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A question about the logic of interconnect cables

This question has always been with me...without a satisfactory answer to date.

Why do we not use the same internal wire ( for interconnects) that manufacturers use which feeds their outputs or inputs internal to their product?? It would seem to me that this wire's quality (regardless of what we use eternally) is a limiting factor in the first place

Example..I have an ARC Tube Preamp and ARC tube amps...why do I need "special " interconnects when in fact, the wire used to feed the output of my XLR preamp output is the same identical wire beyond the xlr input of my amps?

I would appreciate some logic here.....Thanks
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Showing 2 responses by carl109

carl109
134 posts
 
I'd hazard a guess that most manufacturers don't make aftermarket powercords because they know high-end PC's are a big con. As for "offending" other manufacturers... what have you been smoking?

To answer the original question; any wiring within a component is very short and well shielded from external interference by the component casing. It wouldn't be prohibitively expensive to use silver for such short lengths as someone suggested above; such wire is obviously deemed unnecessary over good copper.

However, if we choose to mix brands in our setup and have varying distances between components, it does make sense to buy high quality shielded cables to get the signal from point A to B as pristine as possible.

I posed a similar question a while back, asking if eliminating interconnects altogether by using fully integrated systems (like the Arcam CD/Pre/power) was an advantage.
carl109
134 posts
 
Hang on Audiofeil, you've just stated my comments are erroneous but then pointed me back to your previous post which is just assumptions - unless you're a component designer for an established brand, that is.

I'll back my statement up with some evidence...
Cambridge Audio, for example, supply all their components with a standard power cord, yet make a point of NOT including interconnects. That clearly means they have no issue with a standard PC, but know buyers will want to select their own IC.

Now an assumption of my own; I believe that if you were able to look inside most hifi R&D test rooms, every component being tested (and every piece of test equipment too) would be powered by standard good quality 3 pin PC's, not fancy expensive aftermarket PC's.

I know from personal experience that the PC's on recording studio equipment (even in major studios) are all standard off-the-shelf cords; I think these folks might know a little about what affects sound balance.

In fact, if I was a component manufacturer, I'd be embarrased to think my equipment's power supply and components were so fickle that changing a PC could affect it's sound.
True I'm no EE, but there's still room for common sense in audio isn't there?
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