Viard Audio Design Silver HD20

The Silver HD20 from Viard Audio Design is a balanced modulation link terminated in XLR at both ends. Its purpose is to carry the line-level signal between two components fitted with balanced connectivity, player, converter, preamplifier, power amplifier, taking advantage of the common-mode rejection inherent to this type of link, which is particularly useful over longer lengths or in environments subject to electrical interference.

Its design is based on multi-strand conductors combining Cu-VHQ copper and silver, protected by a shield made of silver-plated braid. The XLR connectors are professional grade, with gold-plated contacts and Teflon dielectric, while the shield sleeves and rings are machined from AU-4G alloy. The whole is covered in a white silicone jacket 20 mm in diameter, the visual signature of the Silver HD range, which provides the cable's outer insulation.

Two electrical values are stated and should be read together: a conductor/ground capacitance of 98 pF/m and a total inductance of 1 µH/m. These parameters describe the line's behaviour over its length: the lower they remain, the less the cable behaves as a passive filter inserted between two components, which becomes more significant as soon as one moves away from very short runs. The silicone jacket also contributes to excellent flexibility: the cable remains supple and bends without strain behind a rack, and its stated resistance to UV and chemical agents allows for intensive use, including in harsher conditions than a living room.

This cable is aimed at anyone who has built a system around components with balanced inputs and outputs and wishes to exploit this architecture fully, rather than reverting to unbalanced for convenience. The 20 mm diameter calls for a reasonable bend radius behind the units, but the claimed flexibility of the silicone avoids mechanical stress on the components' XLR sockets.