Au24 SEAnalog and Digital Audio Cables





Au24 SE Cables
Audience is proud to offer the SE version of the highly regarded Au24 series audio cables. Audience has always eschewed the jewelry aspect of audio connectors and instead placed emphasis on those with the best possible sound. In the same engineering spirit of its predecessors the new SE cables represent significantly advanced products. The new connectors are lower mass and improved metallurgy resulting in a big step forward in the reproduction of music. In terms of audible performance, SE cables are nothing short of breathtaking. While all of the sonic attributes which have made Au24 cables the favorites of music lovers the world over, the new SE cables offer much more transparency, a more convincing sound stage and better focus than ever before. The end result is a wholesale upgrade in performance over the Au24 e models.
As our loyal customers know about Audience, we do not change models for the simple sake of change, we only make changes when a true performance breakthrough can be achieved. We guarantee that you will experience a very large degree of improvement when you install Au24 SE cables in your system.
Existing Au24 and Au24 e cables can be upgraded to SE for a nominal charge. (See Upgrades Page).
AU24 SE Phono Cables
Cartridge output levels are quite low, typically in the 3-5 millivolt range and often as low as 100 microvolts. Given the extremely fragile nature of the phono signal, every effort must be pursued in order to preserve the integrity of that signal throughout the signal path. One area where the signal can suffer significant damage and loss is in the phono cable. The thousands of crystalline barriers present in all conventional copper wire requires energy to pass from one barrier to the next. This energy, which is part of the signal, becomes lost in this process. When dealing with ultra low level signals, particularly in phono cables, these harmful crystal barriers are significant impediments to the transmission of critical musical information. For this reason all Audience phono cables are constructed utilizing a low loss cable geometry and the highest purity oxygen-free continuous-cast copper.
All Audience phono cables are available with the following termination options:
a. RCA to RCA
b. Straight 5 pin DIN to RCA
c. Right Angle 5 pin DIN to RCA
d. Tinned leads to RCA (for tone ams with captive phono cables)
Au24 SE Digital Cables
Audience is proud to offer the SE version of the highly regarded Au24 series audio interconnects. Audience has always eschewed the jewelry aspect of audio connectors and instead placed emphasis on those with the best possible sound. In the same engineering spirit of its predecessors the new SE RCA cables represent a dramatically improved product. The new connector has superior metallurgy, improved looks and provides a more secure connection than was previously available. In addition, this connector is even lower mass than was featured in previous models (Au24 and Au24e). In terms of audible performance the SE is nothing short of breathtaking. While all of the sonic attributes which have made Au24 cables the favorites of music lovers the world over, the new SE cables offer much more transparency, a more convincing sound stage and better focus than ever before. The end result is a wholesale upgrade in performance over the Au24 e models.
As our loyal customers know about Audience, we do not change models for the simple sake of change, we only make changes when a true performance breakthrough can be achieved. With the Au24 SE cables we guarantee that you will experience a very large degree of improvement the instant you install them in your system.
Existing Au24 and Au24 e cables can be upgraded to SE for a nominal charge.
How Important are Cables in a System?
Audio cables are often referred to as accessories. However, an audio system cannot make sound without cables installed which implies that they are essential components. And much like the other components in the system, cables must be chosen with the same research that one would perform in choosing an amplifier, a speaker or a turntable. Characteristics such as coloration, distortion and other anomalies must be minimized in order for the system to perform at its optimum. Too often, audiophiles and music lovers treat these essential components as after thoughts and end up compromising the performance of their carefully chosen audio gear.
How do I know if Audience cables will work well in my system?
Audience audio cables are widely known and awarded for being natural and non-colored, maintaining a high degree of faithfulness to true musical characteristics in every way. Because of this natural musical window afforded by Audience cables, they are the most widely applicable cables. Quoting from reviewer Doug Blackburn, in his 2003 review in SoundStage.com "The Audience Au24 interconnects and speaker cables are commendably neutral and natural, and they help you forget about chasing the pot o’ gold at the end of the audiophile rainbow".
What are "e" enhanced and "SE" cables?
Proprietary technologies to improve performance of Audience cables has been developed over the years. The "e" enhanced upgrade was introduced in November of 2007 and "SE" special edition as of January of 2013. Generally speaking, these upgrade technologies simply remove veils, thus allowing you to be ever closer to the musical truth. The opportunity to upgrade existing Audience cables is described under the Product Upgrades section.
Why are Audience cables so thin?
Simply put, audio signal is most accurately delivered by conductors of lower mass. Unfortunately, many water hose size cables are marketed today under the "bigger is better" banner and nothing could be further from the truth. To illustrate the detrimental effects of heavy gauge audio cables, Audience has made a short video demonstration of the very pertinent science of an invisible, yet very powerful force, known as eddy current resistance. The written explanation, with references, is also on this website: eddy current.
Is it better to use single wire or bi-wire speaker cables?
This is a very controversial question. Generally speaking, Audience asserts that simpler is almost always better. In the case of single vs. bi-wire speaker cables, we believe that one signal path from the amplifier to speakers is better than two. In many cases we have provided customers with both single speaker wires and bi-wire to make their own comparisons. Almost invariably, those customers found that the single wire approach, in conjunction with equal quality jumpers, was best. Some reoccurring exceptions were specifically from users of Vanderstein and Von Schweikert loudspeakers.
For bi-wired speakers what is the best approach to using jumpers?
On bi-wired loudspeakers, it is important to use a jumper of equal quality as the primary speaker cables, because the characteristic sound of jumpers tends to be imparted back into the full sound spectrum.
Is stranded or solid core wire best for audio cables?
Stranded wire is flexible whereas solid core is not and will tear when flexed. Some people make the point that these tears heal; however, where healing takes place there are still new crystal boundaries formed as scarring build up.
Small diameter strands do not have the same frequency limitation as larger solid core due to skin effect, which reduces the effective diameter and increases the effective resistance of the wire at high frequency. Therefore, typically, small stranded wire has better sonic attributes at the higher frequencies.
Thin wire has lower eddy current resistance, therefore it is more coherent compared to thicker wire, much like the effect of inductance. Think of a magnetic field being introduced into a flat conductive surface. When the magnetic field is in motion, like an audio signal moving through conductive wire, it produces an electrical current in the conductive surface, which in turn produces a counter magnetic field that impedes the motion of the originating magnetic field. If the surface is broken up in smaller pieces, the magnetic field has only a small conductive path and therefore the eddy current resistance is greatly reduced. Skin effect/eddy currents are going to occur either way; however, at smaller diameters they occur at higher frequencies therefore have less affect in the audible band.
Audience Audio Cables
Audio cables are often referred to as accessories. However, an audio system cannot make sound without cables installed which implies that they are essential components. And much like the other components in the system, cables must be chosen with the same research that one would perform in choosing an amplifier, a speaker or a turntable. Characteristics such as coloration, distortion and other anomalies must be minimized in order for the system to perform at its optimum. Too often, audiophiles and music lovers treat these essential components as after thoughts and end up compromising the performance of their carefully chosen audio gear.
The idea of cables as components is a controversial subject. There are many who think that "wire is wire" and don't accept that cables can either optimize or compromise the performance of an audio system. Traditional tests for difference in cable reveal very little if any electrical differences between brands. However, the human ear/brain is a far more sensitive and discriminating test apparatus and deciphers differences in cable brands rather easily. This ability can be developed much like wine tasting. As you become more experienced, differences, shadings and nuance become more readily noticeable.
Audience Conductor and Au24 cable products are the end result of years of research into what matters most in an audio system...true fidelity to the signal without artificial embellishments or unwarranted voicing. Audience cables are not off the shelf items that have been adapted for use in an audio system, they are products that have been designed to actually preserve the audio signal in the least damaging fashion possible. "Neutral" or "natural" are the terms we hear most often when end users describe their performance.
Finally, Audience cables do not sport the most impressive looking connectors or overly large outer jacketing. More often than not, the connectors that look best sound bad and can actually degrade performance. Fanciful jacketing is an added cost passed on to the end user and often obscures what lies inside. While simple yet elegant in appearance, Audience cables are designed to reach the highest level of performance.
- Audience Au24 SE USB Wins 2018, 2017, 2016,2015 Awards; also Robert Harley: No Compromise
Audience Au24 SE USB
This new USB cable is simply sensational in every way. The Au24 SE USB’s clarity, dimensionality, and gorgeous timbre put it in a class by itself. It seems to have no signature of its own, but rather more transparently conveys what’s coming from your computer. The dual-cable design separates the signal-carrying and power-carrying conductors.
RH, 254
No Compromise
“The Audience cable seemingly does it all; it is convincingly superior in every sonic criterion”
RH, 254
Read Full Review (PDF)
All 2018 Editors’ Choice Award Products
- 2018, 2017 TAS Editors’ Choice Award for Au24 SE Phono Cables
Audience Au24 SE Phono Cable
$1290/1mThe Audience phono cable, in a crowded field of contenders, soars above many of them with its alacrity and transparency. Extremely flexible and lightweight, the phono cable is simplicity itself to use. Coupled with its jackrabbit speed is a naturalness of timbre that makes for refined and seductive listening. It also seems to filter out external noise effectively.
JHb, 230
All 2018 Editors’ Choice Award Products
- The Absolute Sound 2017 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE Cables
Audience Au24 SE Cables
“The most notable virtue of the speaker cables is that they follow the audio equivalent of the Hippocratic oath, which is to say that they don’t do anything wrong. ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017 Full Buyer’s Guide
- The Absolute Sound 2017 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE Phono Cables
Audience Au24 SE Phono Cables
“The Au24 SE is capable of vanishingly low noise and enticing tonal clarity. Any sense of haze is banished by the Au24 SE cable. . ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017 Full Buyer’s Guide
- The Absolute Sound 2017 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE USB Cables
Audience Au24 SE USB Cables
“The Au24 SE is priced at the very top end of the scale, but if you want a no-compromise USB cable, look no further. ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017 Full Buyer’s Guide
- 2018, 2017 TAS Editors’ Choice Award for Au24 SE Phono Cables
Audience Au24 SE Phono Cable
$1290/1mThe Audience phono cable, in a crowded field of contenders, soars above many of them with its alacrity and transparency. Extremely flexible and lightweight, the phono cable is simplicity itself to use. Coupled with its jackrabbit speed is a naturalness of timbre that makes for refined and seductive listening. It also seems to filter out external noise effectively.
JHb, 230
All 2018 Editors’ Choice Award Products - The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE USB Cables
Audience Au24 SE USB Cables
“The Au24 SE is priced at the very top end of the scale, but if you want a no-compromise USB cable, look no further. ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2018
Full Buyer’s Guide - The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE Phono Cables
Audience Au24 SE Phono Cables
“The Au24 SE is capable of vanishingly low noise and enticing tonal clarity. Any sense of haze is banished by the Au24 SE cable.”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2018
Full Buyer’s Guide - The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE Cables
Audience Au24 SE Cables
“The most notable virtue of the speaker cables is that they follow the audio equivalent of the Hippocratic oath, which is to say that they don’t do anything wrong. ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2018
Full Buyer’s Guide - The Absolute Sound 2017 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE USB Cables
Audience Au24 SE USB Cables
“The Au24 SE is priced at the very top end of the scale, but if you want a no-compromise USB cable, look no further. ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017 Full Buyer’s Guide - The Absolute Sound 2017 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE Phono Cables
Audience Au24 SE Phono Cables
“The Au24 SE is capable of vanishingly low noise and enticing tonal clarity. Any sense of haze is banished by the Au24 SE cable. . ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017 Full Buyer’s Guide - The Absolute Sound 2017 Buyer’s Guide Review for Au24 SE Cables
Audience Au24 SE Cables
“The most notable virtue of the speaker cables is that they follow the audio equivalent of the Hippocratic oath, which is to say that they don’t do anything wrong. ”
High end- Audio Buyer’s Guide 2017 Full Buyer’s Guide - 21st n Publication Review of Au24 SE USB Cable
“The whole experience ranks right up there with finding a cold Corona on the parched road to Damascus.”
Franco Vitaliano – November ’15
Read Full Review - Au24 SE Review, Editors Choice Award by HiFi News
“There’s much more to Audience’s loudspeaker cable than meets the eye, although its Au24 SE model is already one of the more attractive and unimposing designs on the high-end scene.”
Paul Miller – September ’15
Read Full Review - Au24 SE 2015, 2016 TAS Editors’ Choice Awards
Audience Au24 SE
Audience has long insisted that mammoth wires are not only superfluous but can be a hindrance to good sound. Its slender Au24 SE cables and interconnects make a strong case that size does not always matter. While they do not appear to deliver as full a sound as some of their competitors, the Audience Au24 SE assemblage offers some of everything- a wide and deep soundstage, a goodly amount of detail, and superb transparency. When their relatively modest price is factored in, the Audience line only becomes even more impressive for its ability to compete with much pricier top-end cables.
JHb, 249 - HiFi+ Reviews Audience Au24 SE Cables
“…what the Au24 SE does is raise your system’s game, whatever that system. It’s the kind of cable that points you back to your musical core.”
Alan Sircom – HiFi+ Issue 120 Feb ’15
Read Full Review (pdf) - The Absolute Sound 2014 Awards for Au24 SE PowerChords, Au24 SE Interconnects, and Au24 SE Speaker Cable
“Suffice it to say that the Audience speaker and interconnect cables may be relatively diminutive but they will never short-change your system, whether it comes to sonic prowess or nuance.” (Cables)
“… I have to say that it was the power cables that ended up stealing my heart.” (PowerChords)
Jacob HeilBrunn
Read Full Review (pdf) - Au24 SE Cables Review by Doug Blackburn, SoundStage ULTRA
“Audience’s Au24 SE powerChords, interconnects, and speaker cables are the most satisfying wiring products I’ve used in the last 39 years. They sit at the pinnacle of cable performance, and provide an attractive combination of big spaces, a very neutral sound and marvelously balanced performance, from the deepest bass to the highest treble”.
Doug Blackburn – SoundStage ULTRA – October ’14
Read Full Review - Positive Feedback Review of Au24 SE Phono Cables
“Audience has clearly broken the price/performance barrier with their newest Au24 SE phono cables. No matter which cartridge is mounted in the 3D arm—the Lyra, Transfiguration or Koetsu—the Audience brings out the best attributes of each. The dynamics, solidity and resolution of the Atlas: the imaging, preciseness and low level resolution of the Transfiguration; and the realism and sense of space of the Koetsu. Without doubt, these phono cables are clearly at home in any analog system and really bring the music to life.”
Myles B. Astor — Issue #75 September/October ’14
Read Full Review - Dagogo Review: Audience Au24 SE Interconnect, Phono, Speaker Cables
” In my system vocals, saxophones, trumpets, and the like have that ultimate sense of being right there in the room with you.”
Jack Roberts — April ’14
Read Full Review - Rock Metal Bands Webzine Review of Au24 SE RCA Cable
“With Audience’s cables audiophiles quickly stop thinking about the sound; the music captures the listener and speaks for itself.”
Markus Ganzherrlich – Jan ’14 Read Full Review - Au24 SE Cables Review by Greg Lea, PositiveFeedback.com
“If you are looking for high quality cables that can provide a sound experience way beyond their price point these should be number one on your list”.
Gary Lea — March ’14 Read Full Review - Positive Feedback Online Writer’s Choice Award for Au24-SE Cables
“Yeah, they’re that good!”
Greg Weaver — Positive Feedback Writers Choice Award
Read Full Review and Award - AudioTechnique Magazine Reviews Audience Au24 SE Cables
Audience Au24 SE Cables
AudioTechnique Hong Kong
Issue 388 Jan ’14
Read Full Review - Review of Au24 SE by Stereophile
“What’s more, the Au24 SE’s level of overall performance is a step or two beyond that of my other reference cables…”
Brian Damkroger — December ’13
Read Full Review - Enjoy the Music.com’s Review of Au24 SE Cables
“ I for one stand tall in saying the Audience Au24 SE lineup is truly world class sitting high atop my list of products worth owning.”
Anthony Nicosia — December ’13 Read Full Review - SuperAV Magazine Reviews Audience Au24 SE Cables
Audience Au24 SE Interconnect
SuperAVMagazine Issue 241 September ’13
Read Full Review - “the absolute sound” Review of Audience Au24SE Cable
“All of the Audience’s sterling qualities were evident right from the outset. The Audience is an extremely quiet and neutral cable. Its whiplash speed and transparency can become addictive, but it will not appeal to those searching for a cable that supplies additional perceived warmth or body. Instead, it exudes a quiet authority that makes it a very promising candidate for anyone searching for a first-rate phono cable”.
Jacob Heilbrunn — July ’13 Read Full Review - AudioTechnique Magazine Reviews Au24 SE Interconnect Cables
Audience Au24 SE Interconnect
AudioTechnique Hong Kong
Issue 381 Jun ’13
Read Full Review
- Audience Au24 SE USB Wins 2018, 2017, 2016,2015 Awards; also Robert Harley: No Compromise
Audience Au24 SE USB
This new USB cable is simply sensational in every way. The Au24 SE USB’s clarity, dimensionality, and gorgeous timbre put it in a class by itself. It seems to have no signature of its own, but rather more transparently conveys what’s coming from your computer. The dual-cable design separates the signal-carrying and power-carrying conductors.
RH, 254
No Compromise
“The Audience cable seemingly does it all; it is convincingly superior in every sonic criterion”
RH, 254
Read Full Review (PDF)
All 2018 Editors’ Choice Award Products
