The effect of cables - A sane debate

[prem]

Yogibear, WE is tough to get. Duelund is easily available at Parts Connexion.

First try 16 awg speaker cable along with 20 awg ic. This combo is what I use too. Seems to work for most guys.

 

[spirovious]

Ultimately the idea behind a good cable is to minimize capacitance for low level signal and resistance for speaker cables.
In either case the noise rejection is equally critical so insulation also matters.

However my approach is to minimize the noise to the max before it even enters the 1st equipment.
So I use an isolation transformer and a capacitance multiplier for any SMPS based power supply in the chain.

Rescently l tested B1 outside cabinet and then put it inside.Outside it sounded best and clean.Inside sound was not pleasent or only average.This l experiensed with diy dac too.Noise reduction is must.

 

[Kannan]

Kannan, BJC is not tinned copper. Which Belden tinned copper do you use for speaker cable? 9497?

16 awg WE tinned copper speaker cable should be fine for a 3 m run.

It is if I remember correct 8477

 

[prem]

That’s 12 awg. Maybe you should try 16 awg. 9497 is 16 awg. That’s the cable recommended by Shindo. Lots of guys use it. Extremely musical. 9497 is a twisted pair

 

[Kannan]

That’s 12 awg. Maybe you should try 16 awg. 9497 is 16 awg. That’s the cable recommended by Shindo. Lots of guys use it. Extremely musical. 9497 is a twisted pair

will give it a go. The 8477 is also twisted pair.

 

[anilva]

I think Hari is using eight individually insulated 24 awg single strands for each leg. In effect he gets a 15 awg cable. Try and use even thinner individuallly insulated strands to get an effective 15-16 awg. Will sound even more open. The Western Electric 16 awg is basically that. In its days it used to be used as a telephone wire across continents. Since it’s tinned copper, each strand is pretty much insulated.

Prem,

I am little confused. Tin plating does not make a copper wire insulated. Tin conducts. So when there are multiple tin plated copper wires in a bunch, they tend to conduct with each other. Yes, when multiple strands are twisted, there is play of air in between. You seem to be saying tinning insulates them. Technically it is not so isn't?

Cheers

 

[Kannan]

Prem,

I am little confused. Tin plating does not make a copper wire insulated. Tin conducts. So when there are multiple tin plated copper wires in a bunch, they tend to conduct with each other. Yes, when multiple strands are twisted, there is play of air in between. You seem to be saying tinning insulates them. Technically it is not so isn't?

Cheers

probably he meant insulate against oxidation. That is I guess the primary purpose of tin quoting CU cables

 

[prem]

Sorry Anilva, I meant insulation against oxidation.

 

[anilva]

Sorry Anilva, I meant insulation against oxidation.

I thought as much, that it was meant to convey something else. Where do you get Belden 9497?

 

[prem]

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Belden-9497-...tern-Electric-Shindo-Audiophile-/331805348654

 

[Hari Iyer]

Hari, please post before and after pictures and how did you measure them. Thanks.

Will post images later in the evening. Measured with my HTC LCR meter.

 

[Hari Iyer]

Prem,

I am little confused. Tin plating does not make a copper wire insulated. Tin conducts. So when there are multiple tin plated copper wires in a bunch, they tend to conduct with each other. Yes, when multiple strands are twisted, there is play of air in between. You seem to be saying tinning insulates them. Technically it is not so isn't?

Cheers

My individual strands of telephone cable has polyethylene insulation and they are not tinned but solid copper wire. Oxidation will not be an issue due to the insulator.

 

[prem]

Hari, is your PE foamed or solid? If it’s solid, hunt down a foamed one. It has a lower dielectric constant. Belden 8402 is PE foamed.

 

[Hari Iyer]

I'm currently trying out the Schroeder Method of interconnect from source to buffer and power amp to speakers.

https://www.dagogo.com/audio-blast-schroeder-method-interconnect-placement/

Interesting article, infact i was thinking about doing this to my preamp to power amp wire by quadrapling the cables. Good to know that someone has done this before and penned their thoughts.

Before i do this, i will measure the current cables LCR and the qudrapled wire LCR so that i have some base for comparison. As per the article only the cable capacitance might play spoil sport in this process and other parameters like R, CI & L will have positive impact.

Hari, is your PE foamed or solid? If it’s solid, hunt down a foamed one. It has a lower dielectric constant. Belden 8402 is PE foamed.

Its not foamed. Its solid. I saw some foamed cables but they were not locally available. May have to source them online.

 

[prem]

What else does your DIY Bible have?

 

[jls001]

Planning to try out this coax cable for SPDIF.

 

[Hari Iyer]

Currently i am using RG6 cable which has ferrite cores at either end of the cable from my CD player to DAC input as SPDIF. Could have replaced them with RG11 but was little inclined to having the ferrites hence retaining them.

 

[Nikhil]

Planning to try out this coax cable for SPDIF.

This is interesting ... looking forward to how things go with this cable!


.

 

[Kannan]

View attachment 29659

Planning to try out this coax cable for SPDIF.

I have used the Belden 1694 with Amphenol connectors.
Do share your impressions.
Do give it atleast 100 hours.

 

[jls001]

I hear a distinct hardness in the sound. I think it is due to the new 1:2 RCA splitters.

Bought much better quality RCA splitters (MX, gold plated contacts) and it sounds so much better than the cheap and nasty splitters I got earlier

No more hardness in the sound. In fact I hear a major improvement in sound stage width and some songs with wide stereo panning in the mastering are playing outside the speakers now. This is a new experience in my setup. Overall it's a very likable sound. Will allow more burn in of the splitters.