Planus CU2 Interconnect Cable

Our newest copper cable, Planus CU2 replaces both Planus HB and Planus CU in our line of interconnects. Based on customer feedback, we needed to develop a wire that came closer to the performance of Planus AG but still provided the organic qualities to the music that copper provides. The previous Planus HB came close to the performance of our silver wire, but still had the silver sheen that some listeners thought too forward or that did not fit well in already analytic systems.

Planus CU2 uses a slightly different geometry compared to Planus CU to achieve better retrieval of low-level detail and a more palpable soundstage presentation compared to the original Planus CU. CU2 achieves about 90% of the low-level detail retrieval and soundstage palpability of Planus AG, but allows the warmth/organic qualities of music to better come through. In comparing CU2 to AG, you will note two major differences. The leading edge on CU2 is not quite as pronounced as it is with AG. Also, on good live recordings such as Jazz At The Pawnshop, CU2 does not capture the ambience of the performance venue quite as well as AG. The differences between AG and CU2, however, are subtle and allow the listener to “tune” a system that might otherwise be too forward or aggressive if AG were used .

Planus CU2 is now available and can be purchased in either single-ended or balanced configurations. Our standard lengths are 1 meter and 1.5 meters. CU2 is not shielded (like the rest of our wires), so 1.5 meters will be the longest single ended interconnect we will build.

PLANUS INTERCONNECT CABLES

MG Audio Design, LLC is now offering, as a companion to its award winning speaker wires, a series of interconnects - the Planus interconnects. The Planus interconnect has the same sonic virtues of the speaker wire -it is transparent, detailed, neutral, and very musical.

Consistent with our design philosophy, we did not develop this wire to have a house “sound.” Rather, we focused on minimizing capacitive, inductive and skin effects that inevitably color the sound of all wires. The minimization of these factors is especially critical with low-level signals where loss of high frequency information and phase response is magnified. The design is based on physics and good engineering practice, not voodoo. The result of this design is that you can hear more clearly into the musical performance, catch details you have never heard before, and better capture the emotional expression of the artist(s).

We have three different versions of the Planus interconnects- the Planus CU2 (Copper), the Planus AG1 (Silver), and Planus AG2 (Silver). Planus CU2 has been cryogenically treated to maximize signal flow through the wire. The cryogenic treatment allows the CU2 version’s performance to be about 90% of the performance of the AG1 version. The CU2 version is an excellent wire, among the best on the market today; however, when compared to its more expensive big brothers, it lacks a certain “magic” that is present with the AG1 and AG2 versions. The CU2 has more warmth in the upper bass and lower midrange compared to the AG versions, but lacks the last bit of air, detail, and speed that make the AG so stunning. Our latest interconnect, AG2, redefines state-of-the-art in terms of musicality, transparency, detail, and soundstaging.

We are introducing a Series 2 version for our balanced interconnects. At the suggestion of one of our friends (Bascom King to name drop), we put an RF filter on the end of our balanced AG2 interconnects. We had thought about this previously, but were concerned with how the increased capacitance would affect the overall performance of the wires. As it turns out, we should not have worried. Another veil was lifted from the music. We tried this with single ended cables and did not find much, if any, improvement. Therefore, we will be offering the Series 2 as our standard for AG2 balanced interconnects and a $50 option for AG1 and CU2 balanced interconnects. We will retrofit older balanced interconnects, but you will lose an inch of length on the cable because we have to re-terminate them. The cost to retrofit will be $250.

No one wire can be the “best” wire for all systems and ours is no exception. While we have put these in a number of different high-end systems and they worked very well in each, there may be times where the wire is not well matched with the voicing of the system. All Planus wires are very revealing, not boring or polite. Because of the potential to not work well in a particular system, we offer a 30-day money back return for standard length wires sent back in saleable condition.

All Planus interconnects are available with a balanced or single ended geometry. The single ended versions use a locking RCA. We will make custom lengths for these interconnects; however, we will only make single ended wires a maximum of 1.5 meters long because of the potential for high frequency interferencee.

All Planus wires are unshielded so their physical placement within a system is critical for best performance. If you must cross other wires, especially power cords, be sure to cross them at a 90-degree angle. Running them parallel to other cords can cause signal degradation and introduce the potential for hum.

The price/performance of all of our wires is exceptional. They have easily outperformed well-regarded wires costing ten times as much as the Planus wires. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Also, your best results will be achieved by using Planus interconnects with Planus speaker wire. The speaker wire is based on a geometry similar to the interconnect and has very similar sonic virtues. Together, these can transform a system.