Question on high-end interconnects
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Same experience with silver cables here. My Cambridge Audio CDP use to be connected to receiver(s) with Atlas Equator Mk II OFC cable. When I replaced Atlas Equator with a silver Soundsilver Trilogy cable, I got more detailed presentation, slightly better soundstage and significantly more highs. The latter effect is usually described as "brightness".
Then I modded the CDP; modifications improved soundstage, made presentation more detailed and increased high frequencies. Guess what happened when I connected the modded CDP to a receiver using Soundsilver cable - the sound was so bright that I quickly got fatigue. Changed cables back to Atlas Equator and everything is OK now. It sounds better than before mods with silver cable AND better than after mods with silver cable.
Then I modded the CDP; modifications improved soundstage, made presentation more detailed and increased high frequencies. Guess what happened when I connected the modded CDP to a receiver using Soundsilver cable - the sound was so bright that I quickly got fatigue. Changed cables back to Atlas Equator and everything is OK now. It sounds better than before mods with silver cable AND better than after mods with silver cable.
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Ask for details, before making your purchase.
With cables, its all about "Synergy" and reducing most of the "Grunge" from your system.....:yes: In my system, the Crimson RM Musiclink cables reduced the "Grunge" the most !...
That would be my opinion as well.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
The Roger Russell thing (which btw has been pointed at over and over again in these debates) is out of date and out of touch with reality as far as I'm concerned, and I would disregard it if I were you. Just my opinion, based on personal experience.
However, I'm leaning towards the "they won't make a difference in your particular system" camp in this instance. Don't take that the wrong way, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your system as is, or that it doesn't sound great. If you decide to check this stuff out, I strongly recommend you buy used.
If you need shielded cables, for example, the Audioquest Copperhead is an excellent choice (I used to own a pair), and they are around $45 per meter pair new.
What a great avatar!
sonix
Well-Known Member
Dang...I think I will just stick with my 10 awg. gage stranded wire, if anything I will upsize to 8 or 6 awg. stranded. .
One thing that does not make sense to me is that how the electron flow along a single conductor could be superior to the same size stranded wire. From what I have learned in school is that the stranded wize is a better conductor because the electrons move around each strand of wire. Most people don't know that the electrons actually move along the surface of the wire in a spiral to reflect the sine wave, than just through the wire, like water through a hose for example. I hear the more fine strands the better and that makes sense to me, speaking from the physics point of view. Also larger gage wire is obviously better to pass the low frequencies by huge power amplifiers pushing low impedance loads.
To me it seems like the equipment and music will dictate what speaker wires are more ideal than others. Everythig has to be proportion and relative.
I would not use thin gage wires to try to reproduce instruments like drums accurately at good volumes, anyway. Just my observations.
sonix
Well-Known Member
Two words pronounce, Raadio and Lampa in Russian....(Avatar)
or Radio and Lamp. Nice picture.
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
RF ingress? Not good especially if you are paying EXTRA for a boutique cable.
whoaru99
Epic Member
I'm not sure that's an agreed upon phenomena...at least not at typical audio frequencies if it's skin effect you're referring to.
Les Lammers
Well-Known Member
If you have not done so, I would re-cap the xovers in your speakers B4 messing with wire. After 25 years they need it. :yes:
sonix
Well-Known Member
No, I wasn't talking skin effect, I was talking about the electromotive force (EMF) moving on the surface of each individual strand of wire instead of just one solid conductor, such as 14AWG etc. You raise an interesting point about different audio frequencies though, I must say I have not veryfied that. I was just talking 60HZ cycle.
sonix
Well-Known Member
I would have to look into audio frequencies and signal conductivity. I was refering to 120v or higher at 60HZ. You raise an interesting point though.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
True, but recently I've been wondering what would happen if I made a pair of interconnects with really fine wire (relative to what's typically used in hi-fi audio), like 32awg, or something like that. When it comes to line level signals, there seem to be two sharply divided schools of thought about what gauge to use: very thing, ie. 28 awg to 32 awg, or larger, like 18 awg to 22 awg, etc. I've always had success in the middle, 24 or 26 awg, and was less happy with the ones I've made using 22 awg wire.
The top word in this avatar means Radio and the second word below means Lamp. Pronounced Radio and Lampa! How do I know:scratch2:
Yes Radio Lampe was the name of the company that produced that tube in the Soviet era. I know this because I have a few of them myself and asked a Russian-speaking friend to translate for me.
JBL GUY
Addicted Member
Electrons do not actually "flow" they "drift". While the random instantaneous velocity of electrons is quite fast, the actual movement along a conductor is rather slow. It can take hours for a single electron to flow the length of a 1meter cable. It is the "charge" the flows and that is what we call "current".
The skin affect happens at all frequencies above DC, and increases as the frequency increases.
So it is a non-linear transfer function, and as such will change the waveform of the audio signal some amount depending on frequency. The actual amount of change will depend on the construction of the wire and the gear that is being used. Whether it is audible or not is a another discussion.
RFI may be more prevalent that one might believe. Most audio hobbyists are not able to check to see if there is RF "riding" on their audio cables. It does not have to separately audible as interference to actually affect the the sound of the music is a subtle manner.
Give all the "manipulation" of the audio signal in the recording chain and production chain, it is difficult to say which cable is better or best. (That is which cable allows one's system to sound the closest to the "real" sound of the music, as determined by our sonic or acoustic memory).
If you look at an AWG current capacity table it may list the dept of penetration for 60 Hz line frequency current.
whoaru99
Epic Member
What sort(s) of manipulation are you referring to?
Putterman
Super Member
I find it fascinating that in all this discussion about how there are or aren't audible differences between wires that nobody has thought to ask whether putting money into new speakers or room treatements wouldn't yield a greater improvement than what are apparently subtle differences between wires. Another possibility would be to replace the capacitors on the speakers and add dampening and reinforcement to the existing speakers. Any of these items would yield measureable differences that I suspect would be audibly greater than any difference between wires.
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