Read somewhere in the 'net that signal voltages during cable breaking-in alters the insulating dielectric material molecularly. Beside the obvious insulating property, it possesses also a dielectric constant due to its chemical composition. Teflon/kynar/teflar for instance have low constants compared to say PVC/rubber which has relatively higher constants. Higher no. means greater capacity to store energy from the voltage present in the conductor it insulates. The stored energy in dielectrics degrades the original signal by being discharged back to the conductor causing a smaller out-of-phase "reflection" signal which all hi-end gear readily pick up and amplify faithfully. That's why ins. materials in audiocables do determine how they sound. Breaking in do smoothen this a little over time when the molecules find their stabilized position?? i don't know! Some food for thought; the perfect dielectric is a vacuum. Can you imagine an interconn made of bare wires? MHO a good cable design should have minimum dielectric material to minimize stored energy. (I've constructed such a DIY ic with good result using kynar, plse email if you require more info). The site also said that it's important that the conductor material ie copper, silver etc be annealed, of high purity with grains formed under oxygen free manufacture. Otherwise the intergranular spaces become like thousands of diodes right from the first hour of manufacture!! Sorry for this long post, i have no other way to tell this story.
Annoying Sibilance=digital glare?
I've slowly been tweaking my system closer and closer to subjective goodness, as we all do, and my most recent addition has left me a bit less than stunned. Swapped out all the interconnects (a mixture of mediocrity) with solid silver from Homegrown Audio (at the price, silly not to at least try it) and the result is a new and annoying sibilance, mainly on female vocals. It's tempting to blame it on the interconnects (sure, blame the newcomers) but I am also tempted to lay some of the blame on my front end, an AH!Tjoeb'99 with upgraded Siemans tubes, which is possibly now confronted with a downstream chain that simply outclasses it. While I’m asking for a diagnosis, here’s what downstream is: VTL 2.5, Bryston 4b-st, (w/ the Homegrown-come-Kimber KGAC knockoff throughout), Kimber Monocle XL, Thiel 2.3. -or- Headroom Home and Sennheiser HD600 - sibilance equally bad in both, if not slightly more annoying on the cans. [Long intro, now for the question:] If I put the old interconnect back between the CDP and the PRE (yes, Monster cable, though I’ve got 2-3 other’s to try as well) and that “cures” my sibilance problem (assuming it might) am I just veiling an inadequacy in the CDP which was finally brought to unacceptable levels by the much more detailed silver cables, or, is it one that we chalk up to “synergy” and declare that silver just don’t belong there? Alternatively, as I am hoping to upgrade my CDP in the not-to-distant future, is this something (the sibilance) that I can expect a new CDP to clear up? And, finally, “digital glare” is a term of art that that I have yet to put a good, first-hand, audible definition on - is that what’s setting my teeth on edge with all this hissing shit? Many thanks, (and I hope someone can make sense of this ramble...)