EICHMANN RCA BULLET PLUGS
I have been interested in trying the Eichmann Bullet RCA Plugs for some time. These
simple, polymer plastic plugs offer potential sound improvements that are claimed to
result directly from their minimalist construction. (www.eichmanncables.com)
Click here for a photo.
The Eichmann plug is available as 24K gold plating over a high quality copper base,
which I used, or, at a higher price, gold over a silver base. The idea behind these plugs
in essence is to have the plug act as an extension of the cable itself, as if the cable were
soldered directly to the input jacks. Many, if not most, RCA plugs are brass-based with
several levels of plating. The Canare F-10 plugs I have been using, and have actually
been very happy with, are brass with both nickel and gold plating. The Eichmann
construction simplifies the signal flow by putting it through fewer different materials and
claims a 320% improvement in conductivity over brass-based RCA plugs.
The Eichmann construction also uses a single point ground terminal as opposed to the
circumferential designs typical of most RCA plugs. This is said to reduce “eddy
currents” and to provide the same sort of grounding benefits offered by star grounding
in components. The one thing that was immediately obvious about the Eichmann plugs
is that they fit the various input jacks on my equipment a lot better than the Canare
plugs they replaced.
I obviously can’t verify most of these claims, other than only measuring a conductivity
improvement of only 317.6%, but I can provide some idea of how installing and listening
to these plugs went.
I bought four sets of Eichmann Bullet Plugs. Three sets came from Welborne Labs (www.
welbornelabs.com), who were having a sale, and the fourth set was purchased from
Handmade Electronics (www.hndme.com). I paid about $33 per set of four copper
based plugs, plus shipping. I wish to add that the information on the Eichmann plugs
noted above came from the Welborne site.
I have DH Labs BL-1 interconnect cable throughout my system. So I made two sets of
cables as identical in length as I could for connecting the DAC to the preamp and the
preamp to the crossover using the Eichmann Bullet RCA plugs and some used BL-1
cable. I wanted to compare only the sound of the plugs themselves, not a difference in
cable length. With subsequent sets of cables, I had to remove the Canare plugs and
install the Eichmann plugs using the same wire.
Installing the Eichmann Bullet Plugs was fairly simple. The instructions are good while
perhaps overemphasizing all the things you can do wrong. I tinned the solder terminals
on the Eichmann plugs and on the ends of my wires prior to soldering them together. A
quick touch with the soldering iron completed the connection. The solder terminal for
the center pin is reasonably large and easy to solder. My only gripe is with the solder
terminal for the ground pin. Does it need to be so small? I understand the theoretical
advantages for the ground pin itself in being small but is it necessary for the solder
connector to be so tiny? It seems unavoidable that the connection at the ground
terminal will end up being made mainly by the solder itself. For this I used a 96/4%-
tin/silver solder.
The plastic body of the Eichmann cable really looks cheap and flimsy. The setscrew
contained in it was not long enough to be of any value in providing stress-relief for the
small diameter BL-1 cable. To help support the wire itself, I used ½-inch shrink tubing.
This does not shrink quite small enough to really grip the BL-1 but it does improve the
support.
I put the first set of cables in between the Perpetual Technologies DAC and my preamp.
I honestly could not hear any difference in the sound with just this one set in place. It
certainly did not sound any worse but there was no discernable improvement. I then
installed the second set between the preamp and the Dahlquist DQ-LP1 crossover.
There was a subtle but clear improvement in the sound with the second set in the
system. The things I value in my system: imaging, low level detail, and focus were all
slightly better. It was the sort of improvement that I would certainly consider worthwhile
and a very good deal for roughly $80.
When I connected the third set of cable between the crossover and the VTL amp, I got
an intermittent connection in the left channel. I wasn’t too surprised actually; it was
obvious that the Eichmann plugs were not fitting into the jacks on the crossover very
deeply. This was very disappointing as I expected this third set to really give an insight
into just how much improvement these plugs could make when they comprised the whole
input signal path.
I removed the crossover from the system and took off the cover. The DQ-LP1 has
circular openings on the rear through which an RCA plug has to fit to seat properly into
the jack. The jacks themselves only extrude about half of their length outside of the
casework. The outside diameter of the Eichmann plug, ½-inch, prevented it from fitting
through this opening. I had been lucky enough to have the plugs from the preamp seat
far enough into the crossover to make contact but due to some variations in the jack
depth, the output plugs to the VTL didn’t quite make it. With the top off of the crossover,
it was obvious that the pins from the Eichmann plugs were only just barely able to make
a connection.
I ended up replacing the Canare RCA plugs on the cable ends that connect to the
crossover. I don’t think I really had any choice. I did spend some time looking at both
the casework and the Eichmann plugs to see if modifying either or both was possible
and I concluded that neither was.
I did put Eichmann plugs on the cable ends connected to the VTL amp. Overall, I felt
that doing this maintained the sound improvement I had originally gotten from the first
two Eichmann-only cables.
These things work. If I weren’t so cheap, I would seriously consider trying the silver
plugs to see if they are an improvement over the copper plugs.
The caveats in using these plugs are: be careful soldering; provide some sort of strain
relief so that the cable isn’t hanging from the solder connections, especially, given the
somewhat marginal ground connection; and be aware that the size of the plug itself
makes some connections difficult or impossible.
Now for the real reason I wanted to try these connectors.
The design of the Eichmann plug makes the plug’s own impedance, for all practical
purposes, a moot point. Ergo, these plugs should be ideal for terminating digital
cables. I have used a number of Canare 75-Ohm RCA plugs while experimenting with
digital interconnects. There are two drawbacks to using the Canares, however. The
first is that they are not easily reusable since they have to be crimped and, as I don’t
have the factory crimper and have crimped them rather badly as a result, reuse is pretty
much out of the question. And second, you have to buy the correct diameter plug for
the wire you are using if you want to get a good connection. The Eichmann plugs have
neither of these problems. The problem they have is making the ground connection with
a relatively large twisted bundle of ground wires and a very tiny solder connector to
which to solder them.
I have to refer, at this point, to an article on the Positive Feedback website. In Issue 14
there is an article entitled, “Why longer is generally better for an S/PDIF Digital Cable,”
by Steve Nugent.
This article explains why digital cables of at least one meter, or longer, will sound better
than shorter cables. The reason, as I understand it*, is that signals get reflected on
digital cables due to less than perfect 75-Ohm interfaces. A longer cable puts the
reflection far enough behind the original signal time-wise that it avoids modulating it.
So if longer is better and the Eichmann plugs eliminate impedance problems, a cable
combining both should make a great digital cable, assuming the wire itself if pretty trick.
Belden makes a 75-Ohm cable known as 1694A. It has excellent specifications and it
costs relatively nothing, about eighty-five cents per foot retail. The 1694A has a
propagation speed of 82% of the speed of light. This is very good and I am certainly
willing to take Belden’s word for it as my Mr. Wizard “Speed-O-Light” meter isn’t up at the
moment anyway.
I have been using an inexpensive, one-meter digital cable that I bought on eBay from a
seller called PSL Audio. It uses Canare 75 Ohm ends but I haven’t taken it apart to see
what wire is inside it. It sounds very, very good and has been my reference digital
interconnect. (This company no longer appears to be on eBay.)
I put together a digital interconnect using seven feet (two meters) of the Belden 1694A
and two Eichmann plugs. Would it be the killer cable I have been looking for?
Killer may be too strong a word. The 1694A cable sounded slightly better than my
reference cable immediately, with no break in. I felt that there was the same sort of
subtle improvement to the sound that had been wrought by reterminating the
interconnects, i.e., better low-level detail. Soundstage width and depth were essentially
the same. This is with a digital cable costing about $30.
I listened to some CDs I use for reference as well as others. K. D. Lang’s voice on a
Wonderful World with Tony Bennett (Columbia CK 86734) sounded just fabulous
singing “A Kiss to Build a Dream on.” The bass on this album, which is excessive and
bloated, but not unpleasant, sounded like it might even be a touch louder. I had the
impression that the volume had been turned up just a hair by the new cable.
Unfortunately, I didn’t foresee this happening and made no measurements with which to
actually check it out; the difference would be small in any case.
I put on a CD that I haven’t listened to since I don’t know when, Yo-Yo Ma Japanese
Melodies (CBS MK 39703). This is a 1984 CD and I didn’t expect particularly good
sound. It turned out to be stunning. Wood-on-wood sounds that open the album were
startlingly percussive as they cracked from the back left of the soundstage. Cymbals
and bells shimmered as they appeared and disappeared behind the left and right
speakers. What must be a wooden flute sounded airy and breathy, without distracting
from the notes being played. Ma’s cello sat in the middle of the soundstage sounding
woody and resonant and realistically scaled. His breathing was audible; the bass notes
were deep; you could sense the effort he was making in playing. The harpsichord
sounded sharp and fast without the noises of the mechanism being intrusive. What
made it exciting to listen to, though, was the dynamics. From a black silence the music
would erupt, retreat, rise, fall, get loud, get soft, express its life. For me, this is what
makes listening interesting. It was all absolutely wonderful. (Regrettably, there is no
information with the CD and I am not certain exactly what instruments were actually
being played except for those noted on the CD’s back cover.)
While most of the recording took place in the center and at the speakers, enough was
happening elsewhere to fill in the soundstage and make it reach from speaker to
speaker. Its sound seemed more consistent with a CD released in 2004 than from
twenty years ago. I ended up comparing the song, “Kojo-No-Tsuki” (The Moon on the
Castle) to the same song on James Galway’s Song of the Seashore, (RCA RCD1-
3534). With a metal flute, the song still had all its charms but the airy quality of the flute
on the Ma recording was gone and the scale was smaller.
The 1694A cable may show some further improvements as it breaks in, if it breaks in.
As for now, with the Bullet Plugs, it’s as good as any digital cable I have heard. I think
the Bullet Plugs are the way to go for anyone experimenting with digital cables. They
are reusable and eliminate the entire question of impedance matching.
My own experience with the Eichmann Bullet RCA Plugs was that they do provide sound
improvements that are subtle, but worthwhile. The sound quality certainly backs up the
claims made for their construction. To realize all of their benefits, though, I think you
have to apply them to the entire input path, source to amplifier.
I will report back with any changes that develop as all of the cables get some more hours
on them.
*the ultimate caveat
KJ July 2005
I have been interested in trying the Eichmann Bullet RCA Plugs for some time. These
simple, polymer plastic plugs offer potential sound improvements that are claimed to
result directly from their minimalist construction. (www.eichmanncables.com)
Click here for a photo.
The Eichmann plug is available as 24K gold plating over a high quality copper base,
which I used, or, at a higher price, gold over a silver base. The idea behind these plugs
in essence is to have the plug act as an extension of the cable itself, as if the cable were
soldered directly to the input jacks. Many, if not most, RCA plugs are brass-based with
several levels of plating. The Canare F-10 plugs I have been using, and have actually
been very happy with, are brass with both nickel and gold plating. The Eichmann
construction simplifies the signal flow by putting it through fewer different materials and
claims a 320% improvement in conductivity over brass-based RCA plugs.
The Eichmann construction also uses a single point ground terminal as opposed to the
circumferential designs typical of most RCA plugs. This is said to reduce “eddy
currents” and to provide the same sort of grounding benefits offered by star grounding
in components. The one thing that was immediately obvious about the Eichmann plugs
is that they fit the various input jacks on my equipment a lot better than the Canare
plugs they replaced.
I obviously can’t verify most of these claims, other than only measuring a conductivity
improvement of only 317.6%, but I can provide some idea of how installing and listening
to these plugs went.
I bought four sets of Eichmann Bullet Plugs. Three sets came from Welborne Labs (www.
welbornelabs.com), who were having a sale, and the fourth set was purchased from
Handmade Electronics (www.hndme.com). I paid about $33 per set of four copper
based plugs, plus shipping. I wish to add that the information on the Eichmann plugs
noted above came from the Welborne site.
I have DH Labs BL-1 interconnect cable throughout my system. So I made two sets of
cables as identical in length as I could for connecting the DAC to the preamp and the
preamp to the crossover using the Eichmann Bullet RCA plugs and some used BL-1
cable. I wanted to compare only the sound of the plugs themselves, not a difference in
cable length. With subsequent sets of cables, I had to remove the Canare plugs and
install the Eichmann plugs using the same wire.
Installing the Eichmann Bullet Plugs was fairly simple. The instructions are good while
perhaps overemphasizing all the things you can do wrong. I tinned the solder terminals
on the Eichmann plugs and on the ends of my wires prior to soldering them together. A
quick touch with the soldering iron completed the connection. The solder terminal for
the center pin is reasonably large and easy to solder. My only gripe is with the solder
terminal for the ground pin. Does it need to be so small? I understand the theoretical
advantages for the ground pin itself in being small but is it necessary for the solder
connector to be so tiny? It seems unavoidable that the connection at the ground
terminal will end up being made mainly by the solder itself. For this I used a 96/4%-
tin/silver solder.
The plastic body of the Eichmann cable really looks cheap and flimsy. The setscrew
contained in it was not long enough to be of any value in providing stress-relief for the
small diameter BL-1 cable. To help support the wire itself, I used ½-inch shrink tubing.
This does not shrink quite small enough to really grip the BL-1 but it does improve the
support.
I put the first set of cables in between the Perpetual Technologies DAC and my preamp.
I honestly could not hear any difference in the sound with just this one set in place. It
certainly did not sound any worse but there was no discernable improvement. I then
installed the second set between the preamp and the Dahlquist DQ-LP1 crossover.
There was a subtle but clear improvement in the sound with the second set in the
system. The things I value in my system: imaging, low level detail, and focus were all
slightly better. It was the sort of improvement that I would certainly consider worthwhile
and a very good deal for roughly $80.
When I connected the third set of cable between the crossover and the VTL amp, I got
an intermittent connection in the left channel. I wasn’t too surprised actually; it was
obvious that the Eichmann plugs were not fitting into the jacks on the crossover very
deeply. This was very disappointing as I expected this third set to really give an insight
into just how much improvement these plugs could make when they comprised the whole
input signal path.
I removed the crossover from the system and took off the cover. The DQ-LP1 has
circular openings on the rear through which an RCA plug has to fit to seat properly into
the jack. The jacks themselves only extrude about half of their length outside of the
casework. The outside diameter of the Eichmann plug, ½-inch, prevented it from fitting
through this opening. I had been lucky enough to have the plugs from the preamp seat
far enough into the crossover to make contact but due to some variations in the jack
depth, the output plugs to the VTL didn’t quite make it. With the top off of the crossover,
it was obvious that the pins from the Eichmann plugs were only just barely able to make
a connection.
I ended up replacing the Canare RCA plugs on the cable ends that connect to the
crossover. I don’t think I really had any choice. I did spend some time looking at both
the casework and the Eichmann plugs to see if modifying either or both was possible
and I concluded that neither was.
I did put Eichmann plugs on the cable ends connected to the VTL amp. Overall, I felt
that doing this maintained the sound improvement I had originally gotten from the first
two Eichmann-only cables.
These things work. If I weren’t so cheap, I would seriously consider trying the silver
plugs to see if they are an improvement over the copper plugs.
The caveats in using these plugs are: be careful soldering; provide some sort of strain
relief so that the cable isn’t hanging from the solder connections, especially, given the
somewhat marginal ground connection; and be aware that the size of the plug itself
makes some connections difficult or impossible.
Now for the real reason I wanted to try these connectors.
The design of the Eichmann plug makes the plug’s own impedance, for all practical
purposes, a moot point. Ergo, these plugs should be ideal for terminating digital
cables. I have used a number of Canare 75-Ohm RCA plugs while experimenting with
digital interconnects. There are two drawbacks to using the Canares, however. The
first is that they are not easily reusable since they have to be crimped and, as I don’t
have the factory crimper and have crimped them rather badly as a result, reuse is pretty
much out of the question. And second, you have to buy the correct diameter plug for
the wire you are using if you want to get a good connection. The Eichmann plugs have
neither of these problems. The problem they have is making the ground connection with
a relatively large twisted bundle of ground wires and a very tiny solder connector to
which to solder them.
I have to refer, at this point, to an article on the Positive Feedback website. In Issue 14
there is an article entitled, “Why longer is generally better for an S/PDIF Digital Cable,”
by Steve Nugent.
This article explains why digital cables of at least one meter, or longer, will sound better
than shorter cables. The reason, as I understand it*, is that signals get reflected on
digital cables due to less than perfect 75-Ohm interfaces. A longer cable puts the
reflection far enough behind the original signal time-wise that it avoids modulating it.
So if longer is better and the Eichmann plugs eliminate impedance problems, a cable
combining both should make a great digital cable, assuming the wire itself if pretty trick.
Belden makes a 75-Ohm cable known as 1694A. It has excellent specifications and it
costs relatively nothing, about eighty-five cents per foot retail. The 1694A has a
propagation speed of 82% of the speed of light. This is very good and I am certainly
willing to take Belden’s word for it as my Mr. Wizard “Speed-O-Light” meter isn’t up at the
moment anyway.
I have been using an inexpensive, one-meter digital cable that I bought on eBay from a
seller called PSL Audio. It uses Canare 75 Ohm ends but I haven’t taken it apart to see
what wire is inside it. It sounds very, very good and has been my reference digital
interconnect. (This company no longer appears to be on eBay.)
I put together a digital interconnect using seven feet (two meters) of the Belden 1694A
and two Eichmann plugs. Would it be the killer cable I have been looking for?
Killer may be too strong a word. The 1694A cable sounded slightly better than my
reference cable immediately, with no break in. I felt that there was the same sort of
subtle improvement to the sound that had been wrought by reterminating the
interconnects, i.e., better low-level detail. Soundstage width and depth were essentially
the same. This is with a digital cable costing about $30.
I listened to some CDs I use for reference as well as others. K. D. Lang’s voice on a
Wonderful World with Tony Bennett (Columbia CK 86734) sounded just fabulous
singing “A Kiss to Build a Dream on.” The bass on this album, which is excessive and
bloated, but not unpleasant, sounded like it might even be a touch louder. I had the
impression that the volume had been turned up just a hair by the new cable.
Unfortunately, I didn’t foresee this happening and made no measurements with which to
actually check it out; the difference would be small in any case.
I put on a CD that I haven’t listened to since I don’t know when, Yo-Yo Ma Japanese
Melodies (CBS MK 39703). This is a 1984 CD and I didn’t expect particularly good
sound. It turned out to be stunning. Wood-on-wood sounds that open the album were
startlingly percussive as they cracked from the back left of the soundstage. Cymbals
and bells shimmered as they appeared and disappeared behind the left and right
speakers. What must be a wooden flute sounded airy and breathy, without distracting
from the notes being played. Ma’s cello sat in the middle of the soundstage sounding
woody and resonant and realistically scaled. His breathing was audible; the bass notes
were deep; you could sense the effort he was making in playing. The harpsichord
sounded sharp and fast without the noises of the mechanism being intrusive. What
made it exciting to listen to, though, was the dynamics. From a black silence the music
would erupt, retreat, rise, fall, get loud, get soft, express its life. For me, this is what
makes listening interesting. It was all absolutely wonderful. (Regrettably, there is no
information with the CD and I am not certain exactly what instruments were actually
being played except for those noted on the CD’s back cover.)
While most of the recording took place in the center and at the speakers, enough was
happening elsewhere to fill in the soundstage and make it reach from speaker to
speaker. Its sound seemed more consistent with a CD released in 2004 than from
twenty years ago. I ended up comparing the song, “Kojo-No-Tsuki” (The Moon on the
Castle) to the same song on James Galway’s Song of the Seashore, (RCA RCD1-
3534). With a metal flute, the song still had all its charms but the airy quality of the flute
on the Ma recording was gone and the scale was smaller.
The 1694A cable may show some further improvements as it breaks in, if it breaks in.
As for now, with the Bullet Plugs, it’s as good as any digital cable I have heard. I think
the Bullet Plugs are the way to go for anyone experimenting with digital cables. They
are reusable and eliminate the entire question of impedance matching.
My own experience with the Eichmann Bullet RCA Plugs was that they do provide sound
improvements that are subtle, but worthwhile. The sound quality certainly backs up the
claims made for their construction. To realize all of their benefits, though, I think you
have to apply them to the entire input path, source to amplifier.
I will report back with any changes that develop as all of the cables get some more hours
on them.
*the ultimate caveat
KJ July 2005
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