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About ACROLINK

A True Made in Japan

People often say the frontier high technology at present promotes the higher technology in the next generation. Generally speaking, no one can deny that Japan is leading the world in industrial technology, especially in the field of high technology at the moment. One thing that should not be overlooked here is the fact that Japan is not just taking the lead in a single area but in a variety of fields. For instance, the research on nanotechnology or photocatalytic systems originated in Japan, and the future developments are eagerly anticipated people in the world. It stands to reason that the higher the mountain, the broader the base.
Superior and excellent industrial technologies and those products manufactured by such technologies are only available by an accumulation of many highly advanced interrelated technologies consisting of raw material development, designing, installation of manufacturing facilities, inspection and measurement. Furthermore, creativity, insight or artistic sensitivities are also vital. Such a technology as attaining maximum purity in raw materials is an important technology that has maintained the high levels of Japanese industrial technologies, and creates certain items that can only be manufactured in Japan.
Copper that has six nines (6N) or greater purity and is used for audio cables falls into this category. Exploitation of 6N copper was started and promoted by Nippon Mining Co. Ltd.(currently known as Nikko Materials Co. Ltd.) in 1985, and they succeeded in its mass production in1987. Prior to the current name Nikko Materials Co. Ltd. was called the Japan Energy Corporation, and its original name was Nippon Mining Co. Ltd.
There is a strong demand in the market for high purity copper with a purity level of 6N or more, which is used to produce the wire material of highly integrated semiconductors. It had been developed and put in practical use in 1997. As a matter of fact, the only companies in the world today producing high purity raw copper in large quantities are none other than Nikko Materials Co. Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials Co. Ltd. The business circles of integrated semiconductors demand a guarantee of high quality for raw materials, and in fact no enterprise is satisfied with the copper that has less purity than 6N copper for the purposes of mass production of their products. ACROLINK, the only cable-maker in the world that uses 6N copper and copper of higher purity receives a guarantee of analyzed values through a tie-up with the aforementioned two companies.
Currently in the field of audio cables, representation of the purity degree of raw materials has been offered in the form of 6N, 7N, 8N, etc. However, from the viewpoint of scientific reality, the percentage of raw materials should be calculated by the differential value method. Strictly speaking, the purity of copper should be shown in the form of numerical numbers, after the total amount of the quantitative measurements of the other metallic elements( impure materials )other than pure gold on the periodic table, are subtracted from 100. Under the current situation where there is no agreement to show quality standards, the values of the amounts of the raw material( indication of purity) will vary according to each case where some impurities can be counted and others can not. In other words, it is even possible to remove intentionally a certain impurity, i.e. a certain metallic element with a higher value, from the measurement. For instance, general purpose Japanese copper metal has a purity degree of 4N5 with a purity of 99.995% but there are several impurities such as Ag that have very high degrees of impurity. If it is excluded from the targets for the differential value method, it immediately enables you to publicize the data that the copper has a high degree of purity, i.e. a higher degree than 5N because Ag has the purity degree of 10ppm or so.

Cables produced by ACROLINK, use self-stipulated 6N copper constructed using the same process as is used with wires for semiconductor devices, which requires a guarantee of high quality. More precisely, the purity of the copper needs to be over 99.9999% and the total of any impurity metals must be less than 1 ppm.

Impurity metals in over 6N purity copper are measured mostly with highly precise measuring instruments called GD-Ms (GD-Mass), and this type of analysis work requires advanced know-how. Leading other brands, ACROLINK has disclosed to the public the analyzed values of representative elements that may affect sound qualities. These were selected out of the whole body of elements consisting of fifty or sixty items.
High speed, high response, powerful yet delicate natural direct sound and clear-cut indirect sound reproduction have now been accomplished, and these totally new sound qualities are going to be offered to all audiophiles.
Polyolefin, a New Sheath and Insulating Material is Adopted
Stress-free processing of raw materials is another remarkable feature along with the use of 6N raw material, and the mainstay technology of ACROLINK brand products.
Although the raw materials have improved purity, enlarged crystals and extremely stable atomic arrangement external stress cannot be avoided at many stages of processing due to bending, etc. Disorder in the atomic arrangement called a “deformation defect” may occur during the process. The raw material is generally annealed to accelerate crystalline growth to restore the original large crystalline structure during the wire drawing process, but when the finished wire is being wound on reels for distribution or being wired, a problem arises due to some external stresses loaded on wire.

The ACROLINK's stress-free products are the only cables in the world which, through a unique annealing process, have high purity copper characteristics with a crystalline structure that is restored to its original stable crystalline structure through a self-annealing phenomenon, except when the external stress is extremely severe. Transformation of atomic arrangement occurs when the wire heated after the wire drawing process is reduced to only one billionth of that of 4N copper and the number of crystals is also reduced to 1/80 to 1/100. Loading wire with electric current accelerates aging or self-annealing function, and reduces residual deformation to restore the original stable crystalline structure making the wire able to transmit wide-range frequencies with ultrahigh fidelity.
Ecobrass, a Dreamlike Patented Brass Material is Adopted
It is a well-known fact that covering material, namely sheath and insulating material, also greatly affects sound quality in audio cables. Various materials including PVC have been used to date. ACROLINK has performed extensive research, anew, in this field. First and foremost, the specific characteristic required for sheath material is a low dielectric constant or a low electrostatic capacity. Since impedance is inversely proportionate to frequency, the higher the frequency, the lower the impedance, so the phenomenon of attenuation in high frequency elements presents. It is no exaggeration to say that the only way to verify truly that the sound sheath material is good is by actually covering strands with the material and listening to the sound.

This new material, polyolefin, was selected after conducting a number of tests that involved cutting and experimenting. The resin is an excellent material of the highest grade and it has a low dielectric constant that is 1/4 of that of conventional PVC when compared. Balance of energy throughout all bands, reproduction capabilities of phase elements, along with high level reproduction that is high speed and high response, yet still manages to offer natural sound quality, were given top priority in the decision to adopt polyolefin. This material is a rare new substance that has a crystalline structure. Undesired vibration can be eliminated by combining two different types of the material, since the vibration mode can be controlled based on the constituents used. The result is the realization of a dramatic improvement of sound, an experience unlike anything that has been realized thus far. This high quality material is exclusively MADE IN JAPAN.
ACROLINK® is registerd trade mark of Acro Japan Corporation.
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