Low wattage speaker cables

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driguy

Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #20 on: 17 Jul 2012, 12:15 am »
My thoughts regarding this are here:http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=75203.msg712733#msg712733

Very low capacitance, inductance, skin effect, and cost. 16 gauge BTW.
Regards
Tony

DaveC113

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #21 on: 17 Jul 2012, 01:19 am »
My thoughts regarding this are here:http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=75203.msg712733#msg712733

Very low capacitance, inductance, skin effect, and cost. 16 gauge BTW.
Regards
Tony

Lol, I actually read that years ago but haven't tried it yet. I will try it eventually for sure. What geometry have you found works best? I'd guess stacked close together or separated some distance are the only options...

There's also this stuff, it's not too expensive... The 20g stuff might work well for SCs, I'm going to try the 24 in ICs and am using it as signal wire in a preamp I'm building.

http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_neotech_copper_cot.html


DaveC113

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #22 on: 19 Jul 2012, 06:19 pm »
Check out this article on speaker cables.

http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/HFN/Cables3/TakeTheLead.html

In table 1 there are measured parameters for some various speaker cables, check out the Townshend Isolda, which is a ribbon cable....

Speedskater

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #23 on: 19 Jul 2012, 09:10 pm »
Note that those charts are at radio frequencies. Audio frequencies are not even on the chart!

driguy

Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #24 on: 19 Jul 2012, 09:26 pm »
Lol, I actually read that years ago but haven't tried it yet. I will try it eventually for sure. What geometry have you found works best? I'd guess stacked close together or separated some distance are the only options...

I have tried it both ways and...... it did not sound that different either way. I had it separated for years but now have both conductors flat and taped together. Neater and no difference that I could hear. Again, part of this is due to the low current flow and voltage swings so of course, lower potential for interaction.
You can just get a couple of inductors from Alpha Core and unwind them for a cheap way to try it.

DaveC113

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #25 on: 19 Jul 2012, 09:30 pm »
Note that those charts are at radio frequencies. Audio frequencies are not even on the chart!

Sure, he's checking out their susceptibility to RF issues, I was just referring to this chart:



Speedskater

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #26 on: 19 Jul 2012, 09:37 pm »
I just read parts of a few of Jim Lesurf's pages (see above).  They have lots of great technical stuff!  But its all fine print stuff,  and if you don't study it very carefully it's easy to jump to wrong conclusions.

rodge827

Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #27 on: 19 Jul 2012, 10:40 pm »
I just read parts of a few of Jim Lesurf's pages (see above).  They have lots of great technical stuff!  But its all fine print stuff,  and if you don't study it very carefully it's easy to jump to wrong conclusions.
Yeah I agree!

By reading the previous page (click on left arrow at the bottom) a couple of times, and then reading this last page a couple of times, helped a lot to "get" what his findings are.

One point I thought was interesting was how DNM uses the skin effect to their advantage. Most if not all of what I have read over the years has been that the skin effect was a very bad thing that screwed up the signal.
Come to think of it the skin effect can really screw up a relationship too.  :duh:

No honey, I wasn't lookin' at her...it's the sail boat behind her I was lookin' at!  :green:

DaveC113

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #28 on: 19 Jul 2012, 10:55 pm »
Also, if you look at the RF characteristics of the Isolda you see why they come supplied with inductors, so it won't potentially load the amp with RF. Also, the capacitance is very, very high which can cause RF oscillations with some amps. How much of an issue do you guys think it is to use ribbon cable without an inductor at the speaker end of the cable? The Isolda comes with inductors and I think the Goertz ribbon cable does as well...


Speedskater

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Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #29 on: 20 Jul 2012, 11:55 am »
I must have missed the parts about how "skin effect" was an important factor.

rodge827

Re: Low wattage speaker cables
« Reply #30 on: 20 Jul 2012, 12:40 pm »
Here is the passage were Lesurf mentions skin effect:

"The strands in each bundle are assumed to be individually insulated and arranged so that the current is uniformly distributed amongst them. This helps prevent the ‘skin effect’ which tends to cause the series resistance (and inductance) to rise with frequency – often regarded as something to avoid. Hence the preference by various people for multistranded conductors. A choice that runs contrary to the DNM approach which exploits skin effect (more accurately called ‘internal impedance’) to help control RF behaviour."

I think interpreted his findings properly?  :scratch: