Carbon NanoTubes: a different approach to signal transmission

While many high-end interlinks build on copper or silver, DFL opts for a carbon-based signal conductor. Carbon NanoTubes, abbreviated CNT, are extremely fine tubular structures with an ordered lattice of carbon atoms. You can imagine this structure as a graphene lattice formed into a tube.

The difference therefore lies not only in the purity of the conducting material, but in its construction. A CNT is not a thin copper wire with a carbon coating. The nanotubes themselves form the basis of the signal-conducting material. DFL uses this technology as an alternative to a conventional metal signal conductor.

120 CNT filaments as a signal conductor

In the AirCore Reference CNT, DFL combines 120 CNT filaments. A filament should not be confused with a single nanotube: the term here describes the filament construction that DFL uses for the cable. The fine carbon structures are brought together in a conductor that transports the analog music signal between your audio components.

DFL describes the parallel CNT structure as a basis for a homogeneous signal path. Unlike a traditional metal wire, the choice of material is not about a different copper alloy, silver plating, or further refinement of the metal, but about a different class of conducting material.

The conductor's environment matters

A signal cable consists of more than just its conductor. The insulation, mechanical construction, and contact transitions are also part of the connection. Therefore, DFL places the CNT conductor in an air-borne AirCore construction, with cotton and silk for stabilization.

In this design, air fulfills the role of a dielectric around the conductor. DFL thus aims to limit the interaction between the signal path and the surrounding insulation material. Cotton and silk support the construction, while the outer jacket is designed with sound- and vibration-absorbing properties.

The combination forms a single whole: CNT for signal conduction, AirCore for the conductor's environment, and a low-resonance construction for mechanical tranquility. The aeco RCA connectors complement this with a low-mass construction and silver-plated tellurium copper contacts.

What DFL aims for with CNT

DFL links the CNT technology to a natural, open, and cohesive musical presentation. The manufacturer describes, among other things, a spacious stereo image, refined microdynamics, and a quiet background, without adding sharpness to the details.

DFL also mentions the RF-damping properties of the CNT microstructure as part of the design concept. The goal is not to make music deliberately warmer or brighter, but to keep subtle tonal information, timing, and mutual cohesion as intact as possible.

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Customer experiences

“This carbon nanotube interlink has a very open, natural character where neutrality is central. The cable with a wide frequency range is very musical and dynamic and delivers an exceptionally beautiful, spacious, detailed, tight, and relaxed presentation.”

Eric

“With this carbon Reference interlink, every track comes to life like I have never heard before. Without any resistance and completely in balance, the instruments are sublimely presented in their entirety and in relation to each other, tonally perfect, and with a lot, a whole lot of air. Completely neutral and uncolored, this cable lets you hear everything without any sharpness, honest, with pitch-black silence, spaciousness, musicality, and liveliness down to the smallest microdetails. An incomparable sound signature compared to interlinks made of copper, silver, gold, or other metals or materials.”

Joost