Zenwave Technology

ZenWave's main goal is to offer UPOCC silver cables with proper tone and realistic timbre

ZenWave cables are all based on UPOCC technology, which stands for Ultra Pure Ohno Continuous Cast. This process produces wire without any grain boundaries. The result is increased conductivity, with copper typically at 103% IACS and silver at 108% IACS, the highest conductivity measured in these metals. The subjective results when used in an audio system are a more accurate sound with less additional character added to the music.

For UPOCC copper, the sound is rich yet detailed, not as warm as typical OFC copper but with better clarity. My UPOCC copper cables are preferred over non-UPOCC silver cables well over 90% of the time.

For UPOCC silver, it has none of the harshness, glare or fatiguing artifacts of lower purity silver. It is incredibly resolving and will provide the most dimensional and immersive soundstage possible. However, it can come across as “thin” as it adds no warmth like copper does. The truth is, not too many people would enjoy a normal UPOCC silver cable even though it’s the most accurate. So, I use a silver/gold alloy, or in the case of the ribbon cables, the wires are in the shape of a ribbon, which makes the sound smoother and richer. This is what differentiates ZenWave from all the other companies offering “run of the mill” UPOCC silver in their cables, ZenWave cables have proper tone and realistic timbre.

These charts compares copper types. TPC is tough pitch copper, and is what is used in AC power wiring, it is the standard IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) with 100% conductivity.

OFC is oxygen free copper and is used in higher end wiring. OCC is Ohno Continuous Cast and is 100x more pure vs typical OFC copper, with no grain boundaries, and is typically 3% more conductive vs TPC.

Some other aspects of ZenWave technology and design

  • Teflon Insulation: This has the lowest dielectric losses and is the best sounding wire insulation.
  • Litz-Type Wire: This is a UPOCC copper wire used in some ZenWave cables including the PL power cable, SL speaker cable, D1 and D2 interconnect cables. ZenWave’s Litz wire is made of individually insulated strands of 44g UPOCC copper, the 14g version has over 1000 individual runs braided around a flat film core. This reduces inductance overall, impedance at high frequencies and eliminated skin-effect. It makes for a cleaner-sounding cable. The 14 UPOCC copper litz wire is a ZenWave exclusive product not available elsewhere.
  • Ribbon shaped conductors: ribbon shaped wire also reduces skin effect and makes for a smoother and richer sound. It also allows for more manipulation of the cable’s electrical characteristics for a more ideal LCR profile.
  • Silver/Gold Alloy: My UPOCC silver/gold alloy wire is also a ZenWave exclusive product and is used in the D3, D4 and D5 IC cables as well as S4 and S5 speaker cable to offer “proper tone and realistic timbre”. The D4 and S4 have just enough gold to do so without effecting resolution or softening dynamics, the D5 and S5 use more gold for systems that require a bit more warmth to achieve proper tone.
  • Designed to flex: Some cables, especially ribbon cables, can’t flex properly and will break with very few bending cycles. Other cables use solid-core wire which is not intended to flex repeatedly and will crack with very few bend cycles. I’ve even seen cable made using 12g solid-core wire in AC power cables, which is very dangerous and major design flaw.
  • Designed to resist corrosion: Some cables are not protected from corrosion and the wire and/or terminations will corrode over time. This is not acceptable for either copper or silver cables. Cotton and silk do make nice sounding insulation but the cable will not last, it will corrode over time. Adding oil to the silk like some do makes for a very non-neutral sound. You are best off with wires that are protected from corrosion using teflon, or enamel in the case of litz wire. This prevents exposure to oxygen and eventual corrosion of the wire.
  • High Tech Furutech Nano-Fluid used to protect wire terminations. Set screw and solder terminations are protected using this silver/gold nano-fluid. Most methods of preventing corrosion at terminations don’t sound as good as no protection but the nano-fluid accomplishes this while also improving the sound.
  • Genuine connectors used: ZenWave does NOT use counterfeit or look-alike connectors. When you buy from ZenWave you get real Furutech or WBT plugs. Even some high end brands use knock-offs, this is well worth looking into before you buy a cable. The plugs are very important and using counterfeit or low-quality plugs is a sure way to reduce the quality of the cable. Most ZenWave plugs use PURE COPPER or PURE SILVER connectors that sound just as good as the cable they are attached to!
  • Designed by a real engineer: I have a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and experience in manufacturing. I try my best to design a cable that will last a lifetime by taking into consideration the fact it needs to bend and not corrode.