Pretty sure star quad is not especially low capacitance, but it’s not an issue unless you have a poorly designed amplifier. My 2c, just buy some decent cable from an outfit like Blue Jeans Cable (they sell star quad if you must have it). After that, spend all your money on speakers.
Come to think of it, I bet psychoactive drugs have a much better bang for the buck than speaker cable.
Silly me, I’m using AirPods 2 right now (highly recommend for convenience). No wire for optimal ITD. Oh wait - the ITD of a completely wireless stereo Bluetooth system is surely worse than any speaker cable. Don’t seem to notice any ill effects. 
As an aside - I am pleasantly surprised with the AirPods 2. I bought them to use in the office only because they are completely wireless and don’t isolate much ambient noise. The sound quality is only okay, inoffensive is how I’d describe it, but they are great in every other way. The microphone is way better for calls than expected based on where it’s positioned. They are comfortable yet secure enough without being a canalphone, which means easier in and out. Lowest latency Bluetooth audio device I have come across as well. The case is a great design too.
As an aside - I am pleasantly surprised with the AirPods 2. I bought them to use in the office only because they are completely wireless and don’t isolate much ambient noise. The sound quality is only okay, inoffensive is how I’d describe it, but they are great in every other way. The microphone is way better for calls than expected based on where it’s positioned. They are comfortable yet secure enough without being a canalphone, which means easier in and out. Lowest latency Bluetooth audio device I have come across as well. The case is a great design too.
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What do you think of Teflon / PTFE insulation given that it is all contaminated to some degree by PFOA/PFOS or similar in manufacturing.
Curious. Basically they tried to keep Z down, at a quick look at the graphs.
No bad thing per se. No rise time info though
.The photo shows very poor star quads though - nowhere near symmetric. But, I struggle to trust a writer who CAPITALISES every third word....
I have experimented with thin silver plated coax with teflon dielectric and found it 'bright'.
I also experimented with teflon sleeves on high purity copper strands (Apogee cable strands) and found they added a mids/highs hardness that I didn't like.
Dan.
Thank you for posting the link.
Where in your opinion is the “black” in this paper?
George
Canare manufacturer spec shows 48.6 pf/ft.....that’s roughly 80% less than the cardas.
As usual, it depends.
As we are in our daily life often act due to subjective recommendations of others, why shouldn´t it be different in case of the audio hobby and or forum discussions.
The crucial point is to find out which judgements/recommendations are more compatible to ones own habits/skills/way of life .
Despite that, a lot of professionals are using some "tweaks", already dismissed by so-called objectivists for long time, see for example Grundman mastering or the approach by Renner and his folks at Telarc or the guys running the old Philips recording facility in Baarn.
If it means that using these "tweaks" does not harm or could be indeed beneficial is still an open question.
Personally i know several professional who do not use such "tweaks" when working but do in their home reproduction system.
The main problem seems to be the urge to generalize and recommend things just because of a feeling of having found cause and effect relations without trying to explore this with sound (means well planned and executed) experiments.
Otoh the urge to dismiss any of these "tweaks" does not help either.
I´ve mentioned it before, there was a case in the UK where a government agency demanded prove from the (at least back then) Kimber cable distributor for claims wrt the advantages (due to attenuation of mains bound RF) of using their mains power cords.
Advertising rules are a good basis for addressing some outrageous claims.
In this case however it was more a surprising (depressing?) inability of the agency to accept and apply basic em-theory.
Of course that happens, but this habit is no way restricted to charlatans (or dishonest people) it seems to be the natural reaction of most people.
As Mark4 recently again pointed out, scientist/engineers are first of all humans and are prone to use ad hoc arguments (or even eristics) to defend the (sometimes/often indefendable) instead of admitting that the critic might have been justified.
There are a lot of examples to find for this behaviour in this and in other threads.......
As stated before, I think a lot of these fruitless discussions can be attributed to a lack of interest in philosophy of science.
That´s an interesting topic, but maybe it would be better to split the topics and open new threads instead of merging it all together in the poor "Blowtorch threads".
Otoh if doing so, one has to take the risk that these other threads will be more often closed as close minded individuals can´t behave.
I´d say it is the lack of listening test results to show some examples of practical relevance.
While sometimes more "obscure" physical claims are discussed, the point at issue is imo mainly the audibility of a cable exchange.
Aren't you forgetting the ITD modulation, which, if above the threshold of detection, which I doubt, could cause image instability of around 1 degree in the lateral plane? Just saying
No Scott I don’t believe it’s a STD of the ITD!
I meant compared to a twisted pair of the same wire, not any specific wire
After reading that it does kindly look like their starting a kool-aid stand!
May have merit depending on cost of the new ‘iconoclast’ line?
Howie, I never heard something strange in the treble with coax drivers. I used some Tannoy monitors in studios, and recently I bought the Kef LS50.
I don't fully appreciate this last one, but for no kinda doppler or AM or FM modulation that i could hear. Nothing different from an ordinary two ways speaker on this point of view.
I found the kef to be highly directive (big changes in the tonal balance with different angles), but I don't think it is due to the modulation of the HF horn by the LF membran move, as, if I don't change the angle, the balance stay consistent. No blur of the localisation neither. On the contrary, they are VERY focused and precise.
Just my two cents.
Yes, Belden is one of the best pro cables manufacturers. They build cables that work accordingly to their specs," that conduct electricity" and, as far as I know, don't hire any poet in their marketing department. ;-)
The frequent use of the word(s) "star quad" jumps out at me. Perhaps it's poet licence
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