Z-Sleeves: One of Three Favorite Year 2004 component Discoveries - Sixmoons.com

"The technology implemented by ZCable in treating EMI/RFI grunge is unmatched by any tweaks I’ve tried in the past..."

"For my money, [the Z-Sleeves from ZCable] are the easiest and most assured way to take your system to the next level. If increased system focus, a smoother and more refined midrange, greater treble purity, a lowered noise floor and an added dose of micro-dynamic finesse appeal to you, they are a great place to start..."

"... I’m tremendously impressed with the Z-Sleeves, not only with their effectiveness in dealing with the pernicious aspects of EMETICs, but more importantly, by their role in allowing a deeper and more affecting involvement into music..."

1. What is a Z-Sleeve?
2. What are people saying about Z-Sleeves?
3. Where can I find Product Information?

1. A Frequency Linear Zero Gauss Chamber - A Zero Gauss Chamber (ZGC) is normally used by electrical engineers or technicians for calibration of Gauss Meters and other devices that measure magnetic fields. Of all shapes, a cylindrical design is one of the most efficient for magnetically shielding a finite space. The multiplying effect of successively spaced shields provides substantially greater magnetic attenuation than a shield of equivalent solid thickness. However, a ZGC can reach a saturation point of magnetic storage, at which time their effectiveness is reduced. So part of the Z-SLEEVE design was to reduce magnetic saturation by increasing the sleeve's ability to store magnetism.

2. ERS material - ERS material, from Stillpoints, is designed to absorb, diffuse, and reflect EMI/RFI. Manyreviews and testing has been done with the ERS material. However, no user of ERS has done more testing and development with the ERS clothe than ZCable. ZCable has determined ways to enhance the performance of the ERS cloth to many times more effective than the cloth is on its own. The higher levels of the Z-SLEEVE design - (Ref1, Ultra1, and the HEAVY) represent increased ability to collect, store, and diffuse EMI/RFI. There is a synergy of design here. ZCable's special use of the ERS increases the storage capacity of the Z-SLEEVE so that it holds more magnetism. The ZGC design increases the ERS's ability to collect EMI/RFI. Balanced Power Technologies utilizes the Z-Sleeve in their flagship power conditioner

3. Sleeve Harmonics - by putting any conductive sleeve around a signal or power cord, you will change the tonal balance and tonal harmonics of the cable. For a period of 18 months ZCable worked to create ZGC sleeve ratios of diameter, length, and thickness which have balanced effects across the audio, digital, and video spectrums. During this time, much testing of metals, plated metals, and metal alloys were tested for optimum frequency and tonal balance. It should be noted that the tonal balance of a normal ZGC is slow, thick, and lacking in upper frequency detail. ZCable's research in sleeve harmonics allows us to use to positives of a ZGC while eliminating any of the negatives.

The result is that the signal is organized, or focused by the sleeve harmonics. This is one of the reasons that using a Z-SLEEVE just prior to going into a component is usually most powerful. There is a concentric electromagnetic (EM) field that spins perpendicularly to the direction of a signal traveling through a cable. The Z-SLEEVE harnesses and manipulates that field to speed it up and to organize it. This action has a resulting effect of organizing the signal. Secondarily, the Z-SLEEVE "wicks" out of the field the electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise, so the music signal becomes more pronounced. This occurs because the concentric EM field spins in materials "sandwiched" in between EMI absorptive materials and material that facilitate the EM field rotation. So it cleans as it organizes. The Z-SLEEVE does not introduce it's own EM field. It uses the EM field of the signal or power cable to create its effect. This way no distortion is created. If it was an active device, which would introduce its own EM field, the possibility of signal distortion would be very high. It is also very important for the concentric field to be passively generated by the signal. For in this way it increases automatically as the signal increases! Various cables carries very different amperages, from .0001 amp to 100* amps. Since the sleeve reacts to the field generated by the cable, it gets more powerful when the signal is more powerful. This reactive nature also is imperative to the "no distortion" design. You can imagine the distortion that a high concentric field would create on a .0001 amp interconnect signal. Think of it as an EM lens. A Z-SLEEVE is more than just a shielding device. It organizes and purifies the signal. Here is a simple test anyone can do - take two speaker cables: one cable 10 ft long, and the other 20 ft long. Hook them up to a stereo and play a mono signal. Listen. The shorter speaker cable should be slightly better. Now put 2 Ultra1 Z-SLEEVES on the longer (20 ft) speaker cable near the speaker. If the Z- SLEEVE is only a shield, and you are therefore only shielding 16" of the speaker cable; the shorter speaker cable should still sound slightly better. It won't. The longer speaker cable with 2 Ultra1 Z-SLEEVES will sound noticeably better. It will sound less distorted, more natural, less synthetic, and more tonally coherent. The Z-Sleeve from ZCable not only blocks and absorbs the stray EMI fields, it conditions the signal within the cable as well. The result is less distortion and better, much better, sound.

"...My investigations into (and reviews of) physical isolation devices and suppressors of electromagnetic interference over the last eight years or so have led me to a major paradigm shift: the sound of any component that has not been effectively mechanically and electro- magnetically isolated, is only delivering a fraction of what that component is capable of delivering, and is, thus, a distortion of its true merits..."

"...a reduction of artificially-bright background ‘hash’ and of the white harshness added to midrange and high frequencies. These most common effects of EMETICs are the notorious bane of many hi-fi systems. There emerged a far more natural rendition of tonality and timbre, the fundamentals of each note in proper balance with its overtone structure, resulting in a beauty and richness of tone with acoustic instruments that belied their electronic reproduction..."

"...Nuances of extensively over-dubbed studio recordings were clearly articulated; realistic orchestral recordings revealed a vivid sense of instrumental place, soundstage reproduction, recording venue and overall verisimilitude. Improved too, was bass resolution and level, somewhat surprisingly. Best of all, the effects were not analytical or destructive of the overall aesthetic intent of the recording and performance. Nor was there any compromise of large dynamic swings and impact, a common flaw of more conventional AC line conditioning. The Z- Sleeve’s effects were consistently musical..."

"... I’m tremendously impressed with the Z-Sleeves, not only with their effectiveness in dealing with the pernicious aspects of EMETICs, but more importantly, by their role in allowing a deeper and more affecting involvement into music..." -

- Paul Szabady, Stereo Times

Six Moons Says:

Of the Standard Z-Sleeve

"...The massed violins from Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo" on Rostropovich, Return to Russia [Sony Classical SK 45836] came across with an added measure of both purity and body, likely due to the removal of a slight electronic hash that one would never otherwise know to be present, or else blame on the recording. It was much the same for "Malaguena" from DMP's Carved In Stone [CD-512], a collection of Big Band numbers. The opening brass came across with a slightly reduced sense of glare and a heightened sense of purity. Again, both of these effects were subtle but important..."

"...With less forward speakers such as the Silverlines and Magnepans, I didn't notice quite as much of a change through the upper midrange region. There was no unwanted sweetening per se but I did observe a notable and welcome increase of focus, particularly on female vocals and strings, and a slightly smoother rendering overall. Particularly on the Silverline Boleros I heard the music take on an added air of refinement throughout the treble. Credit, I suppose, must go to the excellent Dynaudio Esotar tweeter with its high resolution and over-the-top extension for showcasing the Z-Sleeves effect in this region. It sounded notably cleaner, slightly smoother and evidenced a small yet important gain in palpability with the Z-Sleeves in place..."

Of the Ultra Z-Sleeve

"..What I heard really did amount to a miraculous transformation of the Rethms. With absolutely no dynamic relaxation of what had made them sound so wonderful already, with absolutely no perceptible change in frequency response whatsoever, the Thirds now sounded positively beguiling. All of the rough edges I had been troubled by had completely disappeared, yet the speakers still espoused their almost supernatural way with transients that simply gives new meaning to speed. There was no blurring of detail or any slurring of microdynamics which may otherwise indicate a veiling, dulling or other unintended consequence. With the Ultra 1 sleeves in the system, the Rethms possessed at once a reach-out-and-grab-you-by-the- scruff-of- the-neck, in-your-face excitement along with an almost counter-intuitively deep- down-soul- satisfying, lose-yourself-in-the-music, listen-all- day soothing musicality..."

"...A few days later, the Silverline Boleros were back in the system and had me witness all the aforementioned qualities of the standard sleeves plus one new one. With the full-range Boleros, I was now hearing new-found microdynamic finesse in the bass region. While the Boleros had always produced a smooth, tuneful and palpable bass line, they now had even more pizzazz..."

"...Both sleeves (but the Ultra-1 to a significantly greater extent) had the effect of lowering my system's noise floor. This is the natural result of stripping the music signal of the superimposed and previously unnoticed RFI/EMI grunge that's riding its back without protection. With the sleeves in place, the music, micro-dynamically speaking, ebbs and flows better..."

"...If increased system focus, a smoother and more refined midrange, greater treble purity, a lowered noise floor and an added dose of micro-dynamic finesse appeal to you, the Z-Sleeves from ZCable are a great place to start..."

-- John Potis, Sixmoons.com

Audio Circle users say:

"...I was literally stunned by the clarity gains (or resolution?) made to my Odyssey Lorelei's. All of a sudden, the highs that I had never missed appreared in all their glory..."

"...Now this was what had been missing from my system. I had tremendous soundstage depth and body from all the Bybee's in my system but the highs weren't there. This is something I hadn't noticed missing until it appeared..."

"...The best way to describe the effect I'm getting now is it's like going from a regular CD to a HDCD or XRCD. There's so much more music getting through it's scary. I can't remember when a $200 tweak made such an impact in my system..."