Launched at the High End 2012 show in Munich over the weekend was the new Atlas Equator High Speed HDMI from Scottish manufacturer Atlas Cables – a thin, highly flexible cable ideal for use in tight corners and showing a wide range of original thinking.
Starting at £75 for a 1m length, and available up to 7m, the new cable uses active equalisation circuitry at the 'receiver' end, with specific characteristics being designed for each length.
The idea of this is to maintain constant impedance whatever the cable length, and thus reduce jitter, described by Atlas as 'the number one performance killer in digital audio video systems.'
The cable also replaces the conventional twisted pairs of conductors with individually screened conductors run in parallel pairs, and shielded with an outer screen. By combining this with precision cutting of the conductors, Atlas says it's able to ensure every conductor is identical in length: 'As a result, there is zero time difference between any of the conductors and jitter is reduced yet again.'
The conductors themselves are high-purity oxygen-free copper with silver plating, and the plugs on the new cable are of a unique Atlas design with a die-cast headshell and plug, designed to give a tighter fit in an HDMI socket and reduce the chance of the plug coming loose and losing signal.
This, plus the thinness of the cable and its highly flexible nature, are designed to ensure a consistent signal, plus ease of installation.
Atlas Equator High Speed HDMI with Ethernet, to give it its full title, is also available in 2m at £85, 3m at £95, 5m at £115 and 7m at £145.
