2. cables
  3. 188950-187871

The molecular level explanation of "cable burn-in"

According to one cable seller

"The insulation (or dielectric) will absorb energy from the conductor when a current is flowing (i.e. when music is playing). This energy-absorption causes the dielectric's molecules to re-arrange themselves from a random order into a uniform order. When the molecules have been rearranged, the dielectric will absorb less energy & consequently cause less distortion."

So it’s the plastic polymer (as dielectric insulation) to undergo some sort of molecular rearrangements to minimize the distortion. Probably one of the greatest scientific discoveries ever!

“Many premium AC cords constrict or compress the audio transient as their characteristic impedance restricts the transient current.”

We all know impedance restricts current but how possibly “many” premium AC cords constrict/compress the audio transient (when not carrying audio signal)? Then again is it achieved by this molecular rearrangements of the cable insulation?

Unfortunately there are no measurement data or mathematical formulas to be found to back up this amazing scientific discovery. Simply “it happens”. So I came up with a formula for them.

∆E = P - SoT

∆E: energy absorbed by dielectric

P: energy (power) drawn from wall outlet

So : Smake Oile

T: Dielectric Transition Temperature

classicrockfan

Showing 5 responses by cleeds

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,653 posts
 

Another week, another cable thread.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,653 posts
 

audphile1

The first official transatlantic phone ... was not transmitted by wire, but by radio waves. 

That is correct. What we've been discussing are transatlantic cable communications.
 

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,653 posts
 

clustrocasual

So when the first cable was laid under the Atlantic and people tried to make a transcontinental telephone call, the sound came out skewed in time, noisy and garbled.

This is fiction. For one thing, the first transatlantic cables preceded telephony and were used only for telegraph.

... they consulted the best physicists out there, including one guy in England (forget his name) who was a student of Maxwell. He proposed that the cable insulation material, not the conductor, was the problem, which turned out to be true. The dielectric was distorting the sound ...

Again, fiction. Telegraphs work with dots and dashes, so I’m not sure how you think the sound was "distorted." The insulator did fail but there was nothing exotic about the failure - the material simply couldn’t withstand the environment and it decayed.

The first transatlantic telephone cables were installed in the 1950s and worked reliably well into the 1970s.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,653 posts
 
audphile1

What we’ve been discussing is molecular explanation of cable burn in.

... which has absolutely nothing to do with the first transatlantic telephone cables, notwithstanding the claims made by clustrocasual. So now we can move on.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,653 posts
 

clustrocasual

It may have been the telegraph. regardless, theres a whole documentary on it that discusses the huge research that went into cables ...

You seem to be very confused about transatlantic cables. Perhaps you should watch your documentary again.

... when the first cable was laid under the Atlantic and people tried to make a transcontinental telephone call, the sound came out skewed in time, noisy and garbled. They checked the cable along the ocean floor and it was in perfect condition and insulated.

That’s not even remotely true. Why are you trying to revise history?

Here’s the Wikipedia entry on transatlantic cables. It looks historically accurate to me, and note it references reliable sources.

More to discover