High current power cables

@deludedaudiophile - re:

Stranded wire same gauge as solid is typically within 5% of the equivalent solid gauge. The don’t have the same exact diameter. 5% is not going to make a difference in sound.

I’m not talking about the difference in diameter of stranded wire vs solid wire,

• its due to the fact that a solid 12 gauge wire has a much higher current carrying capacity than a stranded 12 gauge wire
• This makes solid wire much better at dealing with transient peaks, which can easily be heard
• apparantly, It has to do with the valence electrons moving between the strands, which in turn degrades conductivity and generates heat 

Regards - Steve

@blue_collar_audio_guy - There are a few things that govern the abilities of power cables

1. wire gauge
   • thicker the wire the more current it can carry
2. structure of the wire - i.e. solid vs. stranded
   • solid wires can handle a lot more current than stranded wires
3. wire type - OFC, UP-OCC Copper, and UP-OCC silver
   • the wire type governs the dynamic performance of the cable
   • OFC is OK, but limited
   • UP-OCC copper offers the best bang for the buck
   • silver UP-OCC is too expensive for many people, but the most dynamic
4. insulation type
   • the better the insulation the lower the noise floor
   • Dielectric Constant (Dk) is the measure used to gauge insulation performance
     • Teflon is 2.2
     • Foamed Teflon is 1.45
     • Cotton is 1.3
     • bare wire inside oversized Teflon Tube is close to Air
     • Air is 1.1
     • Vacuum is 1.0
5. Geometry
   • more space between the conductors (Live, Neutral and ground) the lower the noise floor

So as you can see - to compare power cables based on their thickness is a bit like saying a red cable will perform better than a blue cable.

Unless a person undersrtands the internal structures/materials/geometry of a power cable it is next to impossible to come to a conclusion as to how well a cable might perform.

It is quite possible to construct a 14 gaue cable that will perform much better than many 10 gauge cables. So simply adopting to use a 10 gauge cable might not be allowing an amp to perform to the best of its abilties

There are few companies that make this information available on their web...

• Zavfino - perhaps the best choice for most cables
• In-Akustik - more for higher end components
• Hijiri - for the highest resolving components

So while many companies do make cables using excellent grade copper - they will not fare as well when compared to the brands mentioned above simply because their insulation and cable geometry is not as advanced.

Hope that helps - Steve

@deludedaudiophile.

All I can say is that after making hundredas of cables over a 14 year period - each time investigating each of the attributes listed in my previous post and verifying improvements through painstaking observation. - I stand by my words.

Not only that, there are dozens of other members that have tried my recipes and found them to deliver EXACTLY what I had specified they would

There are also dozens, if not hundreds of people worldwide that have benefitted from my cable recipies, from Europe, Eastern Europe, Austria, France, Hong Kong, China, Australia, USA, Canada and a few Nordic countries. And that’s just the people I know about.

Here’s a link to an active thread where dozens of members have tried my cables

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/duelund-conversion-to-diy-helix-geometry-cabling?highlight=duelund%2BHelix

Regards - Steve

@deludedaudiophile - actually my Helix DIY Cables perform extremely well and has been prefered by many people to some of the best commercial cables available, so they will not be going to the car just yet - but thanks for the tip

Just for your further edification - the Helix coil is attached to the neutral, so there is no impact to sonic performance.

• However, if Helix coil is connected to the Live side by accident - then you will hear anomolies

Here is some light reading pertaining to cable design - it’s a worthwhile read

https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-1/
https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-2/
https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-3/

Also - here is a link to a table showing the current carrying capacities of solid vs. several different stranded wire options.

• AWG - American Wire Gauge Current Ratings (engineeringtoolbox.com)

Regards - Steve

@deludedaudiophile - There are dozens of sites that all say Solid wire is capable of carrying higher current

E.G. From this link...

Stranded Wire vs Solid Wire. Which One is Best and Why? (electricaltechnology.org)

Advantages of Solid  Wire

• Perfect termination and connection
• High ampacity as compared to stranded wire having the same size (Gauge).
• Clear sound (less noise due to low attenuation) and good transmission performance with high frequencies
• Lesser resistance and anti-corrosive in indoor/outdoor applications
• low voltage drop and suitable for long distance applications
• Less costly as compared to stranded wires.

I Have provided

• the the key points that influance cable design
  • i.e. the Coles notes version 
• I've provided my findings of years of experimenting
• I've provided supporting links to articles of industry leaders in this field
• I've provided the thoughts.findings of many other members that have tried my cables and suported my findings

I guess I'm all out of things to provide.

You cleartly have your own views - that's the glory of free speech.

I guess we'll just have to Agree to Disagree

Regards - Steve