Back to basics - some wire discussion

Status
Not open for further replies.
What do you guys use for hook-up wires inside amplifiers? I'm looking to i nvest in a few spools of hook-up wires but the cheapest Teflon-insulated 20ga solid core ALPHA wire I can find on Newark is $79(!!!) for a spool. Anyone have better recommendations?
 
Sorry if I misdunderstand "hook-up"

For PS wiring I use Jamo 2.5mm speaker cable. This what I had around and it worked for me 😀

For signal wire I use a pair of 24AWG OCC copper wire.
OCC copper sounds very good. Very clean but warmer than silver.
I hope I don't begin a holy war by saying this.

Yesterday I found that partsconnexion.com is carring OCC copper. Very affordable. One can even make good interconnects with them.

Regards
M
 
Thomas:
Partsconnexion.com has solid core OCC copper up to 12AWG (US$ 1.1 per foot).
I have not tried it yet but I remember that using standard solid core wire in a DAC PS led to boomy bass and lack of detail in midrange plus short HF.
Not quite comparable but it may let you thinking.
I think it is worth trying.
Here is a link where you can read about it and see pics about its ultrastructure:

http://www.partsconnexion.com/crystalwire.htm


Regards
M
 
That's why to use foil after the caps. The thick wire surpresses high freq, and there should only be 100/120Hz comming from the rectifier. For low Z at high freq after the caps the wire must be as thin as possible, but you need some x-section for the current, so the best thing is then foil...
 
I'm not so sure that the wire impedence in relation to cross section comes into play here, even in the signal.

Wire impedence only comes into play when the wire is at least 1/10 fraction of the signal wavelength. Electric current travels at ~70% C, which is around 200 million meters per second. For the top audible range of 20kHz, this translate into a wavelength of 10km. Your wires would have to be 1km long(!) to show any noticable impedence to 20kHz signals. Even at the Max 1MHz switching frequency of the Tripaths you're allowed to run ~20m before running into trouble.
 
The thick wire surpresses high freq, and there should only be 100/120Hz comming from the rectifier

You use it as HF filter?

About PS wiring, forgive my ignorance :angel:
but after the caps we are looking for perfect flat DC to feed our amplifiers. Then how can I hear differences between diverse wires :scratch:
Maybe some obvious explanation is escaping me. Sorry tbr, your point of view did not convince me :angel:

Maybe I need a new subatomic particle to understand this 🙂
I will call it a "sonitron"

What do you think about this OCC copper?

I hate to be so anoying...
 
> but after the caps we are looking for perfect flat DC to feed our amplifiers.

No. Biggest mistake in audio gear...
You see the audiosignal on the ps lines because the current drawn in the circuit shows up in the caps (where else should it come from?). You will have a perfect DC if the inner resistance of the ps is zero, which is only theoretically possible. No quantum physics so far, just Ohm's law...

The foil is not ment for impedance matching but for preventing eddy currents (hope that's the right term), more and much more competent stuff can be read in the Hawksford article published 1985.
 
Belive me,

You want to save your money for the components and purchase the cheapest thick wire you can find. I really don't think your brand of wire will make any difference to the sonic purity of your signal at these kinds of length. Spend your dosh on somthing more usefull like nice low ESR caps for the power supply or high quality, fast switching fets ( assuming you are using class D ). Also a few dollars on research will go a long way to improving sound quality me thinks, rarther than some expensive luminous cable inside your amp.
If you are talking about hook up wire for your speakers then yes, find somthing good, but otherwise if its only a few inches inside equipment go for cheap and thick. If your really stuck i recomend earth wire. Here in the UK the law dictates it is thick enough for any use.

What ever you do have fun!! 😀

Mad.P
 
Thanks for your advise, Nitrate, but:

I really don't think your brand of wire will make any difference to the sonic purity of your signal at these kinds of length.

You don't think or you do know 😉

rarther than some expensive luminous cable inside your amp.

I don't consider US$1.1 per foot THAT expensive. It's in the realm of possible experiments.

Really, I haven't tried that make of wire into PS application but I really like OCC copper for signal and my very good Stevens&Billington step-down transformers are made from that material. I promise to try it and share my impresions in the most subjective way I can 😉

Ciao
M
 
LOL,

Go for it. I'll be waiting in anticipation to see if it really does make a difference. I personally don't think it will but if you find otherwise please let us all know. Normally i don't pay too much attention to the P.S design, i usually just make sure it does the job, but if you find it does make a difference tell us about your findings and i will run out and find some decent stuff for the PS hookup, as i'm sure others will too 😉

Regards
Mad.P
 
Status
Not open for further replies.