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Speaker wire explained by Roger Russell (R.I.P.)

Magnat10

Magnat10

Active Member
Anyone interested in hearing speaker wire explained in detail by Roger Russell former Director of Acoustic Research at McIntosh Laboratories should visit his home page on the web.
He titles it "Wirebusters" and uses the following quote to start the page
“It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
----Mark Twain
Awesome read by a very intelligent man, for those who haven't read it I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
 
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Magnat10 said:
Discussed it back in 2006 but never posted it, in my defence I have been away from the site since 2008 and just returned. Missed a few years
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No problem at all. It's linked a number of times here, I just picked the 2014 at random. It is a good read, no doubt.
Welcome back.
 
as far as wire is concerned I have to agree with Roger. The main issues is the speaker design and execution. Speakers with sloppy woofers and mids can be improved by the choice of amplifiers and using the correct wire. Some wires are designed to alter the sound to enhance speaker performance . The issue is people who make these tuned wires don't tell the truth about them by saying they are the perfect wire. If speakers were designed correctly in the first place and we all had the same tastes we wouldn't need special wire, different amps, and different speaker designs. Personally, I would rather use neutral wire and use some form of electronic equalization rather than playing with special wire that can compromise amplifier performance and possibly shorten the amps life. Room acoustics can alter sound many times over the ability of special wire to correct the acoustic issues.
 
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LOL. I like bacon...

Yeah we should probably have some sort of rule that a certain topic can only be beat to death so many times before it gets retired... But I did learn that he recently died. Great knowledge from that human being...
 
coonmanx said:
Yeah we should probably have some sort of rule that a certain topic can only be beat to death so many times before it gets retired...
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I don't know. I'm thinking that anytime someone has an interest in a topic, it's worth discussing. There's always new, or returning, members who missed out on the earlier threads, as well as people who have had additional experiences that give them a different perspective on a given subject.
 
E-Stat said:
Unfortunately, his analysis is dated, shallow and incomplete suggesting that R is the only relevant factor. Both C & L also come into play with the interaction between power amp and crossover networks.
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Can you suggest a book or article on the subject that is not dated, shallow, and incomplete?
 
jrtrent said:
Can you suggest a book or article on the subject that is not dated, shallow, and incomplete?
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I've referenced this article before showing the complex distortion spectra found with "ordinary wire". Note there are multiple links you can follow to the EE Times article.

The writeup on AC cords is likewise shallow and completely misses the local interaction within your house will all manner of devices that generate RFI.
 
R=resistance
C=capacitance
L=inductance

The link I provided in post #14 also discusses the LC relationship.
 
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E-Stat said:
Unfortunately, his analysis is dated, shallow and incomplete suggesting that R is the only relevant factor.
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E-Stat said:
R=resistance
C=capacitance
L=inductance
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Then I suggest you read the article again because RR specifically addresses all three (in addition to cable length and conductor material) in depth and your above assertion is dead wrong.

As to whether the information is "dated" or "shallow" is a matter of opinion.
 
62caddy said:
Then I suggest you read the article again because RR specifically addresses all three (in addition to cable length and conductor material) in depth and your above assertion is dead wrong.
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Let's revisit his conclusions:

"Resistance in the speaker circuit is the key factor that determines loudspeaker performance...A wire resistance of less than 5% of the nominal speaker impedance is chosen to work well with almost all speaker systems and can be considered conservative. Even a resistance of less than 10% of the nominal value could be used with some speakers and would not be audible."

Nope. L & C are far more critical in the interaction with the real world of amplifiers and crossovers.

"We have been told by advertising that the exotic speaker wires offer fabulous advantages over ordinary lamp cord."

That's actually what he suggests. Zip cord with very high EDC. The only discussion about capacitance is with designs that trade off low L for very high values of C. Not an approach I would take either.

Zip cord is woefully inadequate for the highest level of performance.

I am delighted, however, that after - what fifty years of speaker design - he *finally* understood the concept of coherence using full range designs with his IDS-25. I got that back in the 70s as a teenager hearing Dayton-Wrights and why I've been using full range electrostats since 1977.
 
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E-Stat said:
Let's revisit his conclusions: The only discussion about capacitance is with designs that trade off low L for very high values of C.
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There are ten paragraphs dedicated to capacitance alone and there's far more than just that so that's also incorrect.

E-Stat said:
I am delighted, however, that after - what fifty years of speaker design - he *finally* understood the concept of coherence using full range designs with his IDS-25.
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IDS was his own venture unlike when he was working for McIntosh where he no doubt had considerably less latitude on final product design. As Roger Russell is now deceased, nobody is in a position to know what he understood and when.

Considering the recent passing of one of the the most selfless, respected and accomplished audio engineers whose unwavering & longstanding dedication and guidance in the fine audio field- for which he has received little or no remuneration, I find the direction of your comments and attempts to discredit his legacy not only misleading, but in very poor taste. But then you cannot seem to help yourself against taking a swipe against Mc, and by extension, Roger.

Once again here is the link which I hope is read in its entirety for anyone interested as your cherry-picked "synopses" cannot be relied upon. Only when fully digested will the reader be in the position to judge what Roger addressed where it comes to speaker wire and how "shallow" his analyses.

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
 
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