Electrostatic speaker cables...


I just read SoundLabs white paper on electrostatic speaker cables. It recommends low inductance AND low capacitance for a speaker cable, along with a medium impedence.

I own a pair of Martin Logan Aerius i, and am looking for upgrade suggestions: I'm powering them with a VTL IT 85, and right now, am using MIT Terminator4 cables. I would like to find a cable that fits the above suggestions that is also biwired.

Any recommendations? Obviously, SoundLab's own cables would be one idea, but I wouldn't be able to audition them. I'm planning on loaning a bunch of cables from fatwyre.com...

Thanks..
dennis_the_menace

Showing 5 responses by bear

I, of course am biased to my own... but Dunlavy's cables are very capacitive, that is how they achieve a nominal "8 ohm" characteristic impedance.

The cables I use and make are both low inductance and low capacitance. I use ESLs and so do some of my friends, they like the cables too.

Can I say that here? Hope so.

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Whoa...Tekunda, whoa! The velocity of propagation can be argued to be entirely irrelevant to a signal that is restricted to a maximum rise time LESS than a 20kHz. sine wave (at that!)...In fact it is virtually irrelevant to most RF applications.

As far as an adjustable "current rise time selector" someone will have to tell me just what that is in reality. Since the voltage and current are directly related and linked, I see no way to adjust the "current rise time" without altering the frequency response of the cable - ie. a filter.

By definition, ALL bass speakers are "slower" than tweeters, IF you mean that the time between a min and max excursion is longer, which it HAS to be because it is a lower frequency.
But if you are talking about acceleration, that's a different bird. It may be that some woofers are "faster" than some tweeters if you are talking about acceleration.

The *real* effect of speaker cables comes mostly as it effects the waveform produced by the amplifier, especially with reactive loads and/or amps that use a lot of feedback (which most do) and/or may not be totally stable into some loads or impedances.

If you do something via a cable that adds subjective "speed" or "impact" (etc.) I'd bet you can *see* it by looking at the effect the cable has on the output of the amp when you use a nice clean square wave as a test signal - in most cases you'll see the leading edge alter and the overshoot change. I'll give you odds on that one.
Tekunda, You should change your info, if you are not a private user, and represent a manufacturer!
Dennis, I'll have to measure them - I do not recall what the specs actually are, since it's been more than 10 years since I first came up with this cable design (Silver Thunder). At that time no one ever asked about these two parameters.

If it's really important for people to know, I can take the time out to do some quick measurements and post them...

Let me know?

PS. Sean, this ain't RF :- )
Dennis, I'll have to measure them - I do not recall what the specs actually are, since it's been more than 10 years since I first came up with this cable design (Silver Thunder). At that time no one ever asked about these two issues.

If it's really important for people to know, I can take the time out to do some quick measurements and post them...

Let me know?

PS. Sean, this ain't RF :- )