Saying there is "there is no cable breaking-in" without any proof is as bad or even worse than saying otherwise. "ShieldCable" is just re-iterating some dogmatic beliefs without any scientific evidence.
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.
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It to hijack the thread but this really wound me up... Dragon52...really? You honestly, deep down, "believe" that scientists, at some level, don't understand how bicycles (and thus unicyles and motorcycles) work? Just from some bs fake new website? By and large most people that post here are smart but now and again some ridiculous theories/contentions get posted. That is the dumbest contention and article I have ever read on any website. Every single thing about bicycles is completely understood or we couldn't have improved them over 150ish years and make incremental and sometimes major improvements every year from hundreds of manufacturers using science, physics, chemistry, and scientists. To whit: https://www.explainthatstuff.com/bicycles.html |
steakster, "Any business person knows that the marketplace determines the success of a product. Wikipedia: Ford Edsel Belden - Iconoclast All these cable companies have been in business for decades. Each company has customers from around the world. Each customer has a different system - and different hearing capabilities. And you’re accusing them all of lying. Wow!" As I've said before, these cable companies do not, and as far as I know ever have, claimed one iota of superiority in either electrical or sonic performance over any decent copper cable. Therefore it's simply not possible to accuse them of lying (or more to the point - challenging them in court). No, they simply imply some nebulous quality often backed up by advertising, sleeve design and most importantly, price. We all know that more expensive items must be better, right? That's it, once the touchpaper is lit it's simply a question of standing back and counting the money. Their work is done -the rest is down to the dealer and the listener's hungry imagination. Some few might bite and many others will not. As far as science is concerned nothing has changed. The cable manufacturers know this perfectly well and remain tight-lipped. Their work is done - until the next advertising / marketing facelift is required of course. Which it inevitably will be, you can bet on it. |
It seems the older I get the less I know. But I do know that we all have different hearing capabilities & there's some things you'll hear that I may not be able to, maybe even vice versa. Recommendations from asylum members can help steer one into the right ballpark. Once in, it's up to the individual to determine if the $40 seats are worth twice as much as the $20 seats. Now where's that snake oil thread, I need to figure out whether to run full synthetic or if Rotella will work. |
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