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Can an unused cable break in?

I bought a new $300 Audioquest cable about a month ago, hoping to improve the sound of my Cyrus CD transport.  It didn't improve the SQ even after a little  break-in period.   I compared it to another transport system I had and it was quite inferior. So I stopped using the Cyrus but left it plugged in the wall for the month.
Lo and behold, I compared the two transports today and there was virtually no difference in sound between the two of them.
I’m listening to the Cyrus right now and am thrilled with it.
Either it’s my imagination, or the cable broke in while unused!  The difference isn’t subtle.
Is such a thing possible?


rvpiano
jea48
4,874 posts
 
rodman999995,038 posts

06-13-2021
10:25am

@jea48 - "You don’t need a closed circuit to have a difference of potential, voltage.
If you connect a pair of wires to a source at the end or anywhere along the pair of wires the difference of potential exists."
Isn’t that why these work? https://www.fluke.com/en-us/product/electrical-testing/basic-testers/fluke-2ac

Yes. Though the no contact voltage tester actually is measuring the electric field around the Hot Ungrounded conductor. The tester works on capacitance. When you hold the tester in your hand your body is ground. You can be totally insulated from an EGC, (Equipment Grounded), object and the tester will still work.


https://voltstick.com/how-to-av/videos-and-blogs/how-does-voltstick-work
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rodman99999
6,207 posts
 
"When you hold the tester in your hand your body is ground."                                               Been using those for decades and always believed that was the case.       Thanks for the confirmation/insight/link (filling in the blanks)!
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Yay! So there is a circuit. Like I said. Only for some reason me saying it triggers terminal butt-hurt, the cry-bully has the post removed. I try to not get in his head, but somehow keep getting sucked in. Must be the vacuum?
jea48
4,874 posts
 
rodman999995,056 posts

06-13-2021
12:12pm

"When you hold the tester in your hand your body is ground." Been using those for decades and always believed that was the case. Thanks for the confirmation/insight/link (filling in the blanks)!

I would never use it to verify the circuit is de-energized if you are going to work on the circuit.

FWIW, the no contact voltage tester isn’t really connected between the hot and neutral or EGC, or any reference grounded object, of the circuit. There is not an actual connection from the source Hot wire and a return through the human body back to the source.
Without a closed circuit path how could there possibly be an electric charge flow, current.
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speakermaster
738 posts
 
It is possible because you let it plugged in for a month and that runs current through the gear and the wires so you were doing a slow burn in you just did not realize it and all or the better because it sounds like you are happy with the outcome.
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