F1 Fractal™ Interconnect


Fractal-Wire™ is Townshend Audio’s ultimate interconnect. It took a long time to improve the Isolda EDCT (Enhanced™ Deep Cryogenic Treatment), but we finally achieved it by developing the Fractal-Wire™ proprietary treatment process.

This is as big a breakthrough as was achieved and much imitated when we discovered the benefits of Enhanced Deep Cryogenic Treatment (also applied to Fractal-Wire™). But this time we’re keeping the details to ourselves! Suffice to say that you have not heard a truly transparent cable until you’ve heard Townshend Audio Fractal-Wire™.

Each Fractal-Wire™ Interconnect is made by hand because this is the only way to build a cable that has the absolute minimum contact with the insulator. The signal travels through a very thin polyester coated enamelled copper wire, which is spiralled around a much thicker bare copper ground. Because signal and return conductors are so tightly spaced external electric fields cannot get in. As a result, these cables completely stop hum in valve amplifier setups, whilst blocking radio frequency interference (RFI).

As the signal conductors only come into occasional contact with the inner of the two concentric PTFE tubes degradation due dielectric mass is kept at the barest minimum. The PTFE tubes are in turn placed inside a clear PVC outer.

Fractal-Wire™ is terminated in the industry best Neutrik Profi RCA phono plugs which have a spring loaded ground collar. The balanced version of Fractal-Wire™ incorporates two strands of the ultra-fine enamelled copper conductor spiralled together with a parallel drain wire but no shielding, it is terminated with Neutrik XLR plugs.

Testimonials

  • The Fractal F1 Interconnect is pure magic! Suddenly my music is clearer, faster and with a greater depth of soundstage, and extension of low and high frequencies. I didn't think it could get this good. Thank you Townshend!
    Janine, UK.
  • Inductance 0.24uH
    Capacitance 90pF
    Resistance 2.2ohm
    Leakage >420Mohm
    Impedance 47ohms
  • F1 Fractal Interconnect mini-review

    The thoughts of one of the many reviewers who enjoyed the Townshend F1 Fractal Interconnect.

    “On the heels of the ridiculously superb (passive) Allegri+ preamplifier (HERE), with its secret sauce…fractal wire…comes the introduction to America of Townshend F1 Fractal Interconnects. (There are speaker cables also, but I did not have them for review.) The interconnects are extremely exotic looking and terminated in excellent shielded push-on connectors. Featuring air dielectric, they are even cryo’ed! They are neutral, open, and superbly detailed. Without a doubt, if you own an Allegri+, you’ll want these, at the very least, connecting it to your amplifier for the purest clarity possible.

    I broke them in on a Cable Cooker for 48 hours, and tried them in various locations in two systems. They were immediately sonically perfect in and around the Allegri+. Otherwise, the F1 may need a bit of tube rolling or cable swapping to perfectly match their unmatched lack of colorations in your particular system. I heard no lumps or bumps from lowest lows to airiest highs with the F1. What I do hear is definition to die for, with extraordinary in-the-room realism. 

    These will have audiophiles going nuts for years as they grasp the earth shaking engineering and near perfection of these interconnects. All I know is that connectivity is truly the final frontier. 

    You must try these if you can afford $1300-$1500 for RCA/XLR for the first meter. I hope to have more to say about this obvious break-through in interconnects…and very possibly speaker cables…soon. This F1 interconnect is a superstar!”

    Robert H. Levi – Positive Feedback Issue 95

    [Link to the review online]


    Fractal F1 Interconnect gets a HiFi News Editor's Choice Award

    Townshend F1 Fractal hifi news editor choice“Laced between my Oppo BDP-105D player/DAC and Krell S-1500 amp, these new Fractal interconnects encouraged a genuinely smooth, detailed and liquid-sounding performance…

    …the F1 Fractal has a ‘dark’ quality that lets you hear into the soundstage, walk around the musicians and oh-so-easily tease apart the threads of their mix. Bass sounds robust and extended, treble pin-sharp and sparkling but never too hot or fierce…

    …This is a cracking set of cables… …the cable sounded deliciously smooth and detailed and promoting, the kind of easy listening, inky black backgrounds typically associated with the best HiFi systems. Go on treat your self!”

    PAUL MILLER – HiFi News

    [See full review]


    Adair Acoustic Design test the Allegri Pre

    Allegri autotransformer Preamp

    “I initially set up the Allegri in between our Resolution Cantata Music Centre and the ATC Active 50s. These are both serious peices of equipment, so this is a great test for the £2000 Allegri. Its actually quite refreshing to not have to plug in a mains cable into the pre-amp, just makes set up that little bit easier. Once it was all ready, I hit play.

    The sound is quite extraordinary; it was up there with the most transparent sounds that I have encountered.  It has it has far less of the top end fizz that earmarks normal “hi-fi” sound, as opposed to natural un-amplified sound. There is a good bass presence with the Allegri, it shows a really impressive dynamic range.”

    Adair Acoustic

    [Read full review]


    F1 Fractal Interconnect: utterly revealing.

    Townshend_Fractal_High_End_Interconnects_Cable

    F1 Fractal Interconnect exposes the space, depth energy and image scale, it’s hard to put down.

    The bass is unusually controlled yet also shakes the furniture! while the highs are both solid and sparkling when the music demands.
    Use it to hear the full glory of the signal being transmitted. J Kennedy, HIFI +, March 2013.


    CAD, best sound of Sound & Vision Show @ Bristol 2013

    Townshend Speaker cables and the new F1 Fractal Interconnects used in system.

    Best-sound-bristol-townshend-cables

     

    A very good start for CAD (Computer Audio Design) achieving best sound of the show award from the Clarity Alliance.

    The system:

    Laptop running JPlay

    CAD 1543

    Townshend Allegri Pre-amplifier

    Townshend F1 Fractal Interconnects

    Brinkmann monoblocks

    Dynaudio C1 speakers

    Townshend Isolda EDCT speaker cables

    Best-sound-bristol-show