Cables
"Cable Science" - Some Basics
01/11/13 15:26
Will better quality cables improve the sound of my system?
The short answer is YES! But the caveats are many.
This year I’ve had a chance to investigate the world of conductor materials used in cables and connectors and have combined this with my prior discoveries to come up with hopefully a single post that will provide insight into my own journey of “Cable Enlightenment”.
However, the following is just the tip of the iceberg, since I do not venture into the world of exotic cables that contain metals like gold, tungsten, or platinum, which may offer superior performance when used in conjunction with the very best high-end components available in todays world.
Let’s talk generally about the various materials available...
First - let’s get the easiest one out of the way
What about tarnishing?
One “standard” used to gauge conductivity is the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS) conductivity index — which uses tough pitch copper as it,s benchmark and rated at 100%
Here are the metals most commonly used in hi-fi and their conductivity ratings
The trouble with pure copper is it is very soft and difficult to machine — so very often a copper alloy is used
Now, you may have heard that silver cables are “bright or harsh sounding” and copper cables are “warmer sounding”
Personally, I find my low capacitance Stager Silver Solids Interconnects to be excellent performers — detailed? EXTREMELY - bright? NO!
Now, if you prefer to use copper (many do), then high quality OFC copper and OCC copper are an excellent choice.
A word about connectors:
Connectors (i.e., RCA, IEC and Mains) are generally more of an issue than people realize. To start with, most are made of some kind of brass and then gold plated. Better quality connectors can be a high copper content alloy and often come with gold or rhodium plating. This combination is better than brass, but still far below the abilities of pure copper. Pure copper is seldom used since it is quite soft and difficult to machine, but they can be found and are generally more expensive.
Silver Connectors are the best, but for anything larger than an RCA, XLR or DIN connector, solid silver gets very expensive.
For all connectors pure copper is very good and a more cost effective alternative to silver, however…
In order to prevent tarnish, a protective plating may be applied…
What about Silver Coated/Plated cables?
So that covers the material selection for good cables and connectors.
Let’s talk about cable choice and construction approaches…
First, we’ll tackle the easy one - Screened or Unscreened cables?
This really depends on YOUR environment — if you experience a lot of RF noise then you should use screened cables — even power cables. Otherwise, there is no reason to use screened cables, unless of course you are using COAX cables, in which case the neutral conductor is the screen.
Alternate choices to using a screened cable to reject RF interference include…
For My Interconnect cables...
For My Power Cables
Screened Cable Construction:
My preferred design point with screened cables, is to use a technique referred to as Floating Shield.
This is where the screen is connected only at one end of the cable...
Making the Connection: Which is best - Crimp, Screw or solder connections?
For Interconnect cable the choice is very limited — solder is the de facto standard, but there are some cable manufacturers that provide crimped terminations
However a recent endeavour to create a mains cable from Furutech 10 gauge cable led me to crimp copper spades to the cable prior to clamping the cable in place. The resulting performance led me to adopt this technique for all power cables. I can only attribute their superior performance to the fact that the crimping created a very good cold weld, with the spade increasing the surface area in the final screw clamp connection.
For speaker cable I prefer banana plugs with the double set-screw connection method, since it allows me the flexibility to change cables without reinvesting in connectors. However there are some very good crimp connectors available and many believe those to be superior.
The reason for my preference of Banana plugs over spade connectors is because they provide the largest contact area for the style of binding post I have on my speakers and I only have banana connectors on my amp.
Spades require a very good clamping binding post like the Cardas Binding post (below) to be the most effective.
It’s not just the cables — my “special connectors” are a key component:
What do I mean by special connectors?
They are special due to either their design and /or use of high quality copper or Silver and the ones I currently have in use include:
KLE Innovations Copper®Harmony RCA Connectors…
Neutrik DIN Connectors...
Sonar Quest Silver Plated Copper IEC and Mains connectors
Furez High Conductivity Silver Plated Copper Banana Plugs
All of these connectors have made a significant contribution to the improvement of my system performance and I consider them a very important “component”.
A word about quality
Here’s my favourite question I’ve been asked a few times “I found this brand name cable on the web — it’s a steal — what do you think?”
Bottom Line: If it’s a steal, YOU are probably not the one benefitting out of the deal!
So, how do cables and connectors contribute to better sound in a nutshell?
For interconnects: it’s all about the transfer of delicate low voltage signals, which is impacted by the conductivity of the materials used in the cable and the connector and the design of the cable and connector also appears to contribute immensely.
For speaker cables: the quality of the conductor and connectors is always paramount, but there is also a definite correlation between the gauge of the conductor and a systems bass performance — larger gauge = deeper and more controlled bass.
For power cables: based on what have tried, the quality of the connectors appears to be paramount and the cable quality a little less so, but there is a definite correlation between the gauge of the conductor and the component the conductor is connected too.
I also installed a dedicated 20 amp Outlet just for my audio system — this helps eliminate any noise created by other household appliances that might otherwise be on the same circuit
Why do Power Cables make a difference? please read Why Good Power Cords Make A Difference for a detailed explanation
You may have heard that wire is directional i.e. it conducts electricity better in one direction than in the other
So, back to the original question: Will upgrading cables improve system performance?
The biggest impact to my system performance was due to upgrades I made to my entire “POWER CORRIDOR” - what is that?
Why upgrade the power corridor? - if an active component (i.e. one that requires power to function) cannot get sufficient power to operate, the internal voltages fluctuate. This in turn introduces distortion or smearing into the audio signal which finally gets amplified to audible levels.
The caveat here is — use a reasonably good speaker cable to start with, like a 10-12 gauge OFC low capacitance cable from DH Labs or Furez or Van Den Hul (budget permitting) and install good quality connectors.
And that’s exactly where I started this journey. My very first foray into the world of quality cables and connectors started with acquiring the Van Den Hul Cleawater speaker cable and upgrading to the CS-122 and finally D-352 Hybrid speaker cables. For many years the D-352’s have allowed the many other performance improvements to be heard with ease. It is fitting that my latest upgrade of Banana Connectors for those very cables has justified my initial purchase - they just keep on giving. The quality of the D-352 is outstanding and its performance is exemplary.
FINALLY:
There are hundreds of products and designs available, these are just the ones I have tried and found to be of benefit — i.e. in my modestly priced system and in my relatively noise free environment.
Most of the products I have used were constructed or installed by myself, so finding similar components in ready made products is highly unlikely, but not impossible.
As I said at the beginning of this post, this page is just the “tip of the ice-burg”. More “high end” audio systems may well require some of the more “exotic products” currently available to achieve improvements, but the basics still apply.
Research products first to ensure they use the best quality materials and construction techniques before you buy. Don’t blindly believe the company blurb or sales guy.
If purchasing ready made product, ensure the store will refund all your money if you are not satisfied, or better still, find a store that will support in-home auditions. Many stores selling high-end systems will be more than happy to demo product at home because they are confident in their product.
Well - that’s about the sum of my findings - I hope you found it useful
And be sure to checkout the following related topics on this blog…
You Need a Good Power Supply (1)
Aren't all cables the same?
Cable Construction (2)
*Product Links (1)
The short answer is YES! But the caveats are many.
This year I’ve had a chance to investigate the world of conductor materials used in cables and connectors and have combined this with my prior discoveries to come up with hopefully a single post that will provide insight into my own journey of “Cable Enlightenment”.
However, the following is just the tip of the iceberg, since I do not venture into the world of exotic cables that contain metals like gold, tungsten, or platinum, which may offer superior performance when used in conjunction with the very best high-end components available in todays world.
Let’s talk generally about the various materials available...
First - let’s get the easiest one out of the way
- SILVER is the best conductor
- COPPER is the next best
- The high quality OFC and OCC copper is marginally better than plain pure copper, but still does not match silver for conductivity
- the performance of other metals will fall far behind these two.
What about tarnishing?
- Tarnishing on copper severely impedes its ability to conduct electrical signals
- Tarnished silver on the other hand is still very conductive and barely affects its ability to conduct electrical current
- So why aren’t there more silver plated products - I really do not know — but it appears more are coming
One “standard” used to gauge conductivity is the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS) conductivity index — which uses tough pitch copper as it,s benchmark and rated at 100%
Here are the metals most commonly used in hi-fi and their conductivity ratings
- Silver - 105%-108% depending on purity
- Copper - 100% - 102% depending on differing types e.g. Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) and Ohno Continuos Cast (OCC)
- Gold - 76%
- Rhodium - 39%
- Brass 0 27%
- Platinum - 16%
The trouble with pure copper is it is very soft and difficult to machine — so very often a copper alloy is used
- For details on the various copper alloys used please see this document - IACS Conductivity Ratings PDF
Now, you may have heard that silver cables are “bright or harsh sounding” and copper cables are “warmer sounding”
- this may actually be due to other materials and constructions techniques used in the actual design of the cable, such as the insulation materials used, which can seriously effect a cables capacitance.
- High capacitance cables can cause a variety of effects, even the electrical operation of the components it is attached too, ultimately affecting the sound
- Also, if you do experience brightness, it might just be one of your components, so don’t automatically attribute it to the cable.
Personally, I find my low capacitance Stager Silver Solids Interconnects to be excellent performers — detailed? EXTREMELY - bright? NO!
Now, if you prefer to use copper (many do), then high quality OFC copper and OCC copper are an excellent choice.
A word about connectors:
Connectors (i.e., RCA, IEC and Mains) are generally more of an issue than people realize. To start with, most are made of some kind of brass and then gold plated. Better quality connectors can be a high copper content alloy and often come with gold or rhodium plating. This combination is better than brass, but still far below the abilities of pure copper. Pure copper is seldom used since it is quite soft and difficult to machine, but they can be found and are generally more expensive.
Silver Connectors are the best, but for anything larger than an RCA, XLR or DIN connector, solid silver gets very expensive.
For all connectors pure copper is very good and a more cost effective alternative to silver, however…
- you may find that over a period of time they will tarnish and require cleaning
- the time period between cleaning depends on the humidity of your location
In order to prevent tarnish, a protective plating may be applied…
- if you can find silver plated copper, they will perform almost as well as solid silver.
- less effective plating metals are Gold or Rhodium, since they often require an intermediate plating material which is generally less conductive than either gold or rhodium
- Having said that, gold and rhodium plated products from companies like Oyaide and Furutech perform extremely well due to the excellent design and copper quality used in their construction.
What about Silver Coated/Plated cables?
- the verdict is still out on this one, but they are widely used
- I have them in my system and their performance is excellent,
- but I cannot offer an opinion as to their effectiveness since I have never compared them to plain copper of a similar quality
- the cables I have, are just very well made, which I believe is the main reason for their excellent performance.
So that covers the material selection for good cables and connectors.
Let’s talk about cable choice and construction approaches…
First, we’ll tackle the easy one - Screened or Unscreened cables?
This really depends on YOUR environment — if you experience a lot of RF noise then you should use screened cables — even power cables. Otherwise, there is no reason to use screened cables, unless of course you are using COAX cables, in which case the neutral conductor is the screen.
Alternate choices to using a screened cable to reject RF interference include…
- For Interconnects - twisting signal and neutral wires tightly together — as used in the Stager Silver Solids
- For power cables — braiding the three conductors, a technique used by a few power cable manufacturers
- For all applications — using multiple wires for each “conductor” and employing a more sophisticated braid, such as that employed by Kimber Cable
For My Interconnect cables...
- I prefer unscreened, since I have found they have a little more “open sound” i.e. more spacious
- if my location had lots of RF noise and I had to use screened cables I would opt for a cable with two centre conductors of equal gauge (often referred to as “balanced” )with one or more separate shields.
For My Power Cables
- I currently use unscreened power cables of higher capacitance, that use a braided cable geometry to reject RF.
- The higher capacitance appears to retain energy that results in much better handling of high frequency details and transient spikes
Screened Cable Construction:
My preferred design point with screened cables, is to use a technique referred to as Floating Shield.
This is where the screen is connected only at one end of the cable...
- For power cables the screen is always connected at the mains plug end
- For Interconnects the screen is attached only to one end
- that end is always connected to the component from which the signal is coming from
- This approach always ensures any RF interference induced into the shield is conducted away from the next component in the chain
Making the Connection: Which is best - Crimp, Screw or solder connections?
For Interconnect cable the choice is very limited — solder is the de facto standard, but there are some cable manufacturers that provide crimped terminations
- If you are constructing the cable then you will probably solder, be sure to select one of the hi-fi grade solders — see IACS Conductivity Ratings PDF
However a recent endeavour to create a mains cable from Furutech 10 gauge cable led me to crimp copper spades to the cable prior to clamping the cable in place. The resulting performance led me to adopt this technique for all power cables. I can only attribute their superior performance to the fact that the crimping created a very good cold weld, with the spade increasing the surface area in the final screw clamp connection.
For speaker cable I prefer banana plugs with the double set-screw connection method, since it allows me the flexibility to change cables without reinvesting in connectors. However there are some very good crimp connectors available and many believe those to be superior.
The reason for my preference of Banana plugs over spade connectors is because they provide the largest contact area for the style of binding post I have on my speakers and I only have banana connectors on my amp.
Spades require a very good clamping binding post like the Cardas Binding post (below) to be the most effective.
It’s not just the cables — my “special connectors” are a key component:
What do I mean by special connectors?
They are special due to either their design and /or use of high quality copper or Silver and the ones I currently have in use include:
KLE Innovations Copper®Harmony RCA Connectors…
- These RCA connectors that take a different design approach
- basically, instead of a large metal collar to make the neutral connection, the collar is made of a polymer with a small metal pin to make the contact
- having high quality copper/silver contacts also contribute greatly to their superior performance.
- After installing these on my Stager Silver Solids interconnects the improvements in the spatial image, details and dynamics, were very apparent.
- seems their design approach works very well, resulting in significant improvements to micro details, instrument isolation and depth of the 3D image.
- see Copper®Harmony RCA Plug Review for details
Neutrik DIN Connectors...
- For those of you that have never seen them, they are similar in style to the XLR connector, but with smaller pins
- NAIM uses them in their products and is their preferred connector for their interconnects
- Why do I use them? — Well, since the “Small Conductor” design of the Copper®Harmony RCA’s made such a significant improvement I thought I’d try them because they too have very small diameter pins.
- I installed Neutrik silver plated copper connectors to the amp end of my Stager Silver Solid interconnects, which again resulted in subtle, but noticeable improvements to the micro details, instrument isolation and depth of an already spacious image’
Sonar Quest Silver Plated Copper IEC and Mains connectors
- I discovered these while searching for a silver plated copper connector and for the price I ordered a set for evaluation
- They provide appreciable improvements in details, dynamics and space and the price was right
- They are outstanding performers compared to many others on the market, even name brands and now have replaced all of the mains connectors throughout my system.
Furez High Conductivity Silver Plated Copper Banana Plugs
- While searching for a better banana plug for my speaker cables this company’s web site peeked my curiosity
- Their focus was on “high conductivity copper” to allow for better signal transmission, which made a lot of sense
- The other interesting design feature was their use of a silicon insert in the split centre pin to maintain contact pressure
- I was very surprised by the improvements these bananas delivered, providing a significant improvement in details, dynamics and spatial imaging.
All of these connectors have made a significant contribution to the improvement of my system performance and I consider them a very important “component”.
A word about quality
Here’s my favourite question I’ve been asked a few times “I found this brand name cable on the web — it’s a steal — what do you think?”
Bottom Line: If it’s a steal, YOU are probably not the one benefitting out of the deal!
- We live in a world of counterfeit product — the general rule is “if it sounds too good to be true — it generally is”
- I have seen cable that revealed extreme corrosion once I stripped the insulation away from the middle of a 20ft length
- The type of corrosion (including rust) also indicated the quality of the copper was of a very poor quality
- Even “established brands” cannot always be trusted - I’ve had brand name cable where the insulation degraded over time, leaving a sticky residue — the insulation was transparent and you could easily see the entire cable was tarnished
- But, I also have cables where after 16 years of use, stripping the insulation reveals a bright shiny new conductor with no sign of tarnish.
- So it’s not just the quality of the conductor but the insulation also.
So, how do cables and connectors contribute to better sound in a nutshell?
For interconnects: it’s all about the transfer of delicate low voltage signals, which is impacted by the conductivity of the materials used in the cable and the connector and the design of the cable and connector also appears to contribute immensely.
- Low capacitance cable is essential to avoid any “alterations” to the delicate signals — e.g. it is well known that high capacitance phono cables can seriously degrade cartridge performance
- Silver, followed by OFC and OCC copper should be the material of choice for the conductor.
- Solid Silver, silver plated copper, or plain copper should only be used for the connector
- For RCA connectors, I prefer the KLE Innovations Copper Harmony RCA, as it contributes to a very detailed and dynamic performance
- Other connectors like DIN and XLR also appear to perform exceptionally
- Where shielded cables are required, I prefer the floating shield approach
For speaker cables: the quality of the conductor and connectors is always paramount, but there is also a definite correlation between the gauge of the conductor and a systems bass performance — larger gauge = deeper and more controlled bass.
- low capacitance cable can be essential for some amplifiers, as a high capacitance cable can cause the amplifier to oscillate, which will severely degrade the sound. But the converse is also thought to be true for other amps, so you have to know the impedance loading requirements of your amp
- A silver cable is an option these days, but I’ve found the ones I have auditioned (consisting of a very small gauge conductor) lack bass, but are very detailed
- Larger gauge silver cables are available but are of course very expensive
- my personal preference is silver coated OFC copper from Van Den Hul - it’s just very well made and very low capacitance at 32.5 pf/meter
- OFC or OCC copper would be my second choice, but only from a reputable manufacturer.
- Solid Silver, silver plated copper, or high purity copper should only be used for the connectors
- The Cardas binding post above will someday replace my existing posts on my speakers as it has superior clamping abilities.
- Until then I will use silver plated high conductivity copper banana connectors as they provide a larger connection area that aids in the transfer of the higher current output from the amplifier
- My current banana preference is the Furez TSTSB40Ag Silver Plated Copper Banana Plug Connectors
For power cables: based on what have tried, the quality of the connectors appears to be paramount and the cable quality a little less so, but there is a definite correlation between the gauge of the conductor and the component the conductor is connected too.
- For amplifiers a larger gauge cable is required, but for components a lighter gauge can be used.
- What about cable quality? - I have tried making braided power cables from 10 and 12 gauge Romex (i.e. standard house wiring cable) and to my surprise they performed extremely well, but they were a little stiff
- Did they perform better than my Furutech or DH Labs power cables — well, not quite, but they did perform so much better than any stock cable provided with a component I have ever purchased
- My latest design using live and neutral conductors each made from multiple insulated our copper wires in a braided configuration appear to outperform most conventional power cable designs that use just three insulated wires. The improvements include much faster dynamic presentation, a significantly wider image and improved clarity.
- What about connectors? - I found that the Sonar Quest silver plated IEC and mains connectors to perform better than any gold or rhodium plated copper connectors I have used so far.
- What about termination? I found that crimping small copper spades to the cable instead of just clamping down on the wire in the connector provided significantly better dynamics, bass and details
I also installed a dedicated 20 amp Outlet just for my audio system — this helps eliminate any noise created by other household appliances that might otherwise be on the same circuit
Why do Power Cables make a difference? please read Why Good Power Cords Make A Difference for a detailed explanation
You may have heard that wire is directional i.e. it conducts electricity better in one direction than in the other
- For an explanation of the impact of this effect please read Is Wire Directional? on this blog
So, back to the original question: Will upgrading cables improve system performance?
The biggest impact to my system performance was due to upgrades I made to my entire “POWER CORRIDOR” - what is that?
- Starts with a dedicated 20 amp power line from the breaker panel with good quality wall outlet, but standard 20 amp Romex house wire
- My amp is connected directly to the wall outlet, but my source components are plugged into a Power Distribution Centre
- My Power Distribution Centre is a DIY project that contains three quality dual outlets and quality internal wiring - no filters, no surge suppressors
- All my power cables are either Signal Cable Silver Resolution or Custom DIY projects, with Sonar Quest silver plated copper IEC/Mains connectors
- Without these, all other improvements realized by upgrading any other cables would been far less noticeable.
Why upgrade the power corridor? - if an active component (i.e. one that requires power to function) cannot get sufficient power to operate, the internal voltages fluctuate. This in turn introduces distortion or smearing into the audio signal which finally gets amplified to audible levels.
The caveat here is — use a reasonably good speaker cable to start with, like a 10-12 gauge OFC low capacitance cable from DH Labs or Furez or Van Den Hul (budget permitting) and install good quality connectors.
And that’s exactly where I started this journey. My very first foray into the world of quality cables and connectors started with acquiring the Van Den Hul Cleawater speaker cable and upgrading to the CS-122 and finally D-352 Hybrid speaker cables. For many years the D-352’s have allowed the many other performance improvements to be heard with ease. It is fitting that my latest upgrade of Banana Connectors for those very cables has justified my initial purchase - they just keep on giving. The quality of the D-352 is outstanding and its performance is exemplary.
FINALLY:
There are hundreds of products and designs available, these are just the ones I have tried and found to be of benefit — i.e. in my modestly priced system and in my relatively noise free environment.
Most of the products I have used were constructed or installed by myself, so finding similar components in ready made products is highly unlikely, but not impossible.
As I said at the beginning of this post, this page is just the “tip of the ice-burg”. More “high end” audio systems may well require some of the more “exotic products” currently available to achieve improvements, but the basics still apply.
Research products first to ensure they use the best quality materials and construction techniques before you buy. Don’t blindly believe the company blurb or sales guy.
If purchasing ready made product, ensure the store will refund all your money if you are not satisfied, or better still, find a store that will support in-home auditions. Many stores selling high-end systems will be more than happy to demo product at home because they are confident in their product.
Well - that’s about the sum of my findings - I hope you found it useful
And be sure to checkout the following related topics on this blog…
You Need a Good Power Supply (1)
Aren't all cables the same?
Cable Construction (2)
*Product Links (1)
Is Wire Directional?
26/08/13 13:14
This question has floated around the web since it began.
The short answer is YES!
The extrusion process of wire causes it to have a very slight resistance in one direction, like a rectifier, which has an impact on the signal.
NET RESULT: A wire conducting an AC signal, like audio, when connected in one direction will distort the positive side of the AC signal and when connected in the other direction will distort the negative side of the AC signal
So the impact for interconnects would be...
If the left channel cable is connected such that it is altering the positive half of the signal and the right channel cable alters the negative half the overall image would be distorted and the phase of the entire audible output would be misaligned - resulting in distortion and unfocused sound
Reversing one of the cables so that only the positive half (or negative half) of both Left and Right channels would be effected - the resulting audio signal would have …
- a near perfect top half
- a slightly distorted bottom half
- but much better phase alignment
- resulting in a significant improvement in sound and image
NOTE: The effect is significantly reduced in cables that use OCC copper.
What about the direction of fuses?
Again, since all wire is directional and as such, has a slight rectification effect...
- Lets assume the fuse placed in one direction is operating on the negative side of the AC supply that is being inverted - this might add to waveform inversion distortions present in the inverted negative cycle
- in the other direction that effect will be operating on the positive side of the AC supply - so now both positive and negative sides will be distorted
It's clear that changing direction effects the waveform of the rectified signal differently which results in degraded sound in one direction and better sound in the other - as to which way is best - all you can do is try it and see what sounds best.
Many power supply designs reduce this problem to inaudible levels, so fuse direction is not an issue
What about Speaker Cables?
The effect is far less noticeable on speaker cables because the distortions in the signal goes to the speaker and not through another amplification stage like interconnects, where the distortion is amplified and more noticeable
Component and cable design play a huge role in minimizing this effect, but attempting to discern whether a component/cable design will minimize this is next to impossible.
Conclusion:
I think it is clear that this type of effect is probably related to components/cables/power supplies/fuses and most certainly individuals ears
Since this effect is not witnessed by everyone, might suggest that some designs minimize the effect below audible levels and others do not
So try it! - and see if you can tell the difference
The short answer is YES!
The extrusion process of wire causes it to have a very slight resistance in one direction, like a rectifier, which has an impact on the signal.
NET RESULT: A wire conducting an AC signal, like audio, when connected in one direction will distort the positive side of the AC signal and when connected in the other direction will distort the negative side of the AC signal
So the impact for interconnects would be...
If the left channel cable is connected such that it is altering the positive half of the signal and the right channel cable alters the negative half the overall image would be distorted and the phase of the entire audible output would be misaligned - resulting in distortion and unfocused sound
Reversing one of the cables so that only the positive half (or negative half) of both Left and Right channels would be effected - the resulting audio signal would have …
- a near perfect top half
- a slightly distorted bottom half
- but much better phase alignment
- resulting in a significant improvement in sound and image
NOTE: The effect is significantly reduced in cables that use OCC copper.
What about the direction of fuses?
Again, since all wire is directional and as such, has a slight rectification effect...
- Lets assume the fuse placed in one direction is operating on the negative side of the AC supply that is being inverted - this might add to waveform inversion distortions present in the inverted negative cycle
- in the other direction that effect will be operating on the positive side of the AC supply - so now both positive and negative sides will be distorted
It's clear that changing direction effects the waveform of the rectified signal differently which results in degraded sound in one direction and better sound in the other - as to which way is best - all you can do is try it and see what sounds best.
Many power supply designs reduce this problem to inaudible levels, so fuse direction is not an issue
What about Speaker Cables?
The effect is far less noticeable on speaker cables because the distortions in the signal goes to the speaker and not through another amplification stage like interconnects, where the distortion is amplified and more noticeable
Component and cable design play a huge role in minimizing this effect, but attempting to discern whether a component/cable design will minimize this is next to impossible.
Conclusion:
I think it is clear that this type of effect is probably related to components/cables/power supplies/fuses and most certainly individuals ears
Since this effect is not witnessed by everyone, might suggest that some designs minimize the effect below audible levels and others do not
So try it! - and see if you can tell the difference
Audio Cabling and Interconnects - A Summary - Part 1
20/01/13 17:51
The reason for this summary is to put some order into my many reviews, theories and findings from the past.
If you are of the belief that “all cables are the same” then please, move on - there’s nothing in this summary that will persuade you otherwise!
It's intended audience are those people who are not well versed in the intricacies of audio cables. Needless to say, stepping up to better performing products may achieve finer results and take you into the world of extreme products and materials and the law of “Diminishing Returns”, but this blog has a more modest (i.e. frugal) focus.
Over the many years that I've pursued "audio nirvana" I have come to realize that cables of all types and the power supply are of equal importance as the components they are attached too.
They allow components to perform to their maximum potential!
A Case Study: Power Supply Upgrades to my Cambridge Audio Phono stage and DAC.
Simply replacing the very cheap power supplies with a custom DIY power supply with twin toroid transformers and good power cables, allowed these little boxes to perform to their very best, to the the point where they now compete with components 2-3 times their price point.
So where does one start?
And in what order should one proceed? (or - If I had my time over again, what would I do)
1. If possible, get a dedicated power line run to the audio system - 20 amp preferred.
2. Use a good quality wall outlet - like the Pass and Seymour MRI grade outlet .
3. From the outlet, connect a good power distribution box for the systems source components - they deserve much better than a cheap "power bar"
4. From the distribution box to the various components select a good quality power cable - it really does make a difference:
5. Get some good speaker cables - often not as easy as it sounds:
Why The Emphasis on Power Supply?
With a good power supply and power cables, even modestly price components can sound pretty amazing. Take a look at the very best components and what do they have in common?
Think of the power supply as the “foundation” of your audio system and the cables as the “plumbing”!
For an explanation as to why - take a look at these two sections in this blog.
You Need a Good Power Supply
You Need Good Power Cords
But Won’t Better Components Have a Greater Return On Investment?
If you don’t have good power, speaker and interconnect cables, then even the best component will not sound as good as it could, in which case your ROI is not as noticeable.
So, How Did I Select My Cables...
My choice of cables was based on the quality of the information I garnered from the manufacturers website. I was able to easily find details on the cables specifications, materials and sometimes construction techniques.
I do not consider boutique products from companies that promote some utopian nonsense!
The common attributes amongst all my cables are ...
I have made other “less informed choices” in the past that have been a total waste of my time and my money, but I do not want my readers to go through the same painful process.
My current cable choices fit my budget and provide a very detailed and spacious 3D audio image. If you try any of “my choices”, they will provide an excellent “starting point” for any future cable or component evaluations. They are not the ultimate in cables and there are many other good cable brands out there, just be sure you make an “informed decision”.
Things To Remember...
Got Good Cables And Still Not Happy?
If, after acquiring good cables, there is still something about the sound of your audio system you find lacking, then it might just be one or more of your components. But at least you will know that the foundations and plumbing are good
Look into your component’s compatibility - not all components perform happily with their neighbours.
Where’s Part 2? - I figure I’m still learning, so that will evolve over the next few years
If you are of the belief that “all cables are the same” then please, move on - there’s nothing in this summary that will persuade you otherwise!
It's intended audience are those people who are not well versed in the intricacies of audio cables. Needless to say, stepping up to better performing products may achieve finer results and take you into the world of extreme products and materials and the law of “Diminishing Returns”, but this blog has a more modest (i.e. frugal) focus.
Over the many years that I've pursued "audio nirvana" I have come to realize that cables of all types and the power supply are of equal importance as the components they are attached too.
They allow components to perform to their maximum potential!
A Case Study: Power Supply Upgrades to my Cambridge Audio Phono stage and DAC.
Simply replacing the very cheap power supplies with a custom DIY power supply with twin toroid transformers and good power cables, allowed these little boxes to perform to their very best, to the the point where they now compete with components 2-3 times their price point.
So where does one start?
And in what order should one proceed? (or - If I had my time over again, what would I do)
1. If possible, get a dedicated power line run to the audio system - 20 amp preferred.
- stick with standard household Romex cable to start with, you can always upgrade to a better cable if desired later.
- NOTE: if it is not possible to run a new supply line do not worry too much, i.e. unless your power also supplies domestic appliances that can create excessive noise e.g. fridge, washing machine, dryer ext… then you need to do something more preventative and expensive actions.
2. Use a good quality wall outlet - like the Pass and Seymour MRI grade outlet .
- these grip like a vice and ensures an excellent connection.
- are there better outlets out there - you betcha, but these are affordable at $26 and perform extremely well.
3. From the outlet, connect a good power distribution box for the systems source components - they deserve much better than a cheap "power bar"
- the Dectet Power Center | PS Audio is just one of many products available, or you could build your own if you are electrically adept.
- the main reason for this is that the outlets in a good distribution box will provide the same grip as the outlet suggested above.
- whether you elect to go with a power conditioner or distribution box is up to you, but I prefer to avoid power conditioners, unless you are looking at top of the line products $$$.
- Power conditioners are not really required in many household applications.
- Power conditioners may be required if you are in an “electrically noisy” environment, like having appliances on the same cable run, or in an environment with lots of electronics e.g. a recording studio.
4. From the distribution box to the various components select a good quality power cable - it really does make a difference:
- I've mentioned a few that I have tried in this blog - see Cables In My Stable.
- they are vital in allowing your components to perform to their maximum ability - some of your components may even surprise you.
5. Get some good speaker cables - often not as easy as it sounds:
- Other than the wire’s gauge and quality of the copper used, there are a couple of other factors that will affect the cable performance - Capacitance and Inductance
- You have to know what your amp requires, but most amps are happy with a low capacitance, low inductance cable.
- e.g. NAIM amplifiers require low capacitance speaker cables - and NAIM make a very good 10 gauge cable that is reasonably priced and performs very well, especially with their amps.
- The insulation of the cable also plays a key role in protecting the conductors over the years - I have had cables where the clear insulation actually allowed the conductors to oxidize. The insulation also degraded, leaving behind a sticky residue after just 5-6 years.
- To drive a full range speaker I would use at least a 10 gauge or greater cable.
- To drive a book shelf speaker you can elect to use a lighter gauge cable, but that choice should be based on the frequency range of the speaker itself.
- High purity copper is always best, unless you get into the exotic silver or carbon cables .
- The one single purchase that I have never regretted are my Van Den Hul D352 Hybrid Speaker Cables, They have allowed all of the improvements made in my system to be heard.
- For the Analogue Guys - I made the transition to the silver litz one-piece tonearm-to-phono-stage when I purchased the Audiomods Tonearm - worth every penny!
- Good hi-fi stores will have interconnects they will loan you, so you can try before you buy, so take advantage of that.
- Nordost actually provides a case of interconnect and power cables that you can borrow - so find a store that promote Nordost cables - they are very good.
- Read Cables In My Stable in this blog for my selections.
- Read the various web forums for other peoples comments.
Why The Emphasis on Power Supply?
With a good power supply and power cables, even modestly price components can sound pretty amazing. Take a look at the very best components and what do they have in common?
- HIGH QUALITY POWER SUPPLIES!
Think of the power supply as the “foundation” of your audio system and the cables as the “plumbing”!
For an explanation as to why - take a look at these two sections in this blog.
You Need a Good Power Supply
You Need Good Power Cords
But Won’t Better Components Have a Greater Return On Investment?
If you don’t have good power, speaker and interconnect cables, then even the best component will not sound as good as it could, in which case your ROI is not as noticeable.
So, How Did I Select My Cables...
My choice of cables was based on the quality of the information I garnered from the manufacturers website. I was able to easily find details on the cables specifications, materials and sometimes construction techniques.
I do not consider boutique products from companies that promote some utopian nonsense!
The common attributes amongst all my cables are ...
- Very high purity conductors.
- Good quality connectors.
I have made other “less informed choices” in the past that have been a total waste of my time and my money, but I do not want my readers to go through the same painful process.
My current cable choices fit my budget and provide a very detailed and spacious 3D audio image. If you try any of “my choices”, they will provide an excellent “starting point” for any future cable or component evaluations. They are not the ultimate in cables and there are many other good cable brands out there, just be sure you make an “informed decision”.
Things To Remember...
- The salesperson has an agenda and providing you with “the right information” is not always in their best interests unless you are buying their product.
- Forum participants and bloggers (myself included) are commenting on their findings of products within their own audio systems, so unless you have the identical system components (i.e. active and passive) your findings will likely differ.
- Magazine Reviewers are often solicited to write a review, so they often try to find something nice to say.
- ME - I don’t get paid for any of this - just want to give back to the community that has provided a lot of good info to get me where I am today.
Got Good Cables And Still Not Happy?
If, after acquiring good cables, there is still something about the sound of your audio system you find lacking, then it might just be one or more of your components. But at least you will know that the foundations and plumbing are good
Look into your component’s compatibility - not all components perform happily with their neighbours.
- Unmatched input impedance, capacitance and inductance can cause problems - especially with phono cartridges
- Phono cartridges must be matched to their tonearms - an effective mass/compliance mismatch can sound bad.
- Phono cartridges must be matched to their turntables - some cartridges hum on some turntables
- Other component issues e.g. my Pioneer DVD caused a hum when connected to my NAIM amp - until I grounded the chassis of the DVD - voila!
Where’s Part 2? - I figure I’m still learning, so that will evolve over the next few years