
Atlas Ultra L (Latik) RCA.
Technology : Innovation in practiceLess is more. That’s certainly true regarding the design of analogue audio cables, where the goal is to render the cable effectively ‘invisible,’ or more accurately, inaudible, in terms of impact on the signal.

Ideally, cables shouldn’t add or subtract anything, but in reality, numerous factors combine to have an audible and measurable effect — which is a form of distortion.
One of the essential elements in the mix is the connector plug. Atlas recognised over a decade ago that the traditional CNC-machined metal-bodied RCA connector was a weakness, with demonstrably significant performance loss.
The Ultra L (Latik) benefits from an innovative non-conductive 3D printed geometric lattice structure produced from a very efficient Polypropylene variant.
Our research showed that a Polycarbonate, and latterly ABS, for the plug body was a superior material, allowing us to create an RCA plug with a low dielectric constant, low-mass, non-conductive body but retaining the physical resilience and stability of a CNC-machined product.
The outcome was our original Integra connector, used in our entry-level Element and Equator cable ranges, but we quickly came to realise the superiority of the approach for all our cables, with further R&D resulting in the development of the Ultra RCA plug for our higher performance ranges.
The original Ultra was constructed from solid PTFE, a more complicated material to work with, but which immediately reduced the dielectric constant further and offered improved bandwidth and fidelity.

Atlas Mavros and Arran Assist tonearm cables also feature the Ultra L Connector.

What Atlas have done with the Arran Ultra L RCA Grun sets a benchmark for cable resolution that few alternatives are likely to reach, when used with the Grun power adapter they resolve fine detail to an astonishing degree.
It’s one of those components that becomes more essential the longer you use it, this cable is addictive.
Jason Kennedy, ‘The Ear’ April 2024. Editor’s Choice


Ultra Latik. The ‘Next Generation’
In the spirit of continuous improvement, we’ve taken a keen interest in materials development and manufacturing techniques not previously available, bringing the opportunity to experiment further to minimise any impact of the plug on the dielectric, always a compromise in comparison to the ideal dielectric, air itself.
So, to design a plug with less material and more air content, we investigated new additive manufacturing techniques. Utilising the latest 3D printing techniques, we incorporated a new ‘lattice’ structure in the Ultra design, reducing mass by 25%, increasing the amount of air in the plug body and dramatically improving the plug’s bandwidth.
The Ultra Latik RCA is standard to our Mavros, Arran and Asimi ranges, along with ‘turbo-charged’ versions of our Hyper and Ailsa interconnects.
During our research we experimented with many different printing materials, both natural (hardwood) and synthetic, and numerous structural variations, gaining knowledge and experience which will be invaluable on other projects in the future.
The resulting connector, the Ultra Latik RCA, represents a significant step forward in itself and has allowed us to create a new generation of designs acclaimed as setting new benchmarks.
When you effectively eliminate any residual plug character from the cable's true performance, all that remains is the music.
Less is indeed more.
