ESP™ Soldered Plug

ESP-RA™ PLUG DESCRIPTION

The ESP-RA™ is the first solderable 1/4" phone connector from Evidence Audio and designed (like all of our products) with the primary purpose to sound demonstrably better than anything in its class.

What class does it fall in?  Its compact size and angled format makes it especially suitable for use with smaller cables on pedalboards specifically. Cables with an outer diameter of 4 mm, or around 0.155".

The current flood of plugs used to solder patch cables for a guitar pedalboard typically use a steel nail or pot metal to conduct the audio signal. Ferrous. Magnetic. While these plugs are compact for pedalboards, they cut corners by using inferior metals to carry the sound. They offer greater affordability yet greatly reduced audio quality.

MATERIALS

The contact points of the ESP-RA™ are machined from a high-copper-content brass. Brass offers the appropriate hardness and strength required for a connector with very good conductivity to minimize distortions caused by the cable the plugs are used on.

PATENT-PENDING DESIGN

The form factor is akin to a "pancake" style plug, with a patent-pending closure system that allows for the plug to be assembled with one screw instead of two. This allows for a smaller form-factor as well as reduced assembly time. 

HOUSING SIZE

Width 16 mm | Height 25 mm | Depth 8 mm

CABLE COMPATIBILITY

To give an idea of the cables appropriately sized to work with the ESP-RA plug here's a list of some better known makes and models, which are all compatible:

Evidence Audio Blackrock, Evidence Audio Monorail, Belden 1865A, Belden 8218, Bill Lawrence BL-150, BPTA CA 0492, BPTA CA 0678 Canare GS-4,  Free the Tone CU-418, George L's155, Mogami 2314, Sommer SC-ONYX TYNEE

RECOMMENDED CABLES

MONORAIL CABLE DESIGN

 Our proprietary high-purity IGL copper conductors for distortion-free midrange and high frequencies.
 The solid-core center conductor eliminates the negative effects of strand interaction on the audio signal.
 20 awg conductor size keeps skin-effect distortions outside the audio spectrum while offering ample cross-sectional area.
 Parallel-run shield provides 98% coverage with minimal crosstalk Coaxial geometry with low capacitance.
Carbon-loaded extrusion for protection from triboelectric noise.

BLACKROCK CABLE DESIGN

Blackrock is a compact cable at 4mm outer diameter perfect for analog audio runs that require a smaller form factor. It uses the same conductors found in the Reveal and Forte cables, just with a smaller jacket for use in tighter places such as on pedalboards or in rack systems. When paired with our ESP-RA connectors it makes a wonderful patch cable. The size and design is identical to Monorail cable but the single solid-core center conductor is replaced with an IGL-ECS conductor.

Our proprietary IGL-ECS™ (Increased Grain Linearity – Enamel Coated Strands) utilizes extremely pure copper conductors for positive, with parallel-run conductors for the ground path, which provide shielding with minimal crosstalk.

The negative effects of strand interaction are greatly reduced from the signal by putting an enamel coating over the individual strands of the center conductor. This allows the conductor to measure and sound like a single solid-core conductor, yet retain the flexibility of a cable using stranded conductors.

These key differences in design allow what comes out of the cable to match what goes into the cable.

 High-purity IGL-ECS copper conductor for distortion-free midrange and high frequencies.

 The negative effects of strand interaction on the guitar signal are greatly minimized by putting an enamel coating over the individual strands of the center conductor.

 20 awg conductor size keeps skin-effect distortions outside the audio spectrum while offering ample cross-sectional area.

 Parallel-run shield provides 98% coverage with minimal crosstalk.

 Coaxial geometry with low capacitance for compatibility with a range of RLC possibilities.

 Carbon-loaded extrusion for protection from triboelectric noise.

IMPORTANT BLACKROCK ASSEMBLY NOTE!

Blackrock is offered here in bulk but requires serious consideration for the "DIY" user. The enamel coating on the strands of Blackrock must be removed before soldering the connection. The best way to do this is by using a liquid flux and a high-temperature iron.

Please see the video below where the conductors are prepared by an experienced assembler. The practice leading up to this display was thousands of hours and make it look easy. If you have not worked with the IGL-ECS conductors found in Blackrock, Reveal or Forte cable I recommend that you budget time for learning how to do so, or consider the Monorail cable which will sound equally amazing and give you a much easier termination process.