This is a worthwhile read: http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
The last reference under the Roger Russell is good for a laugh:
This is a worthwhile read: http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
I know it's an 'it depends' answer, but we'll just assume it's with an amp with relatively low output impedance (say, Class D-ish) and the speakers are 6-8 ohm with no exotic dips.
The reason I ask: my new house is pre-wired with speaker jacks all over the place, but the previous owner used skinny lamp cord type stuff. I might want to upgrade the wiring (it runs in the crawl space).
Archimago has an amusing article on rolling his own speaker cables from Canare 4S11:
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2014/10/diy-musings-bi-wired-canare-4s11-and.html
Some interesting quotes:
"The 4S11 cable consists of 4 conductors ("quad") under the sheath. Each multi-stranded conductor is 14AWG and a pair would be equivalent to 11AWG"
I'm not sure if he means a bi-wire pair or a standard pair.
Two 14 AWG conductors in parallel provide roughly the same cross-sectional area as a single 11 AWG wire. Use the four wires as a single pair by putting two wires in parallel for the positive and negative connections.
we use the Canare
I heard back from the shop and we use the Canare as far as 150 feet if feeding one speaker. If feeding two, we stop at 100 feet or so.
BTW, the Canare is not UL certified for in-wall use! We have gotten a case by case certification but Canare itself has not applied for certification.
Yes.Are you referring to Canare 4S11?
http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=65
The use of paralleled runs is a oft recommended practice. One even mentioned by Gene DelaSalla in a Audioholics video as a personal fav for the redundancy factor. See vid at 7:50Are you referring to Canare 4S11?
http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=65
Bad wire can act like filters IMO, but that is really an extreme and not going to make a big difference for most people. Headphone cables maybe even less because you are dealing with such short distances. A very high C 50ft speaker will be different from a 3ft headphone cable. YMMVInteresting tests.
Other than resistive/ impedance effects, noted that you have included capacitance ?
Was getting a little lost on reading about how capacitance can affect the sound in earphones and headphones and how some cable makers actually "tune" their characteristics of their cables.
I know it sounds like snake oil, I have my big question mark moment there too!
Have you considered a test in that regard to how the frequency response of speakers/headphones/earphones can/not be affected by capacitance?
It would be great to put the myth(s) to rest though.
I have my skepticism too. As I have swapped out my stock earphone cables for so called 'upgrade' cables purely on the basis of better comfort and eliminating microphonics and I really can't hear a difference in sound signature between them and stock. Or at the very least, it wasn't significant enough for my ears to pick up.
There, out in the market are 3-digit and even 4-digit priced earphone ( yes, NOT headphone, NOT speaker either) cables where people claim that they can discern a different sound signature / render with these cables connected. I have not had the chance to try them to discern a difference of course.
On a separate but related note, there are recommendations for use of teflon coated cables over PP / PE / rubber coated insulation materials in speaker interconnect cables to maximise 'transparency'. It turns out that capacitance in cables is also correlated to the dielectric coefficient of the insulating material. Teflon or PTFE being possibly the lowest in the dielectric coefficient of the commonly used materials. So there was some scientific basis for it ( , or so it seems). Besides how the wires are weaved / braided, length, distance between opposing strands and all that "up in the air " stuff.
Hence, that's how things got me curious.
Its mostly about the curiosity regarding what's really the truth out there. As mentioned, I couldn't discern a distinct enough difference with a new cable for my earphones.
But when I delve deeper there is some plausible basis as to why Teflon coated cables are preferred for speaker cables, related to its dielectric coefficient.
But as always, subjective hearing is never reliable and that's why I wondered if this whole "cable causing colouring of sound" myth can be de-mystified.
Its mostly about the curiosity regarding what's really the truth out there. As mentioned, I couldn't discern a distinct enough difference with a new cable for my earphones.
But when I delve deeper there is some plausible basis as to why Teflon coated cables are preferred for speaker cables, related to its dielectric coefficient.
But as always, subjective hearing is never reliable and that's why I wondered if this whole "cable causing colouring of sound" myth can be de-mystified.