MISSION-RCA
Zu Mission-RCA Mk.II
Mission interconnect cables are all about maximum hi-fi value and are designed to challenge the state-of-the-art but at reasonable prices.
Mission-RCA Mk.II will improve the sound of your system by lowering noise and improving top to bottom transient and tonal resolution, with the biggest area of improvement in stereophonic imaging—few are as convincing as Zu-Mission RCA Mk.II for stereophonic magic. They're also small, flexible, durable and have a very comfortable hand.
Get pristine perfectly matched 2-channel stereo transmission in your stereo system, get Mission. Skeptical, and want to know for yourself? Great! Our 60-day satisfaction guarantee makes in-home trial dead easy—and we pay return shipping if for any reason you are not completely happy. If you have any questions please call or e-mail info@ZuAudio.com.
Mission-RCA Mk.II is specifically designed for two-channel stereo, line-level single-ended transmission and combines Zu and W.L. Gore® two-channel transmission technologies and marries it with cutting edge manufacturing and regulated shielding. The result is a two-channel stereo cable that is virtually immune to electromagnetic interferences.
Performance goals are realized through the correct application of Zu and Gore® cable technologies, which bond the 2-channel stereo circuits in the same dielectric space providing identical left/right signal conditions and performance, an advantage that is not possible with traditional white/red co-ax cables. Zu Mission also use innovative material technologies such as Teflon® (PTFE) dielectric and pure silver deposit over pure copper conductors.
Connectors: Switchcraft® VS WBT® Nextgen™
SwitchCraft hollow-pin RCA plugs, while humbly priced sound fantastic and are built and terminated to last a lifetime. In keeping with the cool vintage look of this classic RCA plug, we custom color the right channel with epoxy based filler in the cross-hatch—way better looking than a cheep band of red shrink tube.
WBT nextgen™ plugs, we think these are a bit better sounding than the SwitchCraft, but the price of these plugs is significant—the best is usually worth it. Undecided? Get both and compare for yourself, our 60-day satisfaction guaranty is quite liberal, we want you happy and we want you to get the most from your system and your hard earned money.
WBT nextgen RCA plugs contribute to the Mission-RCA Mk.II’s performance largely from reducing contact resistance. Signal and ground contacts are made from pure copper and not turned from brass. Further, to ensure the lowest possible contact resistance, WBT fabricates the pure copper contacts from a single plate. This single piece pure material methodology yields better contact measures and lower noise, improving detail without any spectral imbalances or treble forwardness. Contacts are direct gold plated to ensure a lifetime of high fidelity contact performance. Also, the bulk of the dielectric material used in supporting the contacts is Teflon for the lowest possible signal loss through the plug section of the connector interface. The connector, like all WBT designs, is extremely well engineered and designed to last. And combined with our precision, equally well engineered termination and full epoxy/graphite matrix potting the connector and connector/cable termination perform even better and will last your lifetime without giving you a single problem.
We have tried about every top-level RCA on the market for fitment on the new Mission-RCA Mk.II (including making several of our own) and the WBT nextgen has stood out as the most natural sounding. Added to the termination of the WBT nextgen RCA is a external rubber strain relief, a detail that safeguards the lead-in cable from excessive bend radius and breakage and allows for full potting of the connector housing assembly.
Quick Features
Your choice of connectors to maximize your performance to cash relationship.
SwitchCraft classic hollow-pin RCA for next to best sound while saving a ton of cash and getting a sweet vintage looking cable (and locking barrels to fuss with).
WBT nextgen™ 0114 copper RCA plugs for as good as it gets termination of Mission Mk.II cable and interconnection of your audio gear.
Epoxy potting hermetically seals the termination of wire and connector and improves ESD performance and reduces the unavoidable EM reflections lowering the standing-wave ratio (SWR).
Zu/Gore®-Quad shared dielectric dual signal bonded cable geometry for low electromagnetic interference susceptibility and guaranteed near perfect left/right measures and behavior. This ensures the highest level of stereophonic realism.
Dense electric and magnetic signature, as well as the cables physical dimensions, further guard against RF and noise and allows for small and easy handling.
The very low, uniform and square reactance of Mission RCA Mk.II facilitates very long runs without bandwidth loss or phase issues.
Uniform impedance characteristics of Mission RCA Mk.II reduce standing waves and contribute to the stable propagation of intelligence in short or long runs.
Zu Mission-RCA has no DC offset like in coax designs and features perfect symmetry between left and right channels. As mentioned, this identical relationship between channels guarantees the highest possible recreation of dimension, stereo, density and tone.
Pure silver over pure copper, perfect lay conductors for both signal and return.
Virgin white Teflon® insulation with identical electrodynamic relationships help lower the net dielectric constant; Teflon® also has a very low dissipation factor—both features improve bandwidth, phase relations and overall musical resolution.
Made by us in Ogden, Utah so every product gets serious attention and love.
Maintenance
No maintenance is required for the Mission-RCA cable or its connectors. However, anytime you are making an electrical connection make it a habit to inspect the contacts and clean them if they are tarnished or dirty, Cape Cod™ polish is one of our favorites.
Burn-In
Mission-RCA interconnect cable requires a good bit of play before complete burn-in is reached, roughly 400 hours—lots of Teflon® equals slow burn-in. We do not recommend any burn-in devices or special recordings. We do recommend music you enjoy, preferably upbeat full spectrum recordings: rock, roots, full orchestra, big band.... For the possible how and whys about burn-in please see our Answers section.
