JRS
Major Contributor
I would like to submit a modest hypothesis that attempts to reconcile well known behavior of electrons and conductors with the observations of these critical observers, who have brought needed attention to this matter. First we observe that the current in a wire is governed by the equation
i=nvAq (1)
where A is the current in Amperes,
v is the velocity
n is electron density which for copper is equal to 8.5 × 10^28 per m3,
q is the charge of the electron of 1.6 x 10^-19
From there it is a trivial matter to compute the average velocity of electron movement in a wire, known as rate of electron drift, A 12 gauge wire is about 3 mm^2 and so a 1 amp current corresponds to a velocity of 0.025 mm/second. Just to get a better feel for this it would take an electron to travel 1 meter of wire about half a day. We will come back to it, but for now think of these as the good electrons--undamaged as they come from virgin copper. Unlike some less scrupulous manufacturers who use recycled copper, we only source fresh copper that has been mined in Peru using modern methods so as not to scar the planet during it's removal.
Now for astute readers who object on the grounds that we are passing an alternating current, and so there is no net flow of electrons, let us look at events further downstream. You may recall that integrated circuits and the transistors themselves conduct direct current and so it must follow that there is a one way flow of electrons through the circuit toward ground, whereupon it is returned to the power company. Ultimately, this leads to the phenomenon of electromigration an insidious process that leads to areas of electron depletion (voids) alternating with heaps (hillocks) that leaves telltale marks in the trace itself. Here you can see the horrors first hand in these electron micrographs. Also pictured are the telltale whiskers where stray electrons seeking a path to complete the circuit followed blind alleys before deposition.
What you may not know and manufacturers are reluctant to divulge is that these types of defects are a well known cause of IC failures, and without precautions can lead to a period of intermittent contacts which we perceive as a grainy texture in the music, worsening as time as accumulated damages leads to grain cavitation and the ultimate inability to conduct electricity. What's worse is that the same issues can arise in numerical processing chips (collections of millions of transistors each) that lead to wrong answers. Obviously this is a significant issue in ADC and DAC's, and is likely the primary reason why digital music sounds harsh and grainy, and requires periodic replacement to maintain any semblance of accuracy.
So what can be done given the stark ravages of time that semiconductors are inevitably subject? The answer lies in our cabling. Recall that we use only the purest 99.999999999% oxygen free copper that maintains the crystalline structure needed for harmonious conduction able to replace the depleted electrons, with good electrons that haven't been bumped and bruised from previous use. Ask any expert billiards player as to the truth of this phenomenon--they will tell you that over time, pool balls begin to accumulate microscopic scratches that increase the "throw" of the object ball, resulting in missed "thin" shots. This can be accurately attributed to the greater friction between balls during collision. Well the same phenomenon occurs with electrons which strike each other at high speed as momentum is transferred between colliding electrons as it courses down a wire, or worse yet the thin layer of copper forming a trace. As a result collisions are erratic and result in more deviant directions of travel leading to the whiskers pictured above.
As it turns out the speed at which the damaged electrons can be replaced by the virgin electrons can be calculated in the same way as equation 1, substituting the appropriate dimensions of the cumulative pathways of the rectified current. And without doing specific calculations as electric circuits used for encoding/decoding/amplification depend on the type of device and the amount of harmful feedback being used. Negative feedback is especially detrimental as it necessarily involves electrons striking each other while flowing in opposite directions. Think of it as a smaller example where beams of protons, traveling in opposite directions at relativistic velocities are deliberately directed at one another to appreciate the molecular mayhem that results to the once crystalline copper lattices. It is for this reason that we generally recommend using circuits that have been carefully designed with this destruction in mind.
Getting back to the matter of calculations, it can be shown that it requires several days and sometimes weeks before the good electrons have had sufficient time and opportunity to replace their badly bruised counterparts. Occasionally users will notice that the sound quality may change immediately, not always for the better, and described as thin, bright or lean. This reflects that the initial repair occurs at a much greater rate before an electrical equilibrium is achieved. Owing to the large current required, bass notes will be the most adversely affected, and may take as long as a few weeks before flowing in an unimpeded fashion.
Finally the discerning reader may wonder what is happening within their Mystico wire cables. Surely these electrons will ultimately be need to be replaced, and that the source of those electrons must be upstream. Well luckily our clever engineers have pursued this problem and struck gold. You as a well informed consumer know that the ultimate conductor of electricity is gold. Obviously, it is economically infeasible to make audio cables from pure gold, but it just so turns out that we don't have to--with the use of our patented "goldbrick" Mystico wire cables can be rejuvenated through periodic electron replenishment from the finest of sources--a small gold ingot of 3.1415 grams and the associated circuits can achieve the needed rehabilitation overnight when done on a regular schedule. Less discerning users may find that the pure silver or copper substitutes available will fit their needs.
So having heard the truth about wires and the easily demonstrated effects of aging, we invite you to audition these and other products at our exclusive audio dealers, and hear for yourselves what a difference may make. In certain cases, we may allow you to trade in your old cable.
Schedule your appt today at 1-800-Erewhon.
i=nvAq (1)
where A is the current in Amperes,
v is the velocity
n is electron density which for copper is equal to 8.5 × 10^28 per m3,
q is the charge of the electron of 1.6 x 10^-19
From there it is a trivial matter to compute the average velocity of electron movement in a wire, known as rate of electron drift, A 12 gauge wire is about 3 mm^2 and so a 1 amp current corresponds to a velocity of 0.025 mm/second. Just to get a better feel for this it would take an electron to travel 1 meter of wire about half a day. We will come back to it, but for now think of these as the good electrons--undamaged as they come from virgin copper. Unlike some less scrupulous manufacturers who use recycled copper, we only source fresh copper that has been mined in Peru using modern methods so as not to scar the planet during it's removal.
Now for astute readers who object on the grounds that we are passing an alternating current, and so there is no net flow of electrons, let us look at events further downstream. You may recall that integrated circuits and the transistors themselves conduct direct current and so it must follow that there is a one way flow of electrons through the circuit toward ground, whereupon it is returned to the power company. Ultimately, this leads to the phenomenon of electromigration an insidious process that leads to areas of electron depletion (voids) alternating with heaps (hillocks) that leaves telltale marks in the trace itself. Here you can see the horrors first hand in these electron micrographs. Also pictured are the telltale whiskers where stray electrons seeking a path to complete the circuit followed blind alleys before deposition.
What you may not know and manufacturers are reluctant to divulge is that these types of defects are a well known cause of IC failures, and without precautions can lead to a period of intermittent contacts which we perceive as a grainy texture in the music, worsening as time as accumulated damages leads to grain cavitation and the ultimate inability to conduct electricity. What's worse is that the same issues can arise in numerical processing chips (collections of millions of transistors each) that lead to wrong answers. Obviously this is a significant issue in ADC and DAC's, and is likely the primary reason why digital music sounds harsh and grainy, and requires periodic replacement to maintain any semblance of accuracy.
So what can be done given the stark ravages of time that semiconductors are inevitably subject? The answer lies in our cabling. Recall that we use only the purest 99.999999999% oxygen free copper that maintains the crystalline structure needed for harmonious conduction able to replace the depleted electrons, with good electrons that haven't been bumped and bruised from previous use. Ask any expert billiards player as to the truth of this phenomenon--they will tell you that over time, pool balls begin to accumulate microscopic scratches that increase the "throw" of the object ball, resulting in missed "thin" shots. This can be accurately attributed to the greater friction between balls during collision. Well the same phenomenon occurs with electrons which strike each other at high speed as momentum is transferred between colliding electrons as it courses down a wire, or worse yet the thin layer of copper forming a trace. As a result collisions are erratic and result in more deviant directions of travel leading to the whiskers pictured above.
As it turns out the speed at which the damaged electrons can be replaced by the virgin electrons can be calculated in the same way as equation 1, substituting the appropriate dimensions of the cumulative pathways of the rectified current. And without doing specific calculations as electric circuits used for encoding/decoding/amplification depend on the type of device and the amount of harmful feedback being used. Negative feedback is especially detrimental as it necessarily involves electrons striking each other while flowing in opposite directions. Think of it as a smaller example where beams of protons, traveling in opposite directions at relativistic velocities are deliberately directed at one another to appreciate the molecular mayhem that results to the once crystalline copper lattices. It is for this reason that we generally recommend using circuits that have been carefully designed with this destruction in mind.
Getting back to the matter of calculations, it can be shown that it requires several days and sometimes weeks before the good electrons have had sufficient time and opportunity to replace their badly bruised counterparts. Occasionally users will notice that the sound quality may change immediately, not always for the better, and described as thin, bright or lean. This reflects that the initial repair occurs at a much greater rate before an electrical equilibrium is achieved. Owing to the large current required, bass notes will be the most adversely affected, and may take as long as a few weeks before flowing in an unimpeded fashion.
Finally the discerning reader may wonder what is happening within their Mystico wire cables. Surely these electrons will ultimately be need to be replaced, and that the source of those electrons must be upstream. Well luckily our clever engineers have pursued this problem and struck gold. You as a well informed consumer know that the ultimate conductor of electricity is gold. Obviously, it is economically infeasible to make audio cables from pure gold, but it just so turns out that we don't have to--with the use of our patented "goldbrick" Mystico wire cables can be rejuvenated through periodic electron replenishment from the finest of sources--a small gold ingot of 3.1415 grams and the associated circuits can achieve the needed rehabilitation overnight when done on a regular schedule. Less discerning users may find that the pure silver or copper substitutes available will fit their needs.
So having heard the truth about wires and the easily demonstrated effects of aging, we invite you to audition these and other products at our exclusive audio dealers, and hear for yourselves what a difference may make. In certain cases, we may allow you to trade in your old cable.
Schedule your appt today at 1-800-Erewhon.
