Grand Activation Extreme AN-2000 RCA Interconnect

The AN-2000 is the RCA interconnect in Grand Activation's Extreme line: high-purity copper with Teflon outerwear, processed with the MMAT process Grand Activation applies to everything it makes.

Extreme-line construction in an RCA interconnect.

The Design

Grand Activation (GA) is a Bristol, England company that introduced its Metal Molecular Activation Technology (MMAT) in 2021. GA says MMAT increases the number of electrons flowing per second through each conductor, improving dynamic range and lowering background noise. GA's case rests on listening, and so does ours. QSA, whose treatments we carry throughout our catalog, acknowledges that it treats Grand Activation's cables as well.

The AN-2000 uses high-purity oxygen-free copper conductors and Teflon outerwear, and it's sold as a pair.

How It Sounds

We'd call the AN-2000 neutral, and we mean that as high praise. Tonal balance lands where the recording put it, which frees the cable to do what it does best: resolve.

And it resolves the small things effortlessly. Reverb tails fading into the hall, the faint sounds of a room behind the performers, the harmonic cues that give an instrument its body and identity. All of it sits right there in the mix, clear and easy to hear. You hear it without straining for it.

The soundstage locks in solidly between the speakers, with real depth and height, and extends gently past them into the room. Cue up Lady Blackbird's "Fix You." The opening piano floats free in the space in front of you, hanging there with nothing tying it to the boxes.

Vocals are where the AN-2000 wins people over. When Lady Blackbird comes in on that same track, every texture and every shade of emotion arrives with natural, honest tone. Bill Callahan's "Drover" is another favorite test of ours. His deep baritone is easy to get wrong and unforgettable when it's right. Through the AN-2000 he stands dead center between the speakers, a believable, flesh-and-blood voice that feels like he's in the room with you.

That emotional quality carries into instruments too: a cello sounds like a person playing a cello, with intent behind every stroke.

Every note arrives with its feeling intact.

We'll be straight with you: the AN-2000's magic is depth and focus. Its width is natural and proportionate, and the real thrill is how far back the stage goes. If your favorite systems have a holographic center, deep layered staging, and honest tone, the AN-2000 belongs on your short list.

Where It Fits

Use it between a source and a preamplifier, or a preamplifier and an amplifier, alongside GA power cords and speaker cables. We're Grand Activation's US distributor, and the XLR version is the same cable with balanced connectors.

Press Recognition

• Stereo Times has reviewed Grand Activation's HGA-6000 power cord and SC-2000 speaker cables, and Hi-Fi+ has reviewed the SC-2000. Richard Doron of Stereo Times noted that GA products have been named Stereo Times Most Wanted two years running. Reviews of the AN-2000 are on the way. Read the SC-2000 review at Stereo Times

Questions about RCA versus XLR for your system, or which length to choose? Give us a call.

Specifications

• Type: RCA interconnect, sold as a pair
• Conductors: High-purity oxygen-free copper
• Outerwear: Teflon
• Treatment: Metal Molecular Activation Technology (MMAT); QSA also treats Grand Activation cables
• Lengths: 1m or 1.5m
• Maker: Grand Activation Ltd, Bristol, UK