coin in a tube with shampoo in it, no matter how wide (low resistance) that tube, the shampoo (the Characteristic Impedance) is going to get in the way (compromise current transients). Eliminating Characteristic Impedance (Zero means No in this application) is like having only air in the tube, as close to a vacuum as possible. Whether the amp is running at less than a watt or is fully maxed out, the unrestricted transients are visceral — something the whole body understands, no words required.
NRG-Z2 and NRG-Z3 cables take a step further and use Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC in Z3, PSC+ in Z2), also in a 7-strand Semi-Solid Concentric conductor arrangement. The astonishingly smooth and pure Perfect-Surface processed conductors minimize distortion caused by grain boundaries and surface discontinuities which exist in any metal conductor.
All the new models also feature Direction-Controlled Conductors & Silver-Plated Shield Drains:
All drawn metal has a non-symmetrical, and therefore directional, grain structure. AudioQuest controls the resulting RF impedance variation so that noise drains away from where it will cause distortion. The Silver-Plated shield drains efficiently remove RF noise from the line and neutral shields via the wall plug’s “ground” pin – which is why even the 2-Pole “2” models have an unexpected ground pin.
NRG-Z3 also includes AQ’s Ground-Noise Dissipation Technology (US Patent # 8,988,168):
As with the Storm Series AC cables, Z3 includes AudioQuest’s Ground Noise-Dissipation Technology. AC Ground wires o_er protection from current-wiring faults, but they also act as antennas, picking up radio frequency (RF) noise, which bypasses component power supplies and is typically coupled directly into a system’s most sensitive audio or video circuits.
AQ’s Ground-Noise Dissipation System employs a common-mode phase-canceling array that yields unprecedented levels of noise dissipation and reduction across the widest bandwidth (range) of radio frequencies – dramatically lowering distortion in the attached electronics.
