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AudioQuest Rocket 88 Speaker Cable - Factory Terminated

£409.50 £341.25
SKU
AQ Rocket 88
Free UK Delivery
Lifetime
New
what's this?

We can burn-in your cable for up to 96 hours FREE of charge using our Nordost VIDAR cable burner. This is a £3000 machine that will optimise the performance of your cables from day one. This means the cables will be in optimum performance mode when you receive them, so you'll be able to make a performance assessment quickly rather than waiting 70 hours+ of usage. The result of conditioning cables with the Nordost VIDAR is, improved sound staging, increased detail, and an overall more musical presentation. Please Note: we are unable to burn-in cables with stripped bare ends, BFA-only plugs, or no plugs selected. (This does not apply to BFA/Banana plugs). Cables are burnt-in for the selected period AFTER your order has been processed. This service is offered at Future Shop's discretion and we cannot guarantee all burn-in requests are fully completed during busy periods.

what's this?

If you want Future Shop to terminate your speaker cable with our special range of plugs, select Banana/BFA/Z-Plug or Spade plugs from the drop-down menu. We offer a wide range of options on how our highly trained and experienced engineers can fit the plugs to your selected cable. If an option is not available for your requirements, please call us on 0800 772 3688 or 0208 905 1555. All cables are tested for signal integrity before shipping.

what's this?

If you want Future Shop to terminate your speaker cable with our special range of plugs, select Banana/BFA/Z-Plug or Spade plugs from the drop-down menu. We offer a wide range of options on how our highly trained and experienced engineers can fit the plugs to your selected cable. If an option is not available for your requirements, please call us on 0800 772 3688 or 0208 905 1555. All cables are tested for signal integrity before shipping

what's this?

Select the desired length for your cable from the drop-down menu.

what's this?
SPEAKER CABLES:

A quantity of 2 means you will receive a pair of speaker cables e.g. for your front left and front right speakers. By entering a quantity of 1, you will get a cable for a single speaker e.g. centre speaker and this option also enables you to vary the length (and termination) of your cable for each speaker.

OTHER CABLES:

A quantity of 1 means you will receive a single cable in the case of aerial, satellite, subwoofer, digital coaxial & optical cables and a pair of cables in the case of 2 rca to 2 rca analogue audio cables.

NON-CABLE PRODUCTS:

A quantity of 1 means you will receive 1 of the specified products.

Available

Need help? Call us on 0800 772 3688 or 0208 905 1555

Prefer email? Contact us via sales@futureshop.co.uk

All eight of Rocket 88’s conductors are solid. Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of cable distortion.

AudioQuest Rocket 88 Speaker Cable - Factory Terminated

 

Rocket 88 incorporates AudioQuest’s patented Dielectric-Bias System (DBS) and replaces Long-Grain Copper with solid Perfect-Surface Copper+. DBS offers a lower noise-floor, so you can hear deeper into the nuances of your favorite music. At the same time the addition of more PSC+ offers a smoother, more relaxed, and natural sonic timbre and texture.

  

Features :

  • Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) Conductors
  • Carbon-Based Noise-Dissipation and Cross-Talk-Dissipation Systems (Insulation)
  • Dielectric-Bias System (DBS, US Pat #s 7,126,055 & 7,872,195 B1)
  • Double Star-Quad Geometry
  • Spread-Spectrum Technology (SST)
  • Bi-Wiring
  • Gold or Silver Plated Terminations - Please note the AudioQuest Series 1000 plugs are only available in silver.

  

Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+) Conductors :

Rocket 88 uses a carefully finessed, optimized and extremely high-purity Perfect-Surface Copper+. The astonishingly smooth and pure combination of PSC+ significantly eliminates harshness and greatly increases clarity. Rocket 88’s conductor mix is PSC+.

  

Carbon-Based Noise-Dissipation and Cross-Talk-Dissipation Systems (Insulation) :

The four negative conductors in Rocket 88 are insulated with partially conductive Carbon-Loaded Polyethylene. This remarkable material damps radio-frequency garbage from being fed back into the amplifier. The sonic benefit is exactly the same reduction in “hash” and better dimensionality that comes whenever RF garbage is reduced in an audio circuit. Rocket 88 uses Nitrogen-Injected Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation on its positive conductors because air absorbs next to no energy, and Polyethylene is low-loss with a benign distortion profile. Thanks to all the air in Foamed-Polyethylene Insulation, it causes much less of the “out-of-focus” effect common to other materials.

  

Dielectric-Bias System (DBS, US Pat #s 7,126,055 & 7,872,195 B1) :

All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside. When insulation is unbiased, it slows down parts of the signal differently, a big problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio. AudioQuest’s DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation. This minimizes both energy storage in the insulation and the multiple nonlinear time-delays that occur. Sound appears from a surprisingly black background with unexpected detail and dynamic contrast. The DBS battery packs will last for years. A test button and LED allow for the occasional battery check.

  

Double Star-Quad Geometry :

The relationship between conductors defines a cable’s most basic electrical values (capacitance and inductance). However, even when those variables are kept in a reasonable balance, the relationship between conductors can be varied in ways that greatly affect the sound. The Double Star-Quad construction of Rocket 88 allows for significantly better dynamic contrast and information intelligibility than if the same conductors were run in parallel.

  

Spread-Spectrum Technology (SST) :

Any single size or shape of conductor has a specific distortion profile. Even though radially symmetrical conductors (solid or tubular) have the fewest discontinuities, any conductor of a particular size does have a sonic signature. SST is a method for significantly reducing the awareness of these character flaws by using a precise combination of different sized conductors. The different SST-determined conductor sizes used in Rocket 88 allow an exceptionally clear, clean and dynamic sound.

  

Bi-Wiring :

Rocket 88 is an exceptional Single-BiWire cable. When the halves are separated at the speaker end, the Double Star-Quad Geometry turns Rocket 88 into a true Double-BiWire set thanks to the magnetic autonomy of each Quad-conductor section. On its own, one Star-Quad conductor group would be a little lightweight in performance as it is biased towards treble finesse. The other Star-Quad conductor group is biased toward the bass; it’s more forceful and lacking ultimate resolution. Together they form a completely optimized full-range design. When separated, the Double Star-Quad design allows Rocket 88 to be a maximum-performance Double BiWire in a single cable.

  

Gold or Silver Plated Terminations :

AudioQuest offers a wide range of high-quality connectors that allow Rocket 88 to be securely attached to any type of equipment. Quality is in the low-distortion sound, not necessarily in the eye-candy effect. AQ ends are either dull looking gold or silver because these metals are plated directly over the connector. There is no shiny and harsh sounding nickel layer underneath. AQ PK-spade lugs are soft because better metal is soft, and facilitates a higher quality connection. For pieces requiring a banana plug or BFA connector the AQ PK-BFA/Banana provides unprecedented performance over conventional brass versions. Please note the AudioQuest Series 1000 plugs are only available in silver.

  

Application :

The PVC “pants” on either end of Rocket 88 are marked “Speaker End” or “Amp End.” Please use cables in the direction required.

Contact Enhancer Option

To ensure the best possible connection between your system, Future Shop recommends the DeoxIT Gold G-Series contact enhancer.

DeoxIT Gold is carefully applied to the plug contacts of your cable and is a unique conditioning solution designed to improve conductivity and provide long-lasting protection on gold, base metals and other precious metal contacts and connections. DeoxIT Gold penetrates plated surfaces, molecularly bonding to the base metals to seal and protect both surfaces.

The benefits of applying DeoxIT gold are:

  • Improved Conductivity
  • Maintained optimum signal quality
  • Reduced wear & abrasion
  • Prevents fretting/dendrite corrosion
  • Forms a protective anti-tarnishing coating
  • Stabilises connections between similar and dissimilar metals
  • Reduces arcing, RFI and intermittent connections

Please select this option from the above ‘Contact Enhancer’ drop-down menu and our engineers will apply the contact solution to your cable connectors prior to shipping.

  

Specification :

  • Please note, you need to enter a quantity of 2 for a pair
  • Metal: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
  • Gauge: 3.31mm2
  • Geometry: Double Star-Quad
  • Dielectric: Foamed-Polyethylene (For All Positive Conductors)
  • Noise-Dissipation System: Cross-Talk-Dissipation System
  • 72V Dielectric-Bias System (DBS) saturates and polarizes insulation, greatly reducing digital-audio distortion
  • Jacket: Black/Green Braid
  • Plugs: 500 Series Multi-Spade or Banana (Gold or Silver)
  • Outer Diameter: 15mm x 7mm (Braided Cable)
  • Factory Terminated
  • Lifetime Warranty

Terminations:

This cable is professional terminated by AudioQuest using one of the following plug options:

  • Series 500 Gold-plated Banana or Spade
  • Series 500 Silver-plated Banana or Spade
  • Series 1000 Silver-plated Banana or Spade

The Series 500 plugs are made from 'Purple Copper' which is a higher-purity copper compared to the Suregrip 300 Beryllium copper and delivers improved sonic characteristics. The Series 1000 plugs are made from 'Red Copper' which is the highest purity copper in the AudioQuest range and are designed to deliver the very best sonic performance.

The coppers of the connector, just as in the speaker cable itself can lend to the cable sounding more detailed, wider soundstage, lowering of the noise floor and protection of the raw conductors. These benefits increase step by step as you progress higher up the series from the Suregrip 300 Beryllium Copper plugs to the Series 1000 Red Copper banana plugs. The plating process also changes as you move up the series, resulting in a thicker and more durable plating. Please note the AudioQuest Series 1000 plugs are only available in silver.

How to Order

From the dropdown menus' above, simply select the length of cable, the type of plugs required at the ‘Amplifier end’ and ‘Speaker end’ and click on the 'Add to Basket' button to add the item to your basket. Your cable will be dispatched as soon as it has been made by Future Shop's or the manufacturer’s engineers and has completed the specified burn-in process (if any), subject to Future Shop’s Terms & Conditions and stock availability.

About AudioQuest

AudioQuest has been the largest cable supplier to the high-end specialist market for many years. AudioQuest is sold in several hundred outlets in the US and in over sixty countries. Bill Lowe (Founder) is especially pleased that this success has been possible despite his insistence that the foundation of the company, and the foundation of AudioQuest marketing, must be the performance of the product. In the audio world, many professionals have learned that it is not always convenient to listen to the products they sell … they might learn something they don’t want to know! Bill has always understood the challenge of basing the existence of AudioQuest on the performance of the product. However, to Bill, this is the only reasonable way to do business and the only acceptable way to combine his passion for music (and all things high performance), with his need to make a living.

Specification :

  • Please note, you need to enter a quantity of 2 for a pair
  • Metal: Solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ (PSC+)
  • Gauge: 3.31mm2
  • Geometry: Double Star-Quad
  • Dielectric: Foamed-Polyethylene (For All Positive Conductors)
  • Noise-Dissipation System: Cross-Talk-Dissipation System
  • 72V Dielectric-Bias System (DBS) saturates and polarizes insulation, greatly reducing digital-audio distortion
  • Jacket: Black/Green Braid
  • Plugs: 500 Series Multi-Spade or Banana (Gold or Silver)
  • Factory Terminated
  • Lifetime Warranty

UK Delivery

 

1. We use Royal Mail 1st Class Services as a Standard Postage Option

Orders received before 4.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) are usually dispatched the same day by FIRST CLASS post (unless premium postal or timed courier services are selected), subject to stock availability. Over 98% of our orders are usually delivered the next working day including Saturdays.

Standard delivery is usually within 2-3 working days, although 98% of all orders are delivered the next working day including Saturdays . In extreme cases, such as delivery to the Highlands and Islands, this may take 3 days.

All items are fully insured and come with an invoice from Futureshop.co.uk. We use the Royal Mail for delivery of small packages and DPD or Interlink Express for items that weigh over 2KG. Items over 2KG are fully insured and will usually be delivered within 48 hours of placing your order Monday to Friday subject to stock availability. For International orders, we use FedEx Services where customers have selected this option.

Please note, special orders for non-standard cable lengths or custom-made cables may be subject to longer delivery time-scales. This may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

We offer 'Free UK delivery on orders over £99' subject to the following terms & conditions:

  • Applies only to orders with £99 or more of items (including VAT at the UK rate), at FutureShop.co.uk
  • Free Delivery on orders over £99 utilises Royal Mail First Class postal service for items weighing under 2KG. For items weighing over 2KG, we use DPD next working day services which deliver from 9.00am to 6pm within mainland UK (excludes Royal Mail Special Delivery Services and timed next day delivery services by UK Mail).
  • Applies only to deliveries to addresses within mainland UK and Northern Ireland addresses. Applies only to orders that are to be delivered to a single Mainland UK delivery address.
  • You will not be eligible for free delivery on your order if any items are cancelled or returned for a refund, bringing the total order amount below £99. Where items are returned, the refund due will be the cost of the item less any postage costs.
  • We reserve the right to change or discontinue 'Free delivery on orders over £99 promotion at any time.
  • FREE DELIVERY FOR ORDERS OVER £99 OFFER DOES NOT APPLY TO TRADE CUSTOMERS.

Free Delivery on orders over £99 utilises Royal Mail First Class postal service for items weighing under 2KG. For items weighing over 2KG, we use DPD or Interlink Express next working day services which deliver from 9.00am to 6pm within mainland UK.

Free Delivery for orders over £99 excludes Royal Mail Special Delivery Services and timed next day delivery services by DPD or Interlink Express.

 

Royal Mail 1st Class Shipping DPD Next Day Delivery

 

2. Special Delivery UK - Guaranteed Next Working Day

We have 99.9% of the UK covered With Royal Mail Next Day Special Delivery. We guarantee delivery to most UK addresses by 1pm the next working day. This includes Northern Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey. Some places take longer to deliver to but we still guarantee delivery within three working days by 5.30 PM.

For the Next Day Special Delivery service, orders must be received by futureshop.co.uk by 4.30pm weekdays. Orders after the 4.30pm deadline cannot be guaranteed for same day dispatch.

Please note, Royal Mail Special Delivery for next working day may not be possible where non-standard cable lengths are ordered. If this is the case, the item will be shipped via The Royal Mail Special Delivery service as soon as the cable is custom made.

For orders weighing over 2KG, we reserve the right to ship items using Next Day Pre-Noon Courier Services where Royal Mail Special Delivery option has been selected.

 

Royal Mail Special Next Working Day Delivery

 

3. Channel Islands & Northern Ireland

We accept orders from all Channel Islands including Alderney, Jersey, Guernsey and Sark. Unless you select a premium service, Items weighing under 2KG are delivered using our standard UK delivery option above. For items weighing over 2KG, a surcharge may be applied for all deliveries to the Channel Islands as well as Northern Ireland.

 

European Countries

Deliveries to EU member states are subject to 20% VAT. We offer the following shipping services:

  • Royal Mail First Class International Untracked Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 10 working days.
  • Royal Mail First Class International Tracked Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 3 to 7 working days.
  • DHL Express International - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. DHL orders must be received by 3:30pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
  • Federal Express International Priority - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. FedEx orders must be received by 3.00pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
  • Federal Express International Economy - Item are usually delivered within 48 to 72 hours

 

Royal Mail International DeliveryRoyal Mail International Tracked DeliveryFedEX Express Economy International DeliveryFedEX Express Priority International DeliveryDHL Worldwide Express International DeliveryDHL Econmy Select International Delivery

 

Worldwide - Excluding UK & Europe

Deliveries outside of the EU are not subject to 20% VAT and so the 20% tax on items is automatically deducted when you login or register.
We offer the following shipping services:

  • Royal Mail First Class International Untracked Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 15 working days.
  • Royal Mail First Class International Tracked Airmail - Items are usually delivered within 10-15 working days.
  • DHL Express International - Items are usually delivered within 48 hours. DHL orders must be received by 3:30pm in order to ship items the same day, subject to stock availability.
  • Federal Express International Priority - Items are usually delivered within 48 hours. FedEx orders must be received by 3.00pm in order to ship items the same day, subject to stock availability.

Where the actual weight of the package significantly exceeds the shipping cost charged on orders, we may write to you for an additional shipping charge. For larger orders, items may be shipped in multiple packets.

 

Royal Mail International DeliveryRoyal Mail International Tracked DeliveryFedEX Express Economy International DeliveryFedEX Express Priority International DeliveryDHL Worldwide Express International DeliveryDHL Econmy Select International Delivery

 

Enhance Your Experience: Free Cable Burn-In Service with Nordost VIDAR Machine

 

Please take note of the following details regarding our cable burn-in service:

  • Cable Compatibility: We regret to inform you that we cannot burn-in cables with stripped bare ends or BFA plugs. In order for cables to undergo the burn-in process, they should be terminated or have connectors.
  • Timing: Cables will be burnt in for the selected period after processing your order. For custom-length cables, the burn-in process will occur after they have been terminated by the manufacturer or our engineers unless specified otherwise in the product description.
  • Availability: Future Shop provides our cable burn-in service free of charge, but its availability is at our discretion. While we strive to fulfil all burn-in requests for the specified time periods, please understand that during exceptionally busy periods, we may be unable to meet the demand due to limited connections on the Nordost Vidar cable conditioning machines.

The Nordost VIDAR cable burn-in machine integrates three key functions into one operation:

  1. Charge Neutralisation: It eliminates charges that accumulate around the cables and their insulation, ensuring a more balanced electrical environment.
  2. Deep Conditioning: The machine provides a wide band and deep conditioning process that affects the conductor core, resulting in changes to the signal transmission through the metal. This deep conditioning enhances the cable's performance.
  3. Ultrasonic Surface Conditioning: The VIDAR machine utilizes ultrasonic waves to condition the surface of the conductors, optimizing their contact and overall conductivity.

The VIDAR employs a proprietary combination of composite and complex signals to condition the cables. These signals comprise ultra-low and ultra-high frequencies, extending beyond the range of video frequencies. The signal moves back and forth along the cable, penetrating deep into the core with ultra-low frequencies and traversing the surface with ultra-high frequencies. This transmission method generates beat harmonics between the two complex waveforms, which permeate all layers of the cable. The circuitry of the VIDAR also drives electrons from the conductor into the insulation area, neutralizing electrical charges.

 

 

Nordost Vidar Burn-in Machine

 

 

So, what does this all mean for you?

The ultimate outcome of conditioning cables with the Nordost VIDAR is improved sound staging, increased detail, and an overall more musical presentation in your audio system.

Now, you may wonder why cable burn-in is necessary. During cable manufacturing, gasses become trapped as insulation is applied over the conductors. Additionally, new cables often possess high electrical charges, resulting in a brittle and bright sound that lacks the desired detail and depth for music production.

When cables undergo burn-in, the trapped gasses are dissipated, and small impurities in the conductor metals begin to exhibit diode-like behaviour, favouring current flow in a specific direction.

Here are the physical effects of the burn-in process:

  • Charge Neutralisation: The burn-in process neutralizes charges in the conductors and insulation, promoting a more balanced electrical environment.
  • Wide Bandwidth Frequencies: The conditioning affects how signals pass through the metal, enabling a wider range of frequencies to penetrate all cable layers.
  • Signal Transmission: The burn-in process establishes the directionality of the cable, optimizing signal transmission from one end to the other.

When cables are properly burnt in, you can expect the following audible changes in your audio system:

  • Fuller and Natural Sound: Your system should be capable of producing a more immersive and realistic performance with a fuller and more natural sound.
  • Increased Detail: You may notice enhanced details and nuances in the music, allowing you to perceive subtle elements that were previously hidden.
  • Improved Soundstage: The dimensionality of your system's soundstage can be greatly improved, creating a more spacious and immersive listening experience.

At Future Shop, our goal is to maximise your satisfaction. That's why we offer a free burn-in service on all our cables before they arrive at your door, enabling you to sit back and enjoy the benefits of properly conditioned cables in your audio system.

 

 


Download Icon  READ MORE ABOUT THE NORDOST VIDAR CABLE TREATMENT

 

Customer Reviews
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5
Rocket 88 - unbelievably good
13 Aug 2021
Verified Buyer
I bought the Audioquest Rocket 88 cables and made use of the 96-hour “burn-in” and 60-day trial. These cables have been a revelation. They are able to transfer a signal that gives an enormous and very accurate soundstage (especially huge depth), superb and tight timing cues, amazing micro detail (hearing tiny things never heard before these) and tone is very good. I love them and I was not expecting that at all (see below).

As context, I have a Gryphon Diablo 300 amplifier (very high bandwidth, zero feedback, dual mono) and B&W 802 D2 speakers, the system sits in a large room by UK standards and I spent over 50 hours fine-tuning speaker positioning - the cheapest but most time consuming major upgrade (and worth more than any cable).

I previously used Chord Company Epic Twin cables (now discontinued) and Blue Jeans Belden 5000 UE cables. On my system and in my room the Rocket 88s eclipsed the Chord cables by a big margin and the Blue Jeans by a little (but it was appreciable and important to me). The Chord’s soundstage relatively speaking was much flatter and it felt muffled on my system and the Blue Jeans conveyed a slightly shallower sound stage with slightly poorer timing cues and detail, but they were great for less than £200 (a bargain in fact).

I love the complexity that goes into musical arrangements and getting the feeling that I have something approaching musicians in front of me (hard though that is). So soundstage (width, height and depth), ability to hear the ambience of the recording space, detail and resolution are what I am looking for. The Rocket 88s do that far better than anything I’ve heard so far. They get very little review space and deserve more.

Turning to Futureshop’s service. In a word, excellent. To elaborate:
I contacted Futureshop in April and Gary recommended these Audioquest Rocket 88 cables. I have to admit I had a very strong prejudice against Audioquest, feeling the company was reliant on marketing hype, cosmetics and questionable engineering principles, so I did not go forward. Additionally, there are very few reviews of the Rocket 88s, let alone positive ones, so I was very reluctant. In July, I contacted Futureshop again and set a budget of around £3500 for speaker cables - i.e. Tellurium Q Ultra Silver, Audio Quest William Tell, Nordost Heimdall 2 territory. Adam recommended the Rocket 88 again at one third the cost of these alternatives, which surprised me.

My concern was that AQ publish very little technical detail and Gryphon amps are superb but very sensitive beasts. The Rocket 88s are star-quad design and capacitance can be a problem with this amplifier’s stability. Adam still felt these were the right cables. So with much trepidation, I went for them on Futureshop's excellent 60-day trial.
When I received them, I photographed the unpacking as I was sure I’d hate them and be sending them back. I was very wrong, they are superb and the amplifier has been fine. I also saved over £2000 versus my budget which was a bonus.

Futureshop’s advisory service is worth a lot and I can’t praise them highly enough. Talking to the team, explaining your needs and taking their advice pays off and could save you money.

The only flaw I can find in Futureshop’s service was that they promised to let me know when the cable would be dispatched so I could ensure I was around to receive them and this didn’t happen. But all was ok in the end. I will be using them again - in fact, I already have!
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