Another paper (skip the math parts):
"Transmission Lines at Audio Frequencies, and a Bit of History"
Audio Systems Group, Inc. Publications
"Transmission Lines at Audio Frequencies, and a Bit of History"
Audio Systems Group, Inc. Publications
That is hugely expensive cable! Why do people buy such stuff? I can understand why people sell it, of course!ticknpop said:
Thanks for sharing with us that you never buy cable based on things which might matter (although not a lot for audio) but instead buy on the basis of things which do not matter (apart from shielding quality - which can matter a lot). Do you make other decisions in your life on the same basis? Perhaps you choose investments based on the colour of the prospectus, or choose holidays on the basis of the paper quality used in the brochure?
Only works for an unbalanced input if you have a pseudo-balanced connection, which requires one end to be floating (e.g. MM cartridge to phono preamp). If both ends are grounded then it doesn't work.Speedskater said:
From this article I got that RFI is not much of a worry in audio interconnects and EMI can be a worry if interconnects are too close or in parallel with AC, or mains, power cables. Kurt did a nice demo and test of various shields and how effective they can be.
I've always kept interconnects short, 1/2 meter preferable, and kept them away from AC cables. And no matter the IC's that will keep troubles away.
From this earlier thread there is lots of information for those wishing to make their own coax or shielded cables. Shield braids are difficult to solder to rca plugs, as anyone who has done it knows.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/construction-tips/307609-soldering-double-shield-coax.html
I think you have come to the wrong conclusion.
EMI is a serious concern for audio design.
It shows up with bad cables and more often it is worse with bad PCB layout.
Bad PCB layout induced errors even when protected from outside influences by an effective enclosure, show that internal EMI is a concern, not just due to the external cabling.
Hi Andrew,
I was mostly going by the below paragraph from the BJC article, and mostly just the last sentence.
"Depending upon what sort of signal a cable is carrying, we may be worried about EMI, RFI, or both. For video signals, both EMI and RFI are problems; low-frequency noise can distort a picture--for example, inserting "hum bars" into it--while high-frequency noise will be mistaken for part of the video signal itself and may appear, for example, as "snow" in the image. For analog audio, which operates at much lower frequencies, EMI is the principal problem. RFI can enter your system through audio cables, but unless it is particularly strong, ordinarily does not present a noise control issue."
Yes, I understand that there is more to EMI interference than just that from AC cables.
I think that understates the EMI problem.
That's why I repeatedly have to remind many dozens of Members to use LOW LOOP AREA in their wiring and terminations. Why I have had to remind Members that the LONG wire from the interwinding screen must not be taken via a high inductance connection back to the mains Input Earthing point. Make it very short to reduce the inductance and turn the toroid upside down to allow it to be even shorter. Tie the very short lead to the enclosure at it's exit from the insulation.
Last edited:
In a seizure of insanity, I've bought a pair of 4' Kimber PBJ cables about 20 years ago to connect my home-brew tube preamplifier to my tube Stereo power amplifer. It worked well for the money (I've payed about 80 Deutsche Mark for that). This cable featured three braided wires (no litz!) with teflon insulation (at least the claim said this).
Being encouraged, I've decided also to connect my Denon DCD-1500 CD player to my preamp with this kind of cable, but I did it by myself, using the three litz threads of a common 3 x 1mm² power cable, braided them and soldered two RCA plugs at each end. It also did it's job.
Getting somewhat rollicking by my experiences, I decided to buy ten metres of 2 x 0.75 mm² twin litz cable, soldered two 1/4& phono jacks to it's ends and played my next gig on my active PU bass guitar through that cord. Even that worked flawlessly!
Conclusion: As long as you keep the source impedance low enough, any cable will do, even the cheapest one.
Some years later, I've found a reasonably prized 25 meter coil of very flexible RG58 and good and safe RCA plugs (which sadly aren't available any more). Using these, I did several sets of interconnects which I still use (when I'm not listening through my vintage 1970ies equipment).
Five years ago I sold the Kimber PBJ for EUR 80 on ebay, so at least I did't lose any money
.
Best regards!
Being encouraged, I've decided also to connect my Denon DCD-1500 CD player to my preamp with this kind of cable, but I did it by myself, using the three litz threads of a common 3 x 1mm² power cable, braided them and soldered two RCA plugs at each end. It also did it's job.
Getting somewhat rollicking by my experiences, I decided to buy ten metres of 2 x 0.75 mm² twin litz cable, soldered two 1/4& phono jacks to it's ends and played my next gig on my active PU bass guitar through that cord. Even that worked flawlessly!
Conclusion: As long as you keep the source impedance low enough, any cable will do, even the cheapest one.
Some years later, I've found a reasonably prized 25 meter coil of very flexible RG58 and good and safe RCA plugs (which sadly aren't available any more). Using these, I did several sets of interconnects which I still use (when I'm not listening through my vintage 1970ies equipment).
Five years ago I sold the Kimber PBJ for EUR 80 on ebay, so at least I did't lose any money
.Best regards!
Last edited:
i got a bit frustrated with the whole lack of direction thing, and also ran out of time to do the diy kimber interconnect.
i ended up using the Chord Solid II interconnect that i already had. this extended the bass and heightened the treble. but it left a hollow spot on the middle.
so, i then bought new very thick speaker cable from hong kong, and removed the silver coated copper ones i was using. this brought through a bit more of the midrange.
then connected the main speaker cable to the mids rather than the bass terminals of my speakers. this made a very noticeable increase in the mid range that i was lacking.
in between all of this, i used a small amount of the the kimber cable i had (to make the interconnect) to make speaker jumpers to get rid of the stock plates. this further enhanced detail and resolution, and "cleaned up the sound a little.
the result of all of these changes have been getting the closest that i have come to achieving my "optimal sound". its not perfect- it will never be, but im happy with it for the moment. deep controlled bass, evident midrange (so hard to achieve these days) and detailed yet smooth treble.
i ended up using the Chord Solid II interconnect that i already had. this extended the bass and heightened the treble. but it left a hollow spot on the middle.
so, i then bought new very thick speaker cable from hong kong, and removed the silver coated copper ones i was using. this brought through a bit more of the midrange.
then connected the main speaker cable to the mids rather than the bass terminals of my speakers. this made a very noticeable increase in the mid range that i was lacking.
in between all of this, i used a small amount of the the kimber cable i had (to make the interconnect) to make speaker jumpers to get rid of the stock plates. this further enhanced detail and resolution, and "cleaned up the sound a little.
the result of all of these changes have been getting the closest that i have come to achieving my "optimal sound". its not perfect- it will never be, but im happy with it for the moment. deep controlled bass, evident midrange (so hard to achieve these days) and detailed yet smooth treble.
its a shame that you would post a comment like that...im just letting everyone know of my personal experience with my own system, in the hope that it would assist others who also enjoy this hobby.
you might recall a recent poster actually asked me what the outcome of my initial post was, hence my reply.
unhelpful comments like yours are only self-fulfilling, unhelpful, and serve to turn people away from the forum.
you might recall a recent poster actually asked me what the outcome of my initial post was, hence my reply.
unhelpful comments like yours are only self-fulfilling, unhelpful, and serve to turn people away from the forum.
Some people might find my comments helpful, and it might attract them to a forum where apparently unphysical beliefs are challenged. You are free to propose a mechanism to explain your results.dka said:
I do not question your right to post your findings, so I expect the same freedom to comment on them. That is how this forum works, although newer people are sometimes surprised by this. If you read my comment carefully it is about my own lack of imagination.
There are a few audio forums where subjective results are banned, and many others where physics is effectively banned by constant ridicule. This forum is different.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.