At frequencies below a few tens of GHz, the only differences between solid and stranded wire are mechanical, mainly in the latter being more flexible. Proper termination can also be different, though neither type is difficult to do correctly.
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Solid Core Wiring
- Thread starter arpinnurmela
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You cannot use two different speakers to compare the wiring to them. Differences in speaker parameters and placement will swamp all.
Can you be explicit about your double blinding procedure? Understand that you're making a massively unlikely claim, so the chances that this was due to non-auditory effects are overwhelming. Extraordinary claims (and this very much is one!) require extraordinary proof.
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arpinnurmela
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- #24
There are two distinct issues that air-gapped solid core wiring is attempting to solve.
The first is related to the "solid core" part and consists of two separate physics phenomena. The bulk of the current flow actually occurs on the surface of the wire rather than the interior. The reason for this as was explained in my graduate EM course was that like charges seek to distribute themselves in the configuration that lowers their potential energy the most, i.e. the surface of the conducting wire. This combines with another physics phenomenon that occurs between metal boundaries, i.e. between strands, such that as the current flows on the surface, it attempts to optimize the path for the least "action". On stranded wires, the electrons are forced to jump the boundaries, which requires quantum tunneling, and this quantum tunneling causes a phase shift in the signal, or a very slight but still existent time delay. This effect adds up on long runs of wire, and "supposedly" time smears the signal.
The second piece is due to the coating on the wire. The coating creates a pseudo-capacitive effect and causes the signal to drag, again just slightly, again causing time smearing.
The air-gapping is supposed to eliminate any large issue with the coating caused smearing, and the solid core aspect is supposed to eliminate the issue caused by the quantum tunneling between strands. I knew about this from grad school as we had to calculate these effects and discuss in class. I never gave it much thought, but when I heard the difference first-hand this year and then other people heard it as well, I recalled these calculations.
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arpinnurmela
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- #26
SIY, to be honest my friend, there will never be a satisfactory level of "proof" for this. Even if I walked you through my ABX that I did. And yes, it was with only one person. So that's the situation.
The effect to me and seven other people has been fairly obvious and that's our subjective opinion. I've explained some of the science that could possibly explain what the heck is going on to produce this outcome, but it is what it is. All I can say is that I did an ABX, I ran the calculations personally back in grad school, and that other people can easily discern the gains.
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arpinnurmela
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- #27
Even more to the point, I also couldn't believe what I was hearing. Which is the exact reason that I started testing it as best I could. After lots of testing and giving wires to other people, it is what it is.
ABX is an established process for determining if a difference can be heard. If you were to carry it out properly I can guaratnee that (just like all the other properly cotrolled tests that have ever been carried out on various adequately specefied speaker cables) neither you, your wife, your kids or your friends will be able to demonstrate that they can hear a difference. Unless as has just been pointed out they are so poorly specified that they actually cause distortion themselves.
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arpinnurmela
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- #32
That’s totally possible!!
That’s why I’m thinking to do something in Audacity. I don’t know how it will turn out, but at least it would be something to look at and discuss.
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arpinnurmela
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- #33
That’s your opinion. But it hasn’t been my lived experience and the subjective statements of seven other people.
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arpinnurmela
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- #34
I know some people who use cable lifters. I’m super skeptical of that. I don’t know that I can personally hear a difference with lifters.You are obviously a very funny guybut seriously, what cable lifters do you use?
Which all adds up to zero actual evidence.
It never is when the statements are subjective. That is why controlled blind abx testing is done. And then it's like a miracle - somehow when you don't know which wire is being used it becomes impossible to consistently detect which is which.
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arpinnurmela
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- #37
When I have time I’ll definitely try to do a larger scale ABX and come back to this thread. It would be interesting and fun.
You'll need to learn how to do it properly.
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arpinnurmela
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- #39
I’m attempting to be as open and direct as possible. I know that the bulk of what I and others have experienced is definitely in the realm of subjectivity. So I don’t want to make any universal claims on truth.
I can site some actual physics, that is well established and of which I’ve personally calculated. I can site the subjective opinions of seven different people from different backgrounds. And I can do something on Audacity.
To do a large enough ABX I think that will take time to pull off. But it is an interesting idea. Maybe I’ll do it one person at a time over a period of time. That could work.
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arpinnurmela
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- #40
I know how to do it properly, or at least I think I do. But only did so with one person… my wife.
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