Heaudio123, why can’t you just make an argument without all the personal attacks? What are you trying to hide? There is no need for all the drama. 💃
10 Audio Cable Myths and Facts
In a sea of audio cable industry snake oil, we’re sure you’re wondering, What really matters when buying cables?Save your money by avoiding overpriced cables with outlandish claims. Below are some common myths to look out for and some important things to consider when buying audio cables.
CABLE MYTHS1. Conductor skin effect
In some applications like power transmission lines, an electric signal tends to travel through the surface of a conductor and avoids traveling through the center of the conductor. Many cable companies claim that their design limits the skin effect and measurably improves your sound.
The TruthWhile skin effect is a very real issue for large scale power transmission, audio signals are in such a low-frequency range that the skin effect is negligible at best. The skin effect is only an issue in high-frequency applications. 20kHz is the highest frequency that humans can hear. If we calculate the skin effect on a 12 AWG speaker cable like Gene from Audioholics does in this article, we find that the skin effect results in a loss of only -.014dB. Your speakers, room acoustics, and the human ear have a much larger effect on your sound than the skin effect.2. Cable break-in
Don’t be fooled - any company that claims this thinks they can trick you into hearing better sound after a month or two. “Break-in” is a commonly used term throughout the industry. It is the idea that the dielectric of a cable changes and aligns itself to the electromagnetic field of the signal traveling through the conductors.
The Truth
There is no scientific evidence to support the idea of cable break-in, but there are still those who claim it improves sonic qualities. We’re not against optimism. We’re just not full of crap. Don’t drink the audio industry kool-aid and save your money for legitimate cables.
Cryogenic treatment is the process of freezing cables to -320 degrees Fahrenheit before use. The claim is that freezing the conductors of the cable at ultra low temperatures aligns the crystalline grain structure of them resulting in desirable improvements.
The Truth
Again there is no scientific data to support this notion. Cryogenic treatment can improve the durability of certain metals, usually steel, by stabilizing impurities. For example, the process is used to create strong tools or car parts.
But, steel is a terrible metal to use for audio cables. It is one of the least conductive metals out there! Copper and silver are the best conductors of electricity and the preferred metals for audio cables.
4. Cable signal direction
You might hear this phrase tossed around quite a bit. It’s the notion that a cable has an established signal direction, the direction in which it was initially used, and that this signal direction should not be reversed.
The Truth
The reality is, assuming the connector ends and terminals are the same, the cable will work in both directions and the performance will be equivalent.
5. Cable elevators, risers, or lifts
The claim is that the cables’ magnetic field can interfere with the surface it is laying on. Essentially, the magnetic field can “reflect” from the surface back into the cable and cause distortions.
The Truth
There is no evidence to support these claims, and these unnecessary devices are merely for looks. They are in no way proven to improve cable performance.
In the modern age, wireless signals are all around us all the time. The rapid growth and spread of technology means that these wireless signals will become more widespread and more likely to cause unwanted interference. Cellphones, wifi, and Bluetooth signals can enter your cables, but shielding can block these signals and preserve your sound quality.
No matter how well a cable is designed, cable length will always impact performance. As the length of a cable goes up, so does the risk of unwanted interference and signal loss. We always recommend keeping your cables as short as possible, but we understand that is not always possible. A well constructed and shielded cable will help combat this issue.
The best conductors to use for audio cables are pure silver or pure copper. Both are valued for their high conductivity, but copper is more widely used due to the high price of silver. Additionally, some variations are constructed with silver-plated copper. However, because the metals have different conductivities, the sound is more likely to travel through only the silver plating and not the copper.
The purity of the conductor will affect performance more than anything. Look for Oxygen-Free High Conductivity (OFHC) conductors. This means that a significant percentage of oxygen and other impurities have been removed from the conductor resulting in high purity.
4. Wire gauge should not be overlookedThe amount of wattage your system is using will determine the total gauge size needed for safe and optimal performance. The standard is 14 gauge wire minimum for the transmission of 250 watts of power. Many electronic devices use much less than this, but some speakers and listening setups may be using more. If your system uses more than 250 Watts, we recommend a higher total gauge cable.
5. Quality connectors matterTruly, the best connectors are no connectors at all. But, if you can’t hardwire your system, gold plated connectors are the industry standard. Gold plating exhibits great corrosion resistance when exposed to oxygen and has good conductive properties. Connectors range from basic to extremely high end and flashy.
The bottom line is:
Choose connectors based on your personal needs and the type of connection being made. Overall, always choose quality connectors.
We hope these myths and facts will help you choose quality, reasonably priced cables to complete your listening room, studio, or whatever your setup may be.
Showing 22 responses by geoffkait
heaudio123 The signal doesn’t travel in the wire, it travels in the field predominantly outside the wire and typically only at about 60-80% of light speed but in some cables as much as 90%. Individual electrons may move slowly, but they all in the cable move at once limited by the speed that the field propagates. Whereas the signal itself travels at near lightspeed in wire. >>>>You are mistaking the elements of the signal for the signal itself. Only some elements of the signal - e.g., induced magnetic field - have locations outside the conductor. Who cares how fast electrons travel? They only carry the charge. Hel-loo! If the signal didn’t travel in wire then it wouldn’t matter what metal you used or the purity of the metal or the directionality. Hel-loo! |
The free electrons in a conductor in an AC circuit move back and forth verrry slowly, a meter per hour. Net velocity equal zero. Whereas the signal itself travels at near lightspeed in wire. Now, think back to high school, which probably won’t be difficult for you, what is the only particle that can travel at near lightspeed in a conductor? Answer at 11. Besides your whole argument is moot because we know it’s the dielectric material that breaks in, not the conductor. |
andy2 Most people would believe that car engines need some breaking-in, but for some reason, people have a hard time of grasping the breaking-in of cables. Cables and engines are made of the same electrons, protons, neutrons and so on. Friction and heat apply to both - engines and cables. When two pieces of metal come into contact, it creates heat from friction. Same with electrons moving inside a cable. They generate heat from friction. Same exact thing. People can’t visualize what’s going on inside a cable because they don’t have the background in electrical engineering so the whole thing seems mysterious. >>>>I hate to rain on your electrical engineering parade but electrons don’t move inside the wire, they are essentially motionless. Photons do move in the wire but photons don’t have mass so they can’t produce friction or heat. |
Yeah, blind testing has some validity but not the way non believers think it does. A single blind test has zero validity, like any other single test. If it did then every yahoo in town would be declaring victory. In fact they don’t even have to perform the blind test. They apparently already know the results. “Betcha can’t prove it in a blind test.” |
bobedwards101 I meant to include what should be obvious with just a couple seconds reflection: audio signals are AC, not DC. So current flows in both directions, eh? “Holy freakin’ fraud”, as Robin might say to Batman! Report this >>>>Only worry about the direction toward the speakers. The other direction doesn’t affect the sound. In other words, put your best foot forward. 🤗 |
fleschler A major problem for my friend is the snobbery among high end audiophiles. He loses more sales due to price than any other factor (60 day trial included). Snobs refuse to try a cable not priced in the multiple four or five digit range. >>>>Well, I wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole if they weren’t priced in the multiple four or five digit range. Peee- ewwww! |
bob540 My thinking regarding cables (power or otherwise) is this: If the manufacturer of quality audio equipment includes a certain cable or recommends a cable as an additional purchase, I would think that such cable works well with their device. I don’t know why the manufacturer would market, say, an amplifier and then handicap its performance by including or recommending a deficient cable. The company is in competition with other companies to deliver the best sound, so they should be motivated to have their sound be the best. I figure they most thing their cable does that. >>>>It’s been my observation 👀 that amplifier manufacturers by and large are not aware of the cable controversy and if they are don’t really care much about it. In their minds it’s all about the circuit design. It’s the same idea for fuses and wire directionality. Audiophiles are way ahead of amplifier manufacturers in this regard. |