Newsgroups: rec.audio.opinion,rec.audio.misc,rec.audio.tech
Subject: Re: Interconnects and Speaker wire?
References: <[email protected]> <[email protected]>
	<[email protected]> <[email protected]>
	<[email protected]>
	<[email protected]>
	<[email protected]> <[email protected]>
From: Tomi Holger Engdahl 
Date: 07 Jul 1999 16:17:17 +0300
Message-ID: 
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Lines: 52
X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34
"Anthaam"  writes:
> Well, I understand that there are two schools of thought:  1) says that
> normal LumberJack wire should be used; 2) says that high-end $1000/meter
> speaker wire should be used.
> 
> I understand where both ideas come from.  I also know that with the cables I
> am getting, i am getting a somewhat higher quality metal to transport
> signals over, if nothing else, its electrical characteristics are .001%
> different than normal zip cord.

There are some minor differences between the cables, but as you said
those are quite small (much smaller than what is typically claimed
on the brochires). Here is some real-world data from
Electronic World magazine July/August 1996 issue page 571:

                Wire C      Wire J

Resistance:     59 mohm     50 mohm
Inductance:     3.5 uH      2,05 uH
Capacitance:    551 pF      1460 pF     

Wire C = Normal mains wire (50 strings)
Wire J = SupraPly (240 strings)

> Wire are something to show off as far as I'm concerned.  I am recieved two
> quotes today for a package of MIT Terminator 2 cables, and Transparent's
> MusicWave cables.  They are both the same price so I'm going to listen to
> both sets and decide what I like based on a blind test.  If I can't figure
> out which one sounds better, I'll go for the cable that looks nicer since
> they both cost the same.  

Yes. What looks nice is sometimes a good reason to select circuit
cable, especiallyu if the audio system is a noticable element
in the room interior and you have huge cables. That might
then be a worthwhile invenstment to get more expensive 
cables when they look much better, but then you are investing
on your interior design, quite propably not for audio quality. 
A cheap ZIP cord might not just look good on modern design home
next to the the fanciest audio equipments. But for most of rest
of us a normal zip cord or cheap audio cable will do nicely.

Remeber than if you are considered on some cable effect on audio
quality of speaker cables it is a thick and not so expensive speaker
cable than very thin expensive cable. Anyway for less than 10 m
cable wires 2.5mm^2 cables should do most of oss nicely and they
are not too expensive if you buy them from right place
(I got mine for less than one dollar per meter and I am
happy with them). 

-- 
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web pages at http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/