Thanks for introducing the non-linear load.
In a nutshell a sufficiently thick Lead wire will achieve precisely identical properties to Silver?
If we increase the thickness so that they match precisely in conductivity?
It looks counter-intuitive since the electron and phonon interaction is different?
It's only the net result conductivity which is the same.
The first is a jet plane up the mountain while the second is a llama.
In a nutshell a sufficiently thick Lead wire will achieve precisely identical properties to Silver?
If we increase the thickness so that they match precisely in conductivity?
It looks counter-intuitive since the electron and phonon interaction is different?
It's only the net result conductivity which is the same.
The first is a jet plane up the mountain while the second is a llama.
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Eh, are silver and copper cables that different, I don't think so and neither do I believe that a silver cable would sound different from an equivalent copper cable.
As to the rest its far to quantum to worry about for such simple signal transfer!
If you look at actual "distortion" and exclude noise from the test setup, it's an order of magnitude below that. Gauge R&R would be essential if the test setup isn't well-characterized.
A transparent interconnect has no resistance, capacitance, Tin, Lead, Beryllium or Rhodium-plated interconnects.
All of the above exist in cables, that's why they sound different.
You pay $700 for capacitance.
Sally hears a vivid, dazzling difference and she thinks the scientists are insane.
Disagree, they would have to be very different to make a difference that was easily noted, though some snake oil cables would probably fit the bill. But competent engineered cables specified correctly for the required signal transmission , no difference between silver or copper.
Very few connectors have lead plating (none) on the actual contact portion of the connector (or tin/lead for that matter, this plating would be on the part that has to be soldered and in todays RoHS world would be tin only not tin/lead).
Very few connectors have lead plating (none) on the actual contact portion of the connector (or tin/lead for that matter, this plating would be on the part that has to be soldered and in todays RoHS world would be tin only not tin/lead).
Same thing happens with speaker cables. A while ago I measured the voltage at amp output and speaker terminals, there is a little more distortion on the speaker side as you'd expect.
OK I cheated a bit, I put a 1 ohm resistor in series with the cable...
One thing which I really really don't like is the large number of material transition points (solder joins) between the analog outputs of a DAC chip and the input of your preamp IC or Tube.
I think that it has to be an accumulative effect, half a percentage here, half a percentage there and the end result is a full percentage of loss or change in the signal as it passes along.
Someone should make a cable made entirely out of lead and wire solder joins, hundreds of them, and report back here on what it sounds like.
If there is no difference then why aren't we all using cables with a high percentage of lead in them? Maybe it will produce a rather soft sound. For that matter does lead have a sound?
Of course when our ears have been replaced with BNC connectors I am sure we will have something else to complain about.
Like wax buildup.
I think that it has to be an accumulative effect, half a percentage here, half a percentage there and the end result is a full percentage of loss or change in the signal as it passes along.
Someone should make a cable made entirely out of lead and wire solder joins, hundreds of them, and report back here on what it sounds like.
If there is no difference then why aren't we all using cables with a high percentage of lead in them? Maybe it will produce a rather soft sound. For that matter does lead have a sound?
Of course when our ears have been replaced with BNC connectors I am sure we will have something else to complain about.
Like wax buildup.
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It's already been done with mud- no-one could distinguish without cheating.
Higher cost, higher toxicity, worse mechanical properties. Why would anyone do that?
I'll give you the part about other materials having better mechanical properties than lead.
But lead/tin/steel has:
Lower cost. Presumed quality because they are heavier... Higher profit margins and the endorsement of audiophiles everywhere that "This cable sounds exactly the same as any other cable ever made".
I can almost guarantee you that I am so gullible that if you gave me a cable and told me that it was higher quality but infact was just a strand of lead solder inside that I would believe this to be true.
So assuming that to be the case, if we actually did come across a cable which was better than all of the others, would we really be able to notice it?\
I would presume that we cannot because we haven't yet found a material or paticular cable which really stands out above the rest. In the cable industry it is all the same or one is marketed to be above the other, but no one has really truly found a breathtaking example of one.
One that can be said by someone to be better and then the results replicated on mass, for everyone to try.
It stands to reason that because we do find occasional breakthroughs in all other areas that there would also be occasional breakthroughs in cabling. So either it has all been done in cables or we have exceeded the limits to human hearing.
So why aren't we all using lead/tin cables, lower cost. Toxicity is sealed inside of the insulation. Its basically putting a toxic substance to some good use and leaving valuable copper to other pursuits.
Also. Awesome!
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And if the cable breaks people will buy another one!
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/anal...nterconnect-rca-measurements.html#post4017185
Conrad has made some interesting measurements, he found commonly used cables and cheap RCA connectors to be fiddling with the squarewave he feeds through them.
You can hear the difference in electric guitar cables on Youtube, however that's slightly different.
A very flat / rectangular audio cable can have high enough capacitance to make a difference I think, they become passive equalizers.
They're designed that way to sound different.
It's not snake oil if it actually sounds different.
Now I'm referring to frequency response changes due to intentional capacitance.
Not phonon acoustics and lattice structure in Lead, Chrome, Nickel, et cetera.
I've used mud, beer, wine, salt water, potatoes, bananas and human beings as line level interconnects.
The only real problems any of these had was high impedance. That meant a low signal level and some noise. But once those were taken into account, there wasn't much difference between them and any metal wire.
In fact it was very difficult for most people to hear the difference in the original recording and the recording passed thru these materials. I was surprised! Some actually preferred mud over copper.
I need to do the tests again with better shielding and a better DAC/ADC combo. Still, even with my crude methods, it was hard to tell mud from copper.
The only real problems any of these had was high impedance. That meant a low signal level and some noise. But once those were taken into account, there wasn't much difference between them and any metal wire.
In fact it was very difficult for most people to hear the difference in the original recording and the recording passed thru these materials. I was surprised! Some actually preferred mud over copper.
I need to do the tests again with better shielding and a better DAC/ADC combo. Still, even with my crude methods, it was hard to tell mud from copper.
Speaking of which. I was sitting at the lounge chair this afternoon and I could have sworn that I started to get a headache whenever there is a microwave oven going near to me.
Same thing happens with speaker cables. A while ago I measured the voltage at amp output and speaker terminals, there is a little more distortion on the speaker side as you'd expect.
OK I cheated a bit, I put a 1 ohm resistor in series with the cable...
Do you happen to sell mud-impregnated coupling capacitors?
Maybe that is what they put into those wonderful PETP capacitors that I love so much...
This actually makes me want to genuinely try this, now I can say my DAC has a little bit of mother nature in it. maybe even grow some plants in it.
Next I'm going to invent mud immersed transformers.
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