Loose Cable Gauge Guide
1. Microscopic Structure
- OFC: Made of millions of tiny, individual copper crystals. A single meter of OFC wire contains roughly 400 to 1,500 crystal joints (grain boundaries).
- OCC: Heated and cooled so slowly that it forms a single, continuous crystal structure. One unbroken crystal can stretch over 125 meters, meaning a standard audio cable has zero grain boundaries.
2. Purity Levels
- OFC: Typically rated at 4N purity (99.99% pure copper), with the oxygen content stripped down to less than 0.001%.
- OCC: Reaches 5N to 7N purity (99.999% to 99.99999% pure). It contains virtually no oxygen, hydrogen, or structural impurities.
3. Signal Performance
- OFC: As the electrical audio signal travels down the wire, it must jump across thousands of crystal boundaries. Each boundary acts as a microscopic point of resistance, causing tiny phase shifts and electron scattering.
- OCC: The signal flows in a perfectly straight, uninterrupted line. This eliminates distortion, preserves time alignment, and reduces native electrical capacitance.
4. Lifespan and Corrosion
- OFC: Over years, atmospheric oxygen and moisture can slowly creep into the microscopic boundaries between the crystals, causing internal oxidation (corrosion) that degrades sound quality.
- OCC: Because there are no internal boundaries or pockets, oxygen cannot trap itself inside the wire, making OCC highly resistant to aging.
5. Cost and Value
- OFC: Cheap and easy to manufacture. It is the industry standard for high-quality, entry-level, and mid-range audio systems.
- OCC: Highly complex and expensive to produce due to the patented, slow thermal casting process. It is reserved for high-end boutique audio gear and premium headphones.
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Neotech Cables OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) CablesÂ
OCC copper
- fuller
- warmer
- denser
- smoother
- slightly more relaxed
OCC silver
- more open
- more immediate
- brighter/airier
- greater perceived detail
- sharper leading edges