Van Damme Tour Grade Classic XKE Starquad Microphone Cable — 268026000
The Van Damme 268026000 is a Tour Grade Classic XKE starquad microphone cable specified for balanced analogue audio in environments where standard two-core microphone cable is not enough. The four-core starquad construction delivers a measurable improvement in noise rejection over conventional microphone cable — not as a marketing claim, but as a direct result of the geometry.
Where a standard two-core cable can only use the conductor pair to cancel common-mode interference, the starquad configuration adds a second layer of rejection through the physical arrangement of its four cores, making the 268026000 the correct cable for microphone runs in electrically hostile AV and broadcast environments.
This cable is the right choice when the installation includes high-power lighting dimmer infrastructure, large motor rigs, major power distribution in close proximity to audio runs, or any environment where RF and EMI are a persistent noise floor problem. Outside broadcast facilities, live event productions, theatre rigs with heavy dimmer loads, and film location sound are the environments this cable was built for.
Why Starquad Construction Outperforms Standard Microphone Cable
Standard balanced microphone cable uses two conductors in a twisted pair — one carrying the positive phase, one the negative — surrounded by a screen. The balanced circuit at the receiving end cancels noise that is common to both conductors. This works well in most environments, but the degree of rejection is limited by how closely the two conductors track each other physically through the cable.
Starquad cable uses four conductors arranged in a precise geometric pattern — two carrying the positive phase (white conductors), two carrying the negative phase (blue conductors), twisted together around a cotton filler with a paper separator. Because the two positive conductors and two negative conductors are diametrically opposed within the cable cross-section, any external interference field affects all four conductors almost equally.
When the pairs are combined at the connector — white to white for positive, blue to blue for negative — the interference cancels with a degree of precision that a single twisted pair cannot achieve. The result is a cable with significantly better common-mode rejection ratio than a standard two-core design, measured in decibels of additional noise rejection that is audible on sensitive microphone circuits over long runs.
The 268026000 uses a 128-strand tinned oxygen-free copper braided screen at 98% optical coverage — a full braid rather than the spiral lap screen of the standard XKE two-core cable. The braid provides superior mechanical screening continuity under flexing, better coverage than a spiral screen at the same conductor count, and the structural integrity that makes it suited to demanding physical environments.
Silver-Plated and Bare OFC Conductors for Signal Accuracy
The four conductors in the 268026000 follow the same dual-material philosophy as the rest of the XKE range: 7 strands of silver-plated oxygen-free copper combined with 32 strands of bare ultra-pure oxygen-free copper, totalling 39 strands at 0.08 mm per conductor and a total conductor size of 0.196 mm² at approximately AWG 25.
Silver plating reduces surface resistance at high frequencies — where the skin effect concentrates current at the conductor surface — while the bare ultra-pure OFC provides the low DC resistance and dimensional stability that a balanced microphone signal path requires across the full audio frequency range.
Tightly packed cotton fillers and a paper separator between the conductors and screen prevent electrostatic build-up, maintain even capacitance under flexing, and eliminate the internally generated noise that results from conductors moving freely within the jacket. The overall diameter is 6.00 mm ± 0.15 mm — compact enough to terminate comfortably with standard 3-pin XLR connectors, including Neutrik and Seetronic formats, without requiring oversize tooling.
Construction for Repeated Deployment
The flexible PVC/Neoprene composite jacket keeps the 268026000 pliable at low temperatures — the operating range runs to -25°C minimum — ensuring the cable handles normally in cold outdoor environments and does not stiffen or become brittle under winter conditions.
The bend radius is specified at 10 times the overall cable diameter, appropriate for a cable that will be coiled, deployed, and packed repeatedly across the production environments it is designed for.
The braided screen construction contributes to physical durability as well as electrical performance — a braid has inherent structural strength that a spiral screen does not, which matters in cables that take regular mechanical stress at the termination point where jacket and connector meet.
Starquad Wiring at the Connector
The 268026000 requires correct wiring at the XLR connector for the starquad configuration to deliver its full noise rejection performance. The two white conductors connect together to pin 2 (positive phase). The two blue conductors connect together to pin 3 (negative phase). The screen connects to pin 1. Combining the two positive conductors and two negative conductors at the connector is what completes the starquad geometry and activates the additional common-mode rejection. Wiring one conductor per pin — treating it as a standard two-core cable — eliminates the starquad advantage entirely.
Verified 268026000 Performance and Sourcing Through Surgesound
The 268026000 meets all applicable RoHS requirements and is rated to 250V AC, with conductor resistance below 93 Ω/km, screen resistance below 25 Ω/km, and insulation resistance above 5000 MΩ/km. Capacitance is 48 pF/m core to core and 91 pF/m core to screen — well-controlled figures that ensure consistent high-frequency response over longer cable runs.
Surgesound supplies the Van Damme 268026000 starquad microphone cable to AV integrators, systems contractors, broadcast engineers, and project managers across Southern Africa. As an authorised Van Damme distributor, Surgesound stocks this cable for direct supply to trade accounts — available per metre for custom run lengths or on 100 m reels, with 300 m reels available for larger project requirements.
Contact Surgesound to discuss pricing, stock availability, and project quantities for the Van Damme Tour Grade Classic XKE Starquad range.
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Precision Engineering since 1987
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