Cable Break In for the Naysayers

@ozzy   My wife and I went to the movies this afternoon.  Saw the new Frankenstein, which by the way was excellent.  There comes a scene where workers are installing a long cable to connect the lightning rod.  Dr. Frankenstein asks what material they have used.  When he learns the cable is made of Copper & Zinc, he tells them " Not acceptable.  Start over.  Only pure silver is to be used as it's the best conductor of electricity"  Even Victor Frankenstein understood the value of high quality cables.  Mind you, he didn't mention anything about breaking them in.  Just saying. 😆  Cheers.

bigtwin,

Thank you for that info. Nice to know that there may be a new movie to view on the horizon. Most of the new releases have been pretty bad.

Silver wire, that is .9999 or better is awesome. Many of us have tried different types of silver wire. Including silver coated over copper, lesser types of silver purity and we formed an opinion that silver wire is bright sounding. I know I once did, based on Kimber Silver Streak.

That is simply not true. Pure silver wire is so much more dynamic, airy, and the bass explodes as compared to even the highest-grade copper. Albeit it can be quite expensive.

At least IMHO.

ozzy

The community of Physicists (if you can cal it that), although aware that we do not yet understand the totality of the physical Universe, are in agreement that we now and forever know all there is about Newtonian Mechanics. The sound of cables is a part of Newtonian Physics. Physics will tell you that cables, if working for their intended use of power delivery, do not have a sound that is perceptible to human ears. Ende.

Now, human perception is a field of study that is not complete, that is still evolving. The interaction of the brain with music is a ripe field for continued discovery. It is my firm understanding that because there is so much more to discover on this topic, one cannot say categorically that cables have no perceived sonic signature. The human interaction must be considered and understood. This effort is ongoing, but not at all complete as Newtonian Physics is.

Blind testing is helpful, but does not does not provide much information about the emotional process of listening. We desperately need a deeper understanding on this topic, one that everyone can understand. This will come from basic research.

kevemaher,

Thank you for your post. I am simple minded. However, my wife thinks my audio obsession makes me nuts...

To me, does it sound better? If yes, then that’s all I can be aware of. If no improvement or a setback, well I can hear that too!

ozzy

@ozzy 

I think it is perfectly fond to be so passionate about some activity that others may label your obsession as nuts.

Many lasting inventions and ideas are born by people who were a little nuts.

This past weekend, I went to a live on stage performance of Richard Wagner's "Parsifal" opera. The music so resonates with me that I experienced waves of tingling that start in my lower back, travel up through my spine and blossom inside my head, and then travels down my spine, back up and on and on.  Extremely pleasurable. This music excites a strong resonance in my nervous system (as we Physicists say). I can repeat at home as I listen to the music on my audio system.

Can this phenomenon be described? Yes, the physical activity is well understood. And No, The emotional experience cannot be described by words and technical jargon. There will always be our body that interacts with our surroundings.

This is an area ripe for more research - the mind/music interaction.

Be proud of your obsessions. They define you.