The AudioQuest Irish Red sits in the middle of AudioQuest's subwoofer cable range, above the entry-level Black Lab and the step-up Greyhound, and below the Boxer and flagship Husky. Where the Black Lab uses solid Long-Grain Copper conductors, the Irish Red upgrades to solid 0.5% Silver-Plated Copper — a meaningful step up in conductor quality that AudioQuest says improves articulation and intelligibility in low-frequency signal transmission.
Construction
The Irish Red uses solid conductors rather than stranded, eliminating strand-interaction distortion — the compression of signal against neighbouring strands that degrades dynamic performance. The 0.5% silver plating on each Long-Grain Copper conductor improves noise dissipation at the contact surface. All internal conductors are direction-controlled, with the cable marked for correct signal-flow orientation to further reduce RF noise.
A symmetrical coaxial geometry ensures both the positive and negative conductors are identical, preventing the shield from being pressed into service as an inferior audio pathway. This is a common shortcut in cheaper cables that AudioQuest avoids throughout its subwoofer range.
Insulation & Shielding
Foamed-Polyethylene insulation surrounds the conductors. The nitrogen-injected foam maximises air content within the dielectric, reducing energy storage that would otherwise cause timing errors and a smeared soundstage. AudioQuest's Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation system sits outside the insulation, absorbing and reflecting RF and EMI interference before it can reach the signal path or the equipment's ground plane.
Terminations
Gold-plated RCA connectors are cold-welded using high-pressure techniques rather than solder, eliminating solder-related distortion at the connection point. The ground shells are stamped rather than cast for low-distortion material selection. A separate grounding tail is included to address the hum problems that commonly affect subwoofer installations, providing a direct path to earth that keeps the audio signal clean.