What Happened to My Monster Cable?

[lgreen]

I've got a 25 foot section of "copper" Monster Cable that
is older and has turned black and nasty! (it was fine when new)

The problem is on the inside- not the insulation on the outside.

I cut it open and there is some kind of black goo on the wire!
(cant see it too good on the pics (flash) but its there and you can
see a little bit)

I thought the copper may have oxidized? What gives?

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

 

[rephil]

Hi lgreen,

I have had a similar problem too, but this occured after more than twenty years of dayly use.

I should like to know why this occured. There were also other changes in internal color.

I have bought new cables with a bigger section, and my amp now sounds better.

Regards, rephil

 

[planet10]

It's probably caused by Monster suing itself for the use of the word Monster

I have some similar 10 & 12 guage wire of similar vinatge... because it is stranded and because of the poor quality of the insluation moist air has gotten in and it has oxidized. it is really dark green. I get 25 cents a pound at the metal recyclers.

dave

 

[CharleyW]

The PVC (insulation) reacts with the copper.

 

[Geek]

Gee, my daily use speaker cable I got at the dollar store eight years ago hasn't even done that and we've been flooded in the living room.. twice

 

[CharleyW]

It takes around 10 years or so (at least on the Moster Cable I had it did).

 

[QSerraTico_Tico]

The PVC (insulation) reacts with the copper.

Yeah right. Ironically it most frequently occurs with the transparent PVC.

 

[CharleyW]

Actually, no - you should see the wire leads in my ST-70 transformers (1967 vintage) - colored PVC insulation and very green.

It's the 'C' in PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride. Put a bare copper wire in swimming pool and see what happenes to it - the chloride accelarates the tarnisg process.

 

[QSerraTico_Tico]

Actually, no - you should see the wire leads in my ST-70 transformers (1967 vintage) - colored PVC insulation and very green.

It's the 'C' in PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride. Put a bare copper wire in swimming pool and see what happenes to it - the chloride accelarates the tarnisg process.

Non transparent vinyl does not varnish the copper.
I have old Levinson speaker cables that are as new.
Black vinyl is also bad for the copper.
Maybe is the "softener". Your chemical explaining is typical laymans.

 

[gainphile]

Funny my 20+yrs electrical outlet cable still look shiny when I open them

 

[analog_sa]

Another anti-Monster conspiracy? My cables look as bright and shiny as the day i bought them 20 years ago. Mostly worked as power cords as they stank as speaker wires. Must be the cleaner air in the 3rd world - 10 years in Zim and ten in SA.

 

[Geek]

Come to think of it, I did see clear lamp cords doing that, but only after 20+ years (these lamps we had on the farm where I grew up).

 

[AndrewT]

tinned and tin plated copper strands don't do this.

 

[rephil]

Hi analog_sa,

It is not an anti-Monster conspiracy. Mine were the same as those presented by lgreen, and they had clear reddish parts in a few places too. At that time I got them for free with my speakers, so I am stil very satisfied of the 20+ years of use of those cables… Even if I have thrown them away a few monthes ago.

IMO, paying for cables is a sad situation : you should not do that as long as you don't know what you get for your money.

Regards, rephil

 

[QSerraTico_Tico]

Many years back in the eighties Monster had a bad batch. Customers could exchange their cable for free and the shop I worked got a huge pile of discolered cable in no time.

 

[jitter]

Actually, no - you should see the wire leads in my ST-70 transformers (1967 vintage) - colored PVC insulation and very green.

It's the 'C' in PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride. Put a bare copper wire in swimming pool and see what happenes to it - the chloride accelarates the tarnisg process.

A chemical compound has completely different characteristics than the separate parts, otherwise you'd surely have died by now by putting salt on your food... Kitchen salt = Sodium Chloride...

To lgreen: that's indeed oxide. The insulator must have gone (more) porous and allowed oxygen to reach the copper strands.

 

[Magura]

The PVC does release chloride over time, especially if heated a bit.

When processing PVC, special stainless moulds and machinery is called for, anything else corrodes.

Some types of PVC are worse in the respect than others, but it's hard to tell which type of PVC you have.

Conclusion: Stay clear of PVC.


Magura

 

[Ron E]

The wires are doing their job, cleaning up the nasty signal from your amp - that black goo is from bad electrons... Or maybe it is just accumulating the bad karma of the company.

 

[MJL21193]

The wires are doing their job, cleaning up the nasty signal from your amp - that black goo is from bad electrons...

Time to buy replacements - those are full.

 

[lowtherdream]

The green color on the copper wire is ink from the money they sucked from your wallet