Does anyone run a 99.999% pure Silver Litz Cable to their 310A or 6C6 grid cap?
i.e. Glasshouse Interconnect HGC
If so, have you noticed any improvements or interference with only cotton sleeving?
Are you using .5mm or 1mm diameter?
i.e. Glasshouse Interconnect HGC
If so, have you noticed any improvements or interference with only cotton sleeving?
Are you using .5mm or 1mm diameter?
Litz wire was devised to lower losses in RF coils in early radios. It is also used in the induction heating elements used in some modern stoves. The effect at audio is discernible only by bats & crazy, rich AudioPhools.🙂
Yet there are many of us who use silver wire in our signal paths for its conductivity properties. If you invest your time and 5 or 10k into a build, why be a cheapskate and save $20 on wire? I am asking those who have tried this for opinions. Thanks!
I remember reading an article 15 years ago or so on the effectiveness of litz wire for audio inductors. The measurements showed higher Q for frequencies starting ~1kHz and up.
I use litz inductors in my speakers for the drivers that operate above 1kHz.
I use litz inductors in my speakers for the drivers that operate above 1kHz.
1) It's really, really expensive, at least if you want heavier gauge stuff.
2) Stripping / soldering the ends isn't easy. If you get the right formulation, then you can get away with using a solder pot to tin the ends. You could also burn the ends with a torch, then try to solder it, but this usually looks terrible. All of this is still a much bigger PITA than most of us want to deal with.
3) It only really matters for reducing the skin effect. The reality is that if it's going to a grid cap, a little bit of extra resistance in the cable will make zero difference.
I get the whole silver wire thing. It's fancy, it takes solder nicely, it looks pretty, you can pretend to hear a difference. But litz wire? I don't see the value. If I'm going for super high-end, then I use silver-plated PTFE insulated wire. That's the mil-spec choice.
Litz wire is useful at audio frequencies. I've used it in transformers for use in the 25 kHz range, and gotten pretty significant improvements as a result. The application the OP is describing won't benefit from it, however.
2) Stripping / soldering the ends isn't easy. If you get the right formulation, then you can get away with using a solder pot to tin the ends. You could also burn the ends with a torch, then try to solder it, but this usually looks terrible. All of this is still a much bigger PITA than most of us want to deal with.
3) It only really matters for reducing the skin effect. The reality is that if it's going to a grid cap, a little bit of extra resistance in the cable will make zero difference.
I get the whole silver wire thing. It's fancy, it takes solder nicely, it looks pretty, you can pretend to hear a difference. But litz wire? I don't see the value. If I'm going for super high-end, then I use silver-plated PTFE insulated wire. That's the mil-spec choice.
Litz wire is useful at audio frequencies. I've used it in transformers for use in the 25 kHz range, and gotten pretty significant improvements as a result. The application the OP is describing won't benefit from it, however.
Thanks, no inductors here nor few ohm (speaker) loads but Pentode grids.
Given it´s an UNLOADED piece of wire since Pentode Grid is for all counts INFINITE impedance, wire resistance is IRRELEVANT.
You can use a straightened clothes hanger wire (cheap iron in a plastic sleeve) as an interconnect there with exact same sound.
Given it´s an UNLOADED piece of wire since Pentode Grid is for all counts INFINITE impedance, wire resistance is IRRELEVANT.
You can use a straightened clothes hanger wire (cheap iron in a plastic sleeve) as an interconnect there with exact same sound.
If you have already made up your mind, why bother to ask?
You do realize that for a given budget copper is _way_ better than silver? You simply use thicker wire!
The only circumstance where it matters is where the volume of the wire is constrained, such as in a coil or motor winding (where silver is usually prohibitively expensive). For a MC pickup it could make sense, even though the advantage of Ag over Cu is pretty minimal (a few percent).
Silver plating is used for RF only because a thin plating layer isn't expensive.
At RF the signal moves primarily close to the surface of the conductor..........'skin effect' anyone? At large RF power the conductors are usually hollow. And sometimes silver plated.
Anyone tried soldering Litz wire? Getting all the very small conductors tied in is very important, if any are left out the effect of the Litz wire is lost.
At power frequencies the conductors are often rectangular in cross section. For example, in many of the large 3-phase power transformers. Even at power frequencies the skin effect is part of the starting system of large induction motors.
Along the street wire was formerly all copper. Now Aluminum is preferred, the cost is considerably less.
Anyone tried soldering Litz wire? Getting all the very small conductors tied in is very important, if any are left out the effect of the Litz wire is lost.
At power frequencies the conductors are often rectangular in cross section. For example, in many of the large 3-phase power transformers. Even at power frequencies the skin effect is part of the starting system of large induction motors.
Along the street wire was formerly all copper. Now Aluminum is preferred, the cost is considerably less.
Attachments
> for its conductivity properties.
The vacuum inside the tube has really low conductivity. Is there an upgrade for that?
The vacuum inside the tube has really low conductivity. Is there an upgrade for that?
Thanks. I have some left over and just wondered if there was any sonic difference at the grid cap. I will stick with my current set-up since it already sounds great.
No, a vacuum is like a superconductor, it provides zero resistance to charge flow as there are no dissipation mechanisms (if you ignore synchrotron radiation).
The problems come at the launch point and target electrode for the charged particles where you have the metal's work-function to overcome, and Bremsstrahlung losses on impact.
Why not to donate the money otherwise spent in such a fool, to an organization that saves child lifes, by example.
Osvaldo de Banfield,
Why not donate your time other than acting like a fool in DIYAUDIO forums to an organization that saves child lifes, by example.
Boy ,this place is going downhill quick.
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Another reason for using aluminium is it's much lower mass for a given conductance.
Yes
. Main reason is silly snake oil questions, despite pre-fabricated beliefs like the OP's.Best regards!
Yes
Best regards!
No,the main reason is things like people calling other people fools because they didn't like their question.And they say the Americans are rude?
Maybe they should hire you or one of the other Amir bots to screen all the questions being posted to see if you approve of them first.
If questions needed anti-fool prescreening by, say, an Engineer or similarly qualified person, half or more , including yours of course would disappear from this Forum.
Which would not be a bad idea, air would be much more breathable.
Which would not be a bad idea, air would be much more breathable.
Your answer confirms what I thought ,and also proves my point ,Thanks.
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