Cables, material and purity?

[markusA]

Will it make any difference what purity your copper or silver your cables are?
Does silver or copper make any real difference?
Is there a point in choosing a fancy isolation material like ptfe, cotton or silk, why not cheap pvc?

So far I've managed to find out that speaker wire is supposed to have low resistance and inductance while IC's are supposed to have low capacitance.
Resistance=material, inductance and capacitance is dependent on cable geometry and construction.
Feel free to correct me if I get something wrong.

So, does it matter how many nines you have in the cable description?

How pure is standard copper wire?

[SY]

Interestingly, the ultra-pure copper has lower conductivity than "normal" copper so really isn't as theoretically good, though much more expensive.

Many claims are made for this or that in wire, but the reality is that no-one selling the stuff has any real data showing that it makes any difference. Lots of claims, though, of all sorts of wonderful things. Use what makes you happy. (I use cut-down Hope Depot orange outdoor extension cords and focus my resources elsewhere, where there are proven differences)

[markusA]

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. A lot of talk but little done to back up the claims.
So, why should anyone buy anything else than standard copper wire in suitable wire gauge?

Does anyone know what purity regular copper wire usually has?

The only reason I'm making a fuss over this is becuse I'm ready to install the internal wiring in my diy speakers. changing regular speaker wire is nothing but cracking the speakers open and changing the internal wires is a chore.

[DIFORCE]

There is no diffrence what so ever on what kind of internal wire you use ,exept the gauge. For the extremly short distances the signal travels I seriously doubt anyone ,ever ,heard any diffrence. Be it silver or copper. Sure some speakers use high end wire ,no reason not to in any cost-no-object designs...but come on ,I'ts an obvious marketing gimmick.

[markusA]

I'm guessing something like 4' will be needed, the binding posts are mounted at the bottom of the speaker facing the floor. Maybe 5' for easy soldeing?

[Magura]

Have you ever heard a Dynaudio speaker?
Did you like it?

If so, you can safely assume that you belong in the "any wire that's big enough goes" group

I have been working for Dynaudio, some years ago, trust me, the wire they use is low grade!


Magura

[DIFORCE]

Just make sure they are not too tight ,nor too loose . Actualy since you brought that up... Im wondering if loose internal wire as any issues with performance becouse of the air movement/pressure inside. Btw magura nice pic... ( wtf.. )

[markusA]

Magura>Cool.
Dynaudio is actually my All time favorites when it comes to speakers. Sure there are other manufacturers out there but I feel Dynaudio offers very good bang for the buck.

[marce]

It is interesting how much discussion there is regarding cables. What can have an affect is how the cables are terminated(ie soldered to a connector, screw fixing etc), the quality of connections made, the quality of soldering on any PCBs (a single dry joint can cause more havoc) etc etc. There are so many more factors that could affect sound quality in the signal chain, maybe we should investigate what solder compositions sound best, my preference is SAC305, not as bright as SnPbAg!!!

[Andrea:]

Originally Posted by markusG

Will it make any difference what purity your copper or silver your cables are?
Does silver or copper make any real difference?
Is there a point in choosing a fancy isolation material like ptfe, cotton or silk, why not cheap pvc?

So far I've managed to find out that speaker wire is supposed to have low resistance and inductance while IC's are supposed to have low capacitance.
Resistance=material, inductance and capacitance is dependent on cable geometry and construction.
Feel free to correct me if I get something wrong.

So, does it matter how many nines you have in the cable description?

How pure is standard copper wire?

IMO what you should do is listen to a variety of cables, and determine for yourself what is better and what is not.



If you value my experience... I prefer (pure) copper, which is warmer and rounder sounding than silver. Silver can sound great too... so it boils down to synergy with a given audio system.

I like silver plated copper, since it retains much of the warmth of copper but adds to that a more upfront presentation of sonic transients, which I like.


Regarding dielectrics... that's more complicated. But they most certainly influence the sound. I'm not sure that PTFE sounds better than PE, and anyway it's a matter of conductor/dielectric synergy if you will.


Cable geometry? They have different sonic characters too... coaxial tends to be open sounding and not very bassy (tight bass though), yet not very enegetic in the treble; symmetrical conductors tend to have more midrange presence and possibly a punchier bass, and crisper highs... etc.


Stranded or solid core? It's hard to tell what is better. I like both