Teflon vs pvc outer coating on wires?

[Cross Reference]

Good Evening,

I was wondering if it's worth the money to spend teflon vs pvc coating on the outside of the wires? I know teflon is much more money then pvc. Also does it help the travel of the sound waves thru the wires? I have done a test with teflon coated cooper wire for $1.00 a foot vs a $3.00 wire using pvc coating using a name brand. The teflon wire came out more natural ,better midrange and tighter bass and a more opened top end. I also had 5 people over who doesn't like hi-fi or could care less and they all said the same thing I did? They like the wires with the teflon coating. I didn't tell them anything I just said pick which speaker sounds the most natural. So is this a good test trial or is it all in the mind? To be honest there are so many cables out there and so much hype? Who is real and who is all about the money? I am now looking into making my own wires due to the high priced cables out there. So if anyone could help me that would be great. heres a question? A twisted cable vs a nontwisted cable? Is there a better sound out of these cables? I had no idea were to post this at and I thought this would be a great place to start. C.R.

[Gopher]

I think you just answered your own question - yes they are - but did you compare like for like in your test i.e. were the cross-sectional areas of the copper wire the same for both the teflon and pvc cables? If not, you can't really compare the results.

As for your other questions, you just opened a whole can of worms - do some research and trust your ears.

[rjbond3rd]

Originally Posted by Cross Reference

So is this a good test trial or is it all in the mind?

Mind. When you improve your system, it's best to go after what gives the biggest change for the smallest effort. And then tackle those items in descending order of improvement.

Wires can be used as a "tone control" for sure, but the chance that a wire -improves- the sound is as likely as hitting a bullet with another bullet. Solve problems according to their magnitude and you'll be 65 before you ever get to the wires.

On the other hand, Litz wire...

[planet10]

Originally Posted by Gopher

I think you just answered your own question

+1

We prefer teflon. Enuff to pay the ~4x premium for plenum grade CAT5 (ie we go for the cheap vrs the super cheap)

dave

[SY]

Originally Posted by Cross Reference

So is this a good test trial or is it all in the mind?

No, and probably yes. Teflon's main advantage is heat stability. If that's worth the premium to you, go for it. Avoid anything marketed to audiophiles, use industrial wire- same stuff without the gullibility tax.

[xrk971]

For the same conducting wire material and cross section, why would the insulation material have anything to do with the sound as long as it is doing its job as an insulator? These are audio signals not RF or microwave signals where wire capacitance is an issue. This is a can of worms, but it should be a simple no brainer can of worms. Anything marketed as audiophile cable is snake oil, use 16 gage lamp cord and spend money on better drivers, amps, capacitors in amp, etc.

[SY]

In high impedance, low level circuits, there can be some differences, but this is low impedance, high level.

[bear]

The "teflon" wire is SPC, silver plated copper.
PVC is leaky.

The OP said "wire(s)". To me it is entire unclear where he used them and how they were set up as far as geometry.

It makes a difference.

I have found that in general, in a very clean system that wire differences are rather audible. In many systems their effect is unclear and uncertain. In some cases one thinks they hear a change, and are not quite sure what that change is,

This includes speaker cables and interconnects... internal wiring.

This is not to say that other components and circuits are not more significant.

My opinions are mine, and not necessarily those of anyone else, including the staff and management...

[cogitech]

Originally Posted by xrk971

Anything marketed as audiophile cable is snake oil, use 16 gage lamp cord and spend money on better drivers, amps, capacitors in amp, etc.

+1000

[wrenchone]

I use teflon wires because the insulation is stable, doesn't burn back when you solder the wire, and also doesn't appear to react with the wire. I have some vinyl-sleeved speaker wire that has turned green inside over time after reacting with something in the sleeve, whether it be PVC monomer or some plasticizing agent is unclear. Crosslinked PVC insulation is better in this respect and tougher, but it's a bastard to strip.