Kimber Kable Carbon CI8 Interconnect Cable - WBT 0114Cu RCA to RCA

Carbon Is Kimber's Eight-Wire Helix

Kimber Kable's Carbon interconnect is the newest design in the Kimber line. It is the first to build a carbon polymer into the cable. Eight conductors wind in a helix and run unbroken into the plugs. It is built by hand in Ogden, Utah.

Eight 19.5 AWG Copper Conductors

Each conductor is 19.5 AWG VariStrand copper. The eight are laid in what Kimber calls an eight-wire counter-opposed helix. Kimber describes a seamless braided transition into the left and right plugs, so the geometry holds right up to the connector.

A Carbon Polymer That Drains Static

Kimber wraps the conductors in a carbon polymer that bleeds off static charge. Under it is a low-loss fluorocarbon dielectric. Kimber says the carbon layer cuts noise caused by movement and evens out the voltage gradient inside the insulation. The stated aim is a natural sound that is neither bright nor dark.

The WBT-0114 Cu Plug, Explained

Carbon ends in the WBT-0114 Cu, a plug WBT builds under its nextgen name. The signal contacts are pure oxygen-free copper. A brass sleeve tied to the ground contact provides the shielding, and WBT rates the plug at 75 ohms to 400 MHz. The metal parts are a copper alloy plated in 24-carat gold.

The barrel locks on with WBT's patented collet clamp, a two-section sleeve in a ruthenium finish that works like the chuck on a drill. Twist the barrel and the plug tightens onto the jack. The center pin is slotted so it springs against the socket.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Martin Colloms, writing in Stereophile on July 17, 2025, summed up the Carbon this way: "My first impression: neutrality. I heard no sins of commission or omission."

Paul Miller, in a Hi-Fi News review first published January 1, 2026, found that "Carbon seemingly brings composure, a quiet calm and dignity to performances." His lab found each conductor made of seven strands in four different diameters.

Who Is This Interconnect Best For?

• You want a cable that stays out of the way — reviewers describe the Carbon as neutral, so what you hear is the recording
• Your rack is prone to microphony — the carbon layer is built to drain static and damp mechanically induced noise, so footfalls and vibration stay out of the signal
• Your sources sit near power supplies — the counter-opposed helix cancels induced noise along its length, so the shelf stays out of the music
• You want a plug that locks — the WBT-0114 Cu's collet clamp tightens onto the jack, so the connection cannot work loose
• Your components both offer XLR — Carbon is single-ended RCA. If both your components have balanced XLR jacks, choose the Kimber Carbon XLR instead. Or call us and we will match the connector

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Run Carbon from a line-level output, a DAC, streamer, CD player or phono stage, to a line-level input on your amplifier or preamp. Keep left to left and right to right. Slide each WBT plug onto the jack, then turn the barrel to tighten the clamp. Loosen it before you pull the plug off.

Then listen. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

An interconnect is one link in the chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Integrated Amplifiers — the usual input end
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — DAC output to amplifier
• Phono Preamplifiers — phono stage to line input
• Speaker Cables — the last link to the speakers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the WBT-0114 Cu connector?

A WBT nextgen RCA plug with pure oxygen-free copper contacts, a shielding brass sleeve on the ground side, gold-plated copper-alloy metalwork and a twist-to-lock collet clamp.

Is WBT 114 the same plug as WBT-0114 Cu?

Yes. Audio Advisor titles write it as WBT 114, WBT 114Cu or WBT 0114Cu. They are all the copper version of WBT's 0114 nextgen plug.

What does VariStrand mean?

Each conductor is made of strands in more than one gauge. Kimber uses this stranding in every interconnect it makes and says the mix of gauges spreads the signal across the bundle.

Is Carbon shielded?

Not in the conventional sense. Kimber relies on the eight-wire helix to reject induced noise and on the carbon polymer to dissipate static charge.

What does the carbon layer do?

Kimber calls it an electrostatically dissipative carbon polymer. It bleeds off static and, Kimber says, reduces mechanically induced noise and evens out the voltage gradient in the dielectric.

Is there a step up from Carbon with WBT-0114 Cu plugs?

Kimber Silver Streak with WBT-0114 Cu plugs is the next rung. It moves to Kimber's Summit Series and adds a silver conductor to two copper ones.

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Learn More

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