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Does anyone know what "stuffing" is used in hosepipe sized or thicker cables?

they never (well not what I have seen) provide the scientific/engineering rational as to how they arrived at the design
Hmm, you'd think that if this stuff were scientifically sound, there would be a valid rationale given for the design at least SOMETIMES. Like even once? ;)
 
Make that high frequency dielectric. That's exactly way it's good for audio cables, but not the high frequency interference that want to use the audio cables as a path to your equipment.
* * * * * * * * *
What do you do with the countless items in a home that have a fixed PVC cord?
And the hundreds if not thousands of feet of THHN and/or Romex in the walls?
As I said, no PVC cables, neither on devices nor in walls. Everything that has a fixed place is wired directly to a 2-pole switch anyway. High-quality cables without PVC only cost a few cents more than the PVC crap. Sometimes the PVC stuff is even more expensive.
And because only what is needed is connected to the power grid, I use so little electricity that I have already been inspected three times.
 
That argument never works with the audiophilista.
I am still not quite sure why.
:eek:
Now health aspects, environmental protection and sustainability are part of audiophile? :facepalm:
And you do know that we are talking about the difference of a few cents here?

Just google health and PVC. And also PVC waste and recyclability. Anything that has been lying around with PVC for a few years still contains cadmium and lead. This then ends up in landfills (groundwater) and incinerators (inadequate filters).
There are good reasons why more and more people in industry and the automotive sector are switching to TPE and TPU cables.
 
they never (well not what I have seen) provide the scientific/engineering rational as to how they arrived at the design.
There is a bloody good reason for that. I bet you can guess what it is.
 
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Some cables like Canare or such cost more than bulk basic cable, but have a more supple structure making them nicer to use especially in studios.
Another cool thing about Canare Star Quad is that their cables come in multiple colors, useful for studio work/remote recording:

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My experience with the stuff when recording is that it reduces (but does not eliminate) noises coming from the A/C at recording sites, specifically dimmer switch noise. It's perfectly fine for line level interconnect as well, easy to work with as it's flexible. Its dielectric is cotton. I soldered plenty of XLR interconnects with the stuff, also regular RCA to RCA interconnects as well.
 
Once ago I saved old computer cables (round, with 60 twisted pairs) from the scrap bin and made loudspeaker cables, similar to what Kimber sold back then. If 8 twisted pairs are better than a simple cable, surely 60 pairs must be even better.

It took me hours. Then I connected them between Denon POA6600 monoblocs and Magnepan 1.6. But for the hell of it I couldn't hear any difference to the old cables (Audioplan Musicable), or any other cable. Lesson learned.
 
Once ago I saved old computer cables (round, with 60 twisted pairs) from the scrap bin and made loudspeaker cables, similar to what Kimber sold back then. If 8 twisted pairs are better than a simple cable, surely 60 pairs must be even better.

It took me hours. Then I connected them between Denon POA6600 monoblocs and Magnepan 1.6. But for the hell of it I couldn't hear any difference to the old cables (Audioplan Musicable), or any other cable. Lesson learned.
Yeah, but... bragging rights!

;)
 
Once ago I saved old computer cables (round, with 60 twisted pairs) from the scrap bin and made loudspeaker cables, similar to what Kimber sold back then. If 8 twisted pairs are better than a simple cable, surely 60 pairs must be even better.

It took me hours. Then I connected them between Denon POA6600 monoblocs and Magnepan 1.6. But for the hell of it I couldn't hear any difference to the old cables (Audioplan Musicable), or any other cable. Lesson learned.
Did you mass dampen and elevate the cables sir?

EDIT: /s, for those not aware.
 
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Another cool thing about Canare Star Quad is that their cables come in multiple colors, useful for studio work/remote recording:

View attachment 419975View attachment 419976View attachment 419978View attachment 419979View attachment 419980View attachment 419981
My experience with the stuff when recording is that it reduces (but does not eliminate) noises coming from the A/C at recording sites, specifically dimmer switch noise. It's perfectly fine for line level interconnect as well, easy to work with as it's flexible. Its dielectric is cotton. I soldered plenty of XLR interconnects with the stuff, also regular RCA to RCA interconnects as well.
WAAAHH! Light dimmers, they have the sawtooth from hell radiating out of them. No studio should ever be equipped with mains rated light dimmers! I worked in studios where some dolt had put them in as part of the build and they all had to be bypassed !
 
WAAAHH! Light dimmers, they have the sawtooth from hell radiating out of them. No studio should ever be equipped with mains rated light dimmers! I worked in studios where some dolt had put them in as part of the build and they all had to be bypassed !
In my case most of my recording was at remote locations, churches and such. And dimmer switches were unavoidable. Weirdly enough, Canare Star-Quad helped. It's just about the only situation where a specialty audio cable was of any use.
 
I haven't changed my interconnects (or even speaker cables) for 15+ years and as I have been using fully balanced components forever, my interconnects are Kimber KCAG which are not shielded, have no outside sheath and are just the wire conductors covered in a clear insulator with the three wires weaved together, as shown below (not to scale!!!... much thinner in real life):

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Now I like to browse sites like "Mono and Stereo" and "Six Moons" to see how the "other half" live.

On either site, I often see examples of cables (see below) where the diameter of the overall cables is very large (in comparison to the conductors)

Potentially power cables might have some thick conductors which contribute to some of the girth but for stuff like XLR and RCA cables, no way.

So given my current interconnects are about as skinny as you can get, I always wonder what the heck is inside hosepipe sized cables and what "science" is used to justify whatever they are stuffed with. And obviously we have seen some with anaconda like proportions.

Anyone know the general cable issues that these designs attempt to overcome (see additional post below)



View attachment 419825
My friend..could that possibly be Roy Buchanan in your avatar? One of the heroes of my youth.
 
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