Well I joined the Silversmith FIDELIUM Speaker cable club today

@noske  I calculated as much as 1.45 mm^2.  Looking at an online chart, that is between 15 and 16 awg. The resistance comes from the materials used in construction, not the very thin nature of it.

@deludedaudiophile OK, well that is reasonable and possibly (probably ?) quite sufficient for most home systems, if it is copper. But that would provide no cause for superlatives, for reasons.

edit - I just calculated resistance on my 3 metre (copper) cables - its nearly less than nothing.  About 1 ohm p/1000 feet or just over 3 ohm p/km per the specs.

It is not copper. I have surmised, based on the marketing information, I believe with some accuracy that is is a nickel copper alloy. There are not many readily available alloys that meet all the criteria. I has been verified that my estimates of resistance are accurate.

I would have assumed that would have opened up some interesting discussions about the properties and what it would do, but I forget the natural reaction is for people to stick their head in the sand.

@bugredmachine What is the porocess you're using to get a picture posted?  I find it annoying that this site is so restrictive, but you have a workaround.  

You can drag and drop your photos to it and then just right click the image url and paste it here.

I use Verastarr power cables (flat cable) and Fideliums. Some manufacturers make ribbon IC’s. I presently do not have any ribbon IC’s.

I’m pretty sure flat cables make the difference. But maybe, applying the standard RLC thought process is not applicable to ribbons. Perhaps. I’m in the middle of something so my thoughts are not coherent. I’ll check back later.

Silversmith says it's 16AWG.

Link to two pics of the cable stands I have made.  Really helps with these "ribbon" cables.  I've seen some that were made by a glass blower.  Extreme but pretty cool.

https://imgpile.com/i/5O61FC

https://imgpile.com/i/5O6dTi

@bugredmachine   Thanks.  I've been able to attach a link, but can't seem to paste the actual pic the way you have.  

@bigtwin  The way to do it is to

1. right click on you image at imgpile
2. choose copy image address
3. select the landscape image icon (above)
4. select the URL box and paste the image address
5. select preview to make sure you like the size (you can always resize)
6. select OK and you're done

All the best,
Nonoise

I just pasted your image link directly.

I don't have to go to the image link menu here, it just lets me paste the link directly in.

@nonoise   Thanks.  Saved me from having to ask my 10 year old grandson to explain it to me.  🤣

@bugredmachine ,

You made the comment no one is buying Fidelium because of the resistance. No, because until I raised the issue, I no one seemed to know. I took a look at your system. Nice speakers and electronics. You mentioned you had 11 foot, but likely meant 10. That is 1.8 ohms total resistance.

At 100 ohms, your speaker is near 2 ohms impedance and if I am reading this graph correctly, near 0 degrees phase. Your amplifiers potential power output at that frequency is reduce to only 27.8% of its potential value with a low resistance cable. The decrease in amplitude at 100Hz compared to 1.2KHz is 3.7db. This is all caused by the resistance of the cable.

I know tube amplifiers often have high output impedance so it is not shocking to me that this cable could be reviewed positively. Could this cable cause a solid state amplifier to have a tube like sound?  Maybe this is another of the secret sauce for many to prefer tube amplifiers and many to not like them.

I have been using solid state amplifiers exclusively for years. I also have a new SS amp coming this week. Class A for first 18 watts. So, I don't have much memory for anything in the way of tube amplification.

Someone seemed to imply we were buying high resistance cables but as you point out, we were not paying attention to that. We were paying attention to our ears. Now, at the time of purchase the Fideliums were a huge change in sound compared to the graphene-heavy Cerious speaker cables I was using. A no-brainer.

I tend to think that flat cables carry the signals in a preferential manner as opposed to the very heavily studied round wire science. Can't explain it right now, but between the SC's and PC's it seems to be pleasing these old ears. 

What deludedaudiophhile points out about the resistance of these cables is informative. Does anyone know what the resistance of their speaker cables is…and if this aspect influences their awareness of the SQ? 
One thing that Nordost specifies is the speed of their cables,.. or what they call the ‘propagation’.. and they relate this to the speed of light. So, for instance with my Red Dawn cables, they are supposedly able to propagate at 94% the speed of light. How they come about with this information is anybody’s guess, but there you have it. Also, Nordost specifies capacitance and inductance, in the case of the same cables…capacitance at 8.7pf/ft and inductance at 0.13uh/ft. To be clear, I find these cables to be very resolving and quick in my system, and they are a great match with both tube and ss amps.

My cables are equivalent to about 11 awg. That mean's their resistance (about 8 ft) is 0.02 ohms in total based on an online calculator.

I assure you bugredmachine, there is no magic in flat or round, the same electromagnetic equations still apply. Some manufacturers of audio products would like you to believe that is not true. If they proved anything, they would publish in a respected journal.

@deludedaudiophile If they proved anything, they would publish in a respected journal.

A dude by the name of Malcolm Omar Hawksford has generated a bunch of words on the subject. I understand that this current obsession is to do with something like wave theory (??), which is totally applicable to things like microwave ovens.

The earliest reference to his thoughts that I can find are from 1985 where he found that high guage solid core is the secret to audio cabling. Another time, I guess. The folk over at the always erudite Stereophile enjoy publishing his words from time to time. I digress.

If science is about developing models of the real world, and the adage that ’all models are wrong, but some are useful’ then I reckon there is nothing wrong with a model that may lack the correct details, provided it usefully describe key concepts and ideas to the intended audience.

Where it can go wrong is when people extrapolate or extend the model beyond its domain of validity.

I think he is a bit of a strange quark, having read some of his words while he was relaxing in Morocco.

@noske  That is what I normally see is lots of impressive sounding words, but they never talk about audio. A cable with 94% of the speed of light? That sounds very impressive. How does that matter for what gets to my speakers? I think that is a case of extrapolating well beyond a domain of validity.

I love the people who have never tried out the FIDELIUM Cable making comments on it's performance....

Exactly, I was skeptical at first, it was cheap i purchased in 2020, Tried it against all my cables,

Found i like it better than the more costly ones. Forum seem to attract guys that have no experience and complain about pricing all day.

Then when they are blessed with a cable that can outperform 20K Silver Cables they go on and complain and become negative. You just cant satisfy everyone. Regardless.

I run, OTL, SET and Solid State, the Fids have performed at a higher degree than my copper or silver cables at a fraction of the price. Nothing more can be said you either try it and stop being a cheap ass or shut up and go to sleep.

I didn’t see anyone complaining about price. I saw you putting down people though. Your lack of understanding is not a fault in other people.

@deludedaudiophile   Do you have any sound reason for why so many people like these? Any science behind it or are we mad, delusional or deaf? Are we wrong in your opinion? You are dead set against these cables because you have calculations, reasons as to why they are bad. I just wonder what would happen if you auditioned a pair? Jeffrey will be happy to take them back, and you can verify your findings for yourself. Just wondering, Thanks.

@fthompson251 :

 

04-29-2022 at 09:27am 

@deludedaudiophile   ..... I just wonder what would happen if you auditioned a pair?

You are asking him too much. I have a very strong feeling this has nothing to do with auditioning or listening. For him to do what you asked him to do would require 1) he owns a pair of speakers to hook up cables to, and 2) any interest in trying speaker cables, or any wire for that matter. I'd love to be proven wrong on this, by him posting what his current audio system consists of. He has refused to disclose his audio chain in all his previous 11-12 (now banned) usernames.

Good luck getting to the bottom of this.

Oh great, the strange obsessed conspiracy theory guy is back. Happy Friday everyone. Would it make you happier if I asked the engineers at work if they have something close to a 1.8 ohm resistor of suitable size that I could add to my speaker cables? I doubt it would, though it would sound exactly like this cable.

All I am asking is you list your current audio chain. No pictures, no description under Audiogon System page, just list of your audio chain. Typed in. It’s that simple. Too much to ask? Just a list. I will take your word for it, and never question you again. Promise.

I asked you the same under at least four of your previous 12 usernames. You never did. Is this too much to ask?

Your obsession is really bizarre.

1+1 = 2, whether I went to Harvard or a 3rd rate college, or whether I use a calculator or piece of paper.

I work with academics. They try to do this when they are losing an argument. They try to find out your academic pedigree in hopes you came from a 2nd rate or even better 3rd rate university so they can attack your background. Academics can be as immature as audiophiles or vice versa.

Again, if you have never tried the cable, you're farting in a windstorm.....

Put up or shut up...

“ Oh great, the strange obsessed conspiracy theory guy is back. Happy Friday everyone. “

And just when you thought that the Dr Butlers cream had worked out for you 😊

Sounds like a good cable to try on a SIT-3/Cornwall lV combination. Nelson claims the amp performs best at closer to a 4ohm load. This speaker cable helps nudge in that direction.

thyname- Always wondered what everyone has to hide.... not disclosing their gear?🤔

After reading about Deludedaudiphile's post on the cables resistance-not quite sure I understand fully  what that means- got me thinking so here's my story.

I purchased a pair to go with my Linear Tube Audio 10watt amp feeding a pair of Cornwalls ( over 100db/watt). Wow! What a difference. Significant upgrade. 

I sold both the Cornwallis and LTA amp and purchased a pair  speakers rated at 89db/w/4ohm  and an Integrated 125w/8ohm and 225w/4 ohm. While my amp was being built, I ordered a Class d mini gan 5 ( 200w/8ohm and 300w/4 ohm) to get me thru. The amp felt kinda warm for a Class D amp but didn't think much of it. Several days later it was dead. Returned it for a refund. Chalked it up to just one of those things.

A month later my integrated arrived. Lovely sound.......for a while. One channel went dead. Off for repairs

Do I listen exceedingly loud? Don't think so but do turn it up on occasion . I also didn't hear any distortion from my speakers.

Bad luck or did the "resistance" of the cable have something to do with it? Putting excess strain on my amps?

Just thought I'd share. Again, could have absolutely nothing to do with the cable but I sold my mine just to be safe.

@emil 

Wow, you have had a terrible history with equipment! In fifty years I have never had  failures like that. After 2 or three years I had a cd transport fail… that was replaced free… but never a non mechanical failure… let alone two.

Hi everyone, 

I don't have a dedicated room for audio. My cats have access to the speakers too. I used spike mats to prevent them access my audio gears. That works but not 100% of the time. 

I really want to try Fidelium cables. However, the cables are pretty fragile. I wonder if any audiophile here have any special cloths or some kind of protection to wrap the cables end to end to protect it?

Thank you. 

Huy

Huy,

The cables are more robust than they appear.  No special treatment or handling is required.  As for the cats (I'm owned by two as well), I'd recommend a door for your dedicated audio room.  Happy listening.

These are excellent cables. Equaled/bested my references which have msrp around 7k. It's a shame that so many of these threads devolve rather than serving as a resource based on real world experience for those seeking to learn about products they may wish to audition. 

It's a shame that so many of these threads devolve rather than serving as a resource based on real world experience for those seeking to learn about products they may wish to audition. 

                                                                 AMEN!

With any foil cable the placement of each leg in relation to the other is important. Keeping everything equal distance - like with those cable lifters made by @bigtwin - will improve things.

When I was experimenting with copper foils I found having both legs sandwiched together was best. But that was with my amp/speakers of the time, no doubt the inductance/capacitance values needed will vary from system to system.

Loved my Fideliums, Had to pay double the price to significantly better them. ( Townshend Fractal 1)

No matter what could never get them to look good on risers. Even the Audiquest which are pretty cool for ribbons   The Newer binding posts amps can be a pain in the as as you have to use adapters.  The jumpers are a bit different also as they need to be looped. 
Definitely the best bang for the buck speaker cable I had in my system. Would love to try the interconnect when it comes to market. 

Anyone find the Fideliums really forward in the mids? I picked up a set and with my Heresys they sound good but the midrange is very forward.

Yes, the Fideliums are very midrange heavy. They’re a great cable and very transparent but at a cost. Dynamics seem dull and the midrange coloring is annoying. I would’ve purchased a pair had it not been for this shortcoming.