Hello. First of all, I'm sorry for bad english. I know I'm not fluent nor I have an excellent english, but I'll do my best to be understood.
I'm building an amplifier that will have an XLR balanced input. I want to know if theres a good reason to not use, for example, a 14awg copper wire to connect the panel XLR to the amplifier input. It's a little too thick, I know, and it's more expensive than an ordinary 24awg wire and harder to work, but since I have already bought it, it makes no difference.
I'm asking because I read somewhere that for signal levels it would be better to have a higher gauge. I don't remember the explanation but I think it was related to skin effect. I don't believe skin effect being a problem at audio signals nor I believe there is a reasonable explanation to use silver instead a solid reliable copper wire.
Just asking to know if there is a scientific electrical phonomenon or reason that can be measured that would justify buying higher gauge wire to connect the XLR at my amplifier input.
I'm really grateful for any kind of reply. Again, sorry for my poor english, but I swear I did my best.
Peace,
Eduardo Barth.
I'm building an amplifier that will have an XLR balanced input. I want to know if theres a good reason to not use, for example, a 14awg copper wire to connect the panel XLR to the amplifier input. It's a little too thick, I know, and it's more expensive than an ordinary 24awg wire and harder to work, but since I have already bought it, it makes no difference.
I'm asking because I read somewhere that for signal levels it would be better to have a higher gauge. I don't remember the explanation but I think it was related to skin effect. I don't believe skin effect being a problem at audio signals nor I believe there is a reasonable explanation to use silver instead a solid reliable copper wire.
Just asking to know if there is a scientific electrical phonomenon or reason that can be measured that would justify buying higher gauge wire to connect the XLR at my amplifier input.
I'm really grateful for any kind of reply. Again, sorry for my poor english, but I swear I did my best.
Peace,
Eduardo Barth.
Your understanding is perfect. There's no reason to avoid a thicker wire other than mechanical.
The highest impedance I'll ever feed the amplifier is 0,7ohms, and that if I ever decide to use my headphone amplifier as the 'signal level' source.
By twist both wires you mean to twist the signal (hot) and return (cold) wires from the panel's XLR to the amplifier input? Twisting the ground together would not give me any kind of benefit?
Eduardo,
Your English is very good. No need to apologize.
Please consider carefully what you are about to do. You have taken great care, a lot of time, and considerable expense to build your own amplifier. Now you are concerned about the expense of a few inches, possibly a few feet of 24ga wire? I have built many cables and amplifiers with various wire sizes. I can tell you without a doubt that even a few inches of wire will make a difference in the sound of your amp. Large input wire will dull the highs. I don't know why. Skin effect calculations indicate that it should not be a problem at audio frequencies. Experts will tell you it is of no concern, and that is simply NOT true. Wire gauge, at every stage of the circuit path, will make an obvious difference. Buy the 24ga wire. I doubt that 14ga will even fit onto your XLR connector terminals.
Peace,
Tom E
Your English is very good. No need to apologize.
Please consider carefully what you are about to do. You have taken great care, a lot of time, and considerable expense to build your own amplifier. Now you are concerned about the expense of a few inches, possibly a few feet of 24ga wire? I have built many cables and amplifiers with various wire sizes. I can tell you without a doubt that even a few inches of wire will make a difference in the sound of your amp. Large input wire will dull the highs. I don't know why. Skin effect calculations indicate that it should not be a problem at audio frequencies. Experts will tell you it is of no concern, and that is simply NOT true. Wire gauge, at every stage of the circuit path, will make an obvious difference. Buy the 24ga wire. I doubt that 14ga will even fit onto your XLR connector terminals.
Peace,
Tom E
You are making an extraordinary claim here. Could you show the data backing up this claim? Electrical measurements, or at the least, well controlled ears-only listening tests?
Lacking that, this claim should be dismissed as audiophile legend. It's been shown that in line-level signal transfer, audiophiles couldn't distinguish- by ear- copper from a potato.
I'll keep the 14awg wire. It perfectly fits the Neutrik's panel mounting XLR I bought. If my wire had one more strand I think it wouldn't fit, haha! That said, the soldering process will be extremely easy, and the wire will be tightly and reliably soldered.
Allow me to do just one more question: At speaker level signal, the lower the gauge, the better, right? I bought 12 gauge wire to connect the amplifier output with the Speakon/binding posts. I thought about 10 gauge, but it would not fit my binding posts solder lug! Is the 12 gauge a good option - the max amplification power will be 500w rms into 8ohms - or should I change the binding posts to go with 10 gauge wire?
Thanks again!
Sadly, SY is one of those old codgers who insists on following the ancient ways as set out by dead guys such as Maxwell and Heaviside. One day his generation will be gone, and then we can expect that weapons, avionics and medical equipment will catch up with the advances already made in audio.madisonears said:
For example, let's say you have a fashionable amp that's marginally stable and bursts into oscillations when a reactive load is placed across it. You change to a thin wire that adds some DCR and stabilizes things. Of course, you could accomplish the same thing by using an amplifier that was competently engineered, or if you were a slave to fashion, a small value series resistor. But it would be more fun to jump to the conclusion that thin wire is better and post your amazing discovery all over the internet, misleading a whole new generation of budding audiophiles.
Another example- you have a speaker that is somewhat overdamped in the bass, and a higher source resistance might bring the bass closer to flat. Rather than using an amplifier designed for that unusual speaker requirement (or stuffing a brick into the cabinet to reduce volume), you change out for thin wire, note that the sound is marginally richer and fuller, then go into the wire business with Proof Positive of your "theory" about channeling the signal in a more focused and coherent manner by a careful selection of wire gauge and material.
These are not legends, just basic engineering based on facts and experimentation...
The advice given can be backed up by facts, I find it unsettling sometimes how people jump in with Audiophile myths to people new to the hobby, it often leads them down the wrong path, of course backing up the claims with evidence would help.
BUT in todays electrically noisy world, such things as twisting the wires etc. can be critical, whereas worrying about skin effect is not....
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