I am not such an insecure audiophile that I would lose sleep wondering if, say, Kimber cable would sound better than Mogami!
Why Do Cables Matter?
To me, all you need is low L, C, and R. I run Mogami W3104 bi-wire from my McIntosh MAC7200 to my Martin Logan Theos. We all know that a chain is only as strong as its' weakest link - so I am honestly confused by all this cable discussion.
What kind of wiring goes from the transistor or tube to the amplifier speaker binding post inside the amplifier? It is usually plain old 16 ga or 14 ga copper. Then we are supposed to install 5 - 10' or so of wallet-emptying, pipe-sized pure CU or AG with "special configurations" to the speaker terminals?
What kind of wiring is inside the speaker from the terminals to the crossover, and from the crossover to the drivers? Usually plain old 16 ga or 14 ga copper.
So you have "weak links" inside the amplifier, and inside the speaker, so why bother with mega expensive cabling between the two? It doesn't make logical sense to me. It makes more sense to match the quality of your speaker wires with the existing wires in the signal path [inside the amplifier and inside the speaker].
Showing 9 responses by jasonbourne71
@gs5556 : Your analogy comparing water pressure to electricity for speaker wire is way off! Amperage/current is not at all like water pressure! Resistance is the defining constant for speaker wire. The longer the run the better it is to have lower resistance to control the voice coil motion of dynamic drivers. Inductance and capacitance here are not important. |
Blame it on Noel Lee! In the Days of Yore audio hobbyists used zip cord - and nobody cared or complained! Then in 1976 Mr. Lee started selling 10 gauge fine multi-strand cable in a clear jacket. He called it Monster Cable and it was an overnight success! Lee claimed his cable was better because the high frequencies traveled faster on the outside and the bass frequencies had more oomph due to the thickness of the cable. Cleaner, clearer highs and greater bass mojo compared to zip cord! All these claims by Lee were unsubstantiated by any lab measurements! He said " just listen". The "My golden ears told me it is so" crowd fell for this hype and bought miles of Monster Cable, making Noel Lee a multi-millionaire! Soon other entrepreneurs took notice and started their own wire businesses. They discovered that all you need was a nicely made product with a catchy name and a liberal amount of print spin (this was pre- Internet). Lab measurements not needed! |
Wire - having no moving mechanical parts - cannot have a "sound". Ah, inquiring minds will say, what about musical instrument strings/wire? Yes, those do have a " sound" due to length/diameter and material construction. The factor here is "vibration" of the string/wire connected to a sound board. Audio interconnects/speaker wires are fixed in place and not attached to a sound board. Whatever minute vibrations they experience certainly does not affect the electronic components or speakers they are connected to. |
@8th-note+1! When I wanted to add some new ICs to my system I too bought the AQ Silver Extremes (5 pairs). They look nicely made and the price was right ($90 each discounted from $450). Like buying jewelry sonic quality was not a factor in my choice. In use the AQ Silver Extremes sound fine! I am not so neurotic to lose sleep worrying if some other brand of interconnects sounds better! |
Only transducers have a "sound". What's a transducer inquiring minds want to know? It is a device that converts one form of energy into another form of energy. Speakers and phono cartridges are examples of transducers. Speakers convert electrical energy into sound waves - a different form of energy. Phono cartridges convert vinyl vibrations into electrical energy. Speakers and phono cartridges use mechanical parts to affect the energy conversion. It is these mechanical parts that affect the sound of each device/transducer. |