Lava Cable is a authorized custom shop for the Van Damme Classic Instrument cable in the U.S.

Van Damme

Lava Cable is a authorized custom shop for the Van Damme Classic Instrument cable in the U.S. Van Damme Classic instrument cable is a low capacitance cable for unbalanced audio use - in particular with guitars, keyboards and other unbalanced output musical devices. Great attention has been paid to the capacitance figure and overall screening of this cable type, as the low voltage signals associated with unbalanced audio are susceptible to high frequency losses and environmental noise. The twin screens of close lapped copper and conductive thermoplastic also minimize any handling noise, making this cable ideal for mobile on-stage use.

This cable now uses a mixture of Ultra Pure Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper and Ultra Pure Oxygen Free Copper for its conductors. As with the ultra pure oxygen free copper used in other Van Damme Cables ‘solderability’ and conductivity are much improved. The additional advantage of UPSPOFC is that silver is approximately 5% less resistive than copper. High frequencies, which gravitate to the outside of the conductor due to the skin effect, are conducted slightly more efficiently than the lower frequencies which tend to saturate the UPOFC conductor. In addition silver is less susceptible to corrosion than copper and so the plating offers a protective barrier between the conductor and the insulation or free air.

The insulation used is foamed polyethylene (PEF). Polyethylene is a good insulation material for this type of signal due to its low dielectric constant and relative flexibility. Foaming, the blowing of air pockets into the polyethylene material, reduces the dielectric constant even further - to around 1.7 to 1.8. The use of this insulator ensures that capacitance figures are kept as low as possible and are also stable throughout the cable. In musical terms the low capacitance of the cable means that the high frequencies within the signal are transmitted efficiently and cleanly and do not bleed to the screen of the cable causing dull and lifeless signal transmission.

The PEF insulated centre conductor is then over sheathed with a conductive thermoplastic tube and tightly lapped oxygen free copper screen to provide excellent screening and also negligible handling noise. The outer jacket is a soft flexible anti abrasion PVC/neoprene composite for the optimum balance between flexibility and durability in use.