Isolada speaker Cable

The Ultimate Impedance-Matched Speaker Cable

Discover Unmatched Audio Purity with Townshend Isolda DCT Speaker Cables
Unlock the full potential of your audio system with Townshend Isolda DCT Speaker Cables, engineered to deliver pristine, distortion-free sound based on time-tested transmission line theory. Unlike conventional speaker cables, the Isolda’s innovative design ensures impedance matching between your amplifier and speakers, revealing every delicate detail of your music with breathtaking clarity.

Key Benefits You’ll Love

Unrivaled Clarity:

Eliminates distortion and micro-reflections for pure, transparent sound.

Immersive 3D Imaging

Creates a wide, realistic soundstage that draws you into the music.

Powerful Bass

Delivers deep, authoritative bass with unmatched solidity.

Handcrafted Quality

Bespoke cables made with precision for audiophile-grade performance.

Sizing up

Discover Flawless Audio with Townshend Isolda: No Need for Equal Cable Lengths

Unlike conventional speaker cables, Townshend Audio’s Isolda impedance-matched cables eliminate the need for equal lengths to achieve pristine sound. Standard non-impedance-matched cables, when cut to unequal lengths, suffer from signal echoes and reflections that degrade audio quality, muddying details and dynamics. Isolda’s advanced impedance-matching design ensures a clean, consistent signal path regardless of length, delivering uncompromised clarity, precision, and fidelity to your music.

Measure

Max Townshend’s Triumph: The Isolda’s Unmatched Fidelity

Max Townshend unlocked the secret to perfect audio with impedance matching, the cornerstone of superior speaker cables. Driven to quantify what he heard, he measured voltage drop on an oscilloscope, declaring: if it’s measurable, it’s audible. His pioneering experiment, outlined in a groundbreaking paper, produced a revealing graph. While other cables showed erratic traces, the Townshend Isolda stood out with a pristine white line—steady, flat, and unchanging across frequencies. This flawless response proves the Isolda’s unrivaled fidelity, delivering crystal-clear sound via its flat copper strips and 8-ohm matching.

Cable Impedance Mismatch Response

The experiment measures voltage differences between an amplifier and speaker across various cables, highlighting how cable resistance and impedance mismatches cause frequency response variations, particularly above 400 Hz, due to multiple reflections. See Analysis

I have used Isolda speaker cable for 15 years and find it excellent in most applications comprehensively besting other cables I have tried from Nordost, Tellurium, Supra, DNM and no doubt others I have forgotten. It offers bass response, treble purity and soundstaging in a different league to other cables I have tried.”

This is the speaker cable I have been using for some time but only got around to reviewing this year. I can’t find anything better and I have tried, nothing comes close when it comes to three dimensionality of soundstage and control, depth and power in the bass, it’s also more than able in the timing department. The EDCT treatment puts it even further ahead of the competition.

Unlike many cables that artificially enhance high frequencies, the Isolda provided a balanced and realistic audio presentation. This clarity allowed previously harsh tracks to become enjoyable, even at high volumes… Despite their higher price, the Townshend Isolda cables offer excellent value for those seeking a significant upgrade to their audio system, providing an honest and fatigue-free listening experience.”

hese cables can convey a huge and realistic soundstage… a cable that can flesh out the music from the top to bottom octave. The Townshend Isoldas are killer cables.

he first thing that strikes you about these cables is that they do not highlight any particular frequency, although I will say that they help produce the firmest, deepest, and weightiest bass I have experienced from any cable I have used. Across the frequency range, the music possesses a natural sense of timing, with no blurring or exaggeration of instruments or notes.

Checkout Those Videos

Ditton Works’ Cable Journey: Why Isolda Delivers the Ultimate Sound at an Audio Bargain

Max Townshend Reveals Micro-Reflections in Non-Impedance-Matched Speaker Cables

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frequently asked questions

What is the Townshend Audio Isolda Speaker Cable?

The Isolda Speaker Cable is a long-standing favourite from Townshend Audio, designed to deliver a natural, undistorted sound. It features two closely spaced, deep cryogenically treated copper strips, impedance-matched to typical speaker loads, and wrapped in a braided sheath for a transparent, fatigue-free listening experience.

How does the Isolda cable differ from generic speaker cables?

Generic cables are often just stranded wire with no regard for impedance, leading to signal reflections that smear sound. The Isolda uses a flat, ribbon-like design with two copper strips 0.07mm apart, impedance-matched at 8 ohms, and treated with our Enhanced Deep Cryogenic Treatment (EDCT). This cuts distortion, RFI, and vibration, giving you solid bass, clear mids, and a proper 3D soundstage—things generic cables rarely achieve.

What’s the Enhanced Deep Cryogenic Treatment (EDCT) process?

EDCT involves slowly cooling the copper to -190°C, holding it there, then warming it back up. It refines the copper’s structure, reducing imperfections for better conductivity and a smoother, more detailed sound. It’s a step beyond standard cryogenic treatment, unique to Townshend.

Why choose the Isolda over other premium cables?

It’s about science, not hype. The Isolda’s low inductance, high capacitance, and impedance matching eliminate distortion that many premium cables ignore or even exaggerate. You get the music as it was recorded—neutral and honest, not coloured or fatiguing.

What does impedance matching mean for the Isolda cable?

It means the cable’s characteristic impedance (8 ohms) matches typical speaker loads, reducing signal reflections that cause distortion—like echoes in the audio. Most cables have impedances of 100-400 ohms, a mismatch that muddies the sound. The Isolda keeps it clean and precise.

My speakers are 4 ohms. Will the Isolda still work?

Yes, it’ll perform brilliantly. Designed around an 8-ohm average, the Isolda still cuts reflections and noise with 4- or 6-ohm speakers. The difference is subtle—far less than with generic cables. We can explore custom options if you’d like a perfect match.

Is it compatible with all amplifiers?

Pretty much. The amplifier-end box has inductors to stabilise even tricky amps that don’t like high-capacitance cables (like some older Naims that were designed to be sold with Naim Cable). The speaker-end Zobel network keeps impedance steady. It’s safe and effective with valve or solid-state setups.

Is the cable directional?

No need to worry—the Isolda works either way. Just connect the marked amplifier-end box to your amp, and you’re set.

Does length affect the sound quality?

Not really. Thanks to its impedance matching, the sound stays consistent up to 10 metres. Unequal lengths work just as well—handy if your speakers are at different distances.

What sound improvements does the Isolda offer?

You’ll hear deep, controlled bass, a wide soundstage, and mids that feel real—vocals and instruments especially. It’s calm yet detailed, with no harshness or fatigue. It’s about hearing what’s on the recording, not what the cable adds.

How does it compare to the Fractal cable?

The Isolda’s a classic—reliable and neutral. The Fractal builds on that with extra damping, a conduit around the copper, and our secret Fractal treatment, digging even deeper into silence and detail. If you love the Isolda, the Fractal’s the next step up.

Will it transform a basic setup?

It’ll show what your system can do, but it won’t fix a poor setup. With decent kit, you’ll hear tighter sound and more depth. It shines brightest with quality components.

How does it handle RFI and vibration?

The close conductor spacing blocks RFI, while the braided sheath and EDCT copper damp vibrations. You get silent backgrounds and crisp sound—generic cables often let interference creep in.

How do I set up the Isolda cable?

Plug the amplifier-end box into your amp and the other into your speakers—banana plugs or spades, your choice. It’s stiff but bends into place. No burn-in needed—just listen.

Are cable elevators necessary?

Not strictly. The design handles vibrations well, but elevators can add a bit more isolation if your floor’s prone to shakes. It’s up to you.

Can I use different lengths for each speaker?

Yes, no problem. The sound’s the same whether it’s 2 metres or 5. Saves you coiling up excess cable.

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