CABLE THEORY Theory Versus Evidence The following discussion is based on decades of evaluation experience. It is not the result of “ivory tower” isolation. Designing, whether it be amplifiers, speakers or cables, requires attention to all empirical data, whether derived from test equipment or from human eyes and ears. Solutions come from an open-minded acknowledgement of all that is understood, and all that is not yet understood. Unfortunately, there is division in the audio/video community.
CABLE THEORY Wire-Just Getting From Here To There On the face of it, nothing could be easier than just getting an audio, video or digital signal from one place to another-no amplification, no conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy or vice versa. The truth is, every cable must transfer a complex multi-octave signal without changing any of the information carried in that signal.
CABLE THEORY De-tinting this last pane will seem to make a bigger difference than de-tinting any of the previous panes. We are naturally more impressed by the elimination of the red tint than by the previous reduction in the tint’s density. If you didn’t want to hear traffic on the str eet, reducing the traffic from three cars per minute to none at all would be more impressive than reducing the flow from nine per minute to six.
CABLE THEORY is that some of the delicate high frequency information, the upper harmonics, will be smeared. We hear sound that is dull, short on detail and has a flat sound stage. The energy is there, the amplitude (frequency) response has not been changed, however the information content of the signal has been changed in a way that makes it sound as though the midrange notes have lost their upper harmonics.
CABLE THEORY turning up the treble. “Dull” is often thought of as turning the treble down, even though it is usually the result of distortions which obscure information. In most products, and certainly in cables, the amplitude response (frequency response) is not the culprit. Probably the biggest obstacle to predictably assembling a high performance audio or video system is too much thinking and not enough evaluating.
CABLE THEORY Reducing magnetic interaction is the primary reason speaker biwiring helps so much. Biwireable speakers have separate inputs for the bass and upper frequency ranges. These speakers simply allow separate access to the two halves of the “crossover”. A crossover is simply a low-pass filter which allows low frequency energy to pass to the woofer, and a high-pass filter which allows higher frequency current to pass to the tweeter, or midrange and tweeter.
CABLE THEORY tecting more vulnerable materials like copper and brass. The nature of gold’s distortion is mellow and pleasant, which makes it preferable to the irritating sonic signature of nickel. A bare copper or brass part will outperform a gold plated part, but only until the metal corrodes. In comparison, high quality thick silver plating actually improves performance. Silver is not noble like gold, but it does resist corrosion and it enhances performance.
CABLE THEORY As with OFHC and OCC, the nomenclature “six nines” or “eight nines” has almost no meaning. All else being equal, higher purity is a straight forward benefit. However, grain structure, softmess and surface finish can each make more difference than a “nine” or two. Then there is the matter of measurable purity. Due to contamination caused by the measuring process, there is a serious question as to whether any metal can be verified as having greater than six nines purity.
CABLE THEORY is not much penalty. On the other hand, inductance is always a problem-a constantly accumulating problem. Capacitance and inductance are not the only important variables in cable design. However, it is productive to create cables whose capacitance doesn’t “go over the cliff” while also designing for minimum inductance.
CABLE THEORY later releases energy. This is true of circuit board materials, cables, resistors and of course capacitors. The ideal wire is one with no insulation except for air. When a solid material must be applied, it should be electrically invisible, meaning that the less energy it absorbs, the better.
CABLE THEORY Biwiring: Many of today’s speakers can be biwired. This type of speaker has one input for the woofer and a separate input for the upper frequency ranges. This often leads to the question “is biwiring so important that I should spend twice as much on cable?” Maybe it is worth spending twice as much on cable in general, but that’s a separate question. Biwiring is a way to save money, to get higher performance for the same price.
CABLE THEORY AudioQuest, the company, manufactures cables using the brand names AudioQuest and CinemaQuest. The AudioQuest Solutions HyperLitz® construction is the ultimate solution. “Hyper” means to go “over, above or beyond”. “Litz” type cable construction was invented long ago for the purpose of preventing skin-effect induced power loss in high-frequency applications.
CABLE THEORY has multiple compound character flaws. SST does not do the impossible: it does not eliminate this type of distortion. We can’t actually strip away the undesirable artifacts, but we can make them virtually invisible (to the ear). Biwire versatility-using two speaker cables: As discussed previously, it is important to biwire speakers whenever you have the option. The two cables must be identical, or must use essentially identical designs in order not to compromise the coherence of the speaker.
CABLE THEORY If the speaker is a two way, then the woofer reproduces both bass and midrange, and only the tweeter is driven separately. In this situation it is the bass cable which must be a good full-range cable since it carries bass and very delicate midrange information. However, the cable driving the tweeter can now be quite small. Having low distortion is as important as ever, but carrying current is almost irrelevant as a tweeter receives very little power.
CABLE THEORY AudioQuest Type 4 SST Hyperlitz uses two solid 20 awg (0.52 sq.mm) and two 17 awg (1.02 sq mm) LGC conductors. One of each size used together makes 15 awg (1.56 sq.mm). Available in Blue or White (both UL/CL-3), or with a Blue/Black textile outer braid (not UL rated). This finely tuned “4” design maximizes the amount of metal which can be used in a four conductor cable.
CABLE THEORY used for single biwire, the more sensitive “treble half” is pure PSC, making Bedrock an ideal singlebiwire cable; especially for three-way (low crossover) speakers. This Mild red cable is 12 awg (3.19 sq.mm) Mild Red cable. AudioQuest Gibraltar is The Top Rock! The big difference in this dark blue cable is the quality of the metal. In this fine-tuned Hybrid design the character of the overall cable is determined by our proprietary PSC+ copper used for the 21 and 18 awg and 19 conductors.
CABLE THEORY results, the cables should be specified as “single-biwire high” for use with two-way dynamic speakers, or as “single-biwire low” for use with three-way or two-way hybrid speakers (such as electrostatic/dynamic hybrids). Audio Interconnecting Cables All the AudioQuest interconnecting cables are low capacitance. They can all be used in long lengths with most any preamplifier.
CABLE THEORY for the negative signal. This black PVC jacketed version of this cable carries a UL CL-3 rating, enabling it to be used inside walls without conduit. AudioQuest Diamondback uses two solid PSC conductors, and what a difference PSC makes. This extremely long grain copper allows for clarity and dynamics simply not possible with lesser materials. Double Balanced Hyperlitz design welded connectors and superior materials make this blue and black textile braided cable a great value.
CABLE THEORY Digital Cables-Wire and Optical There are four standard ways that a digital signal is carried from one piece of equipment to another. The four different types of cable are each connected to a different type of transmitting and receiving circuit. S/PDIF or “digital coax” cables look like normal cables. However, for superior performance, they must be specially designed for wideband applications. These 75 cables are used with either RCA or BNC connectors depending upon the equipment.
CABLE THEORY products all have a significant role in Home Cinema ... which is much of the purpose of Home Theater. All our many types of cable which carry a picture, are under the CinemaQuest banner. Video is the core of the CQ line. Some CQ products, such as OptiLink 1, 2 and 4, have important applications outside video (CD transport or MiniDisc to DAC). All the AQ brand products are also ideal in a Home Theater. However, the video based world is a little less central to the existence of AQ brand products.
CABLE THEORY be two color difference signals, I = blue minus Y (add Y and get blue), Q = red minus Y (add Y and get red), and once you have blue and red and Y you can derive green. These three signals need exactly the same care and respect as a composite video signal. Since standard YIQ connections are either RCA or BNC, you can simply use three identical composite video cables, or for convenience use a YIQ cable which has the three joined together.
CABLE THEORY AudioQuest SR-13/4 uses 4 color coded LGC copper conductors (14 awg, 2 sq. mm). When used with 2 conductors for positive and 2 for negative, this is an 11 awg (4 sq. mm) cable. AudioQuest CV-4 is a small (0.26”) SST Hyperlitz cable using four solid PSC copper conductors; 2 x 20 awg (0.52 sq. mm) and 2 x 17 awg (1.02 sq. mm). Overall CV4 is a 15 awg (1.54 sq. mm) cable. The dynamics and clarity will rearrange all your cable prejudices.
CABLE THEORY Usually a spade lug is the most effective termination for a speaker cable. A spade can be securely attached to a screw terminal or binding post, or one “leg” can be inserted into a push-to-connect terminal. As long as the spade is made from soft copper, it will deform (become marked) where it connects to the screw terminal or binding post. These marks show that there was a gas-tight connection.
CABLE THEORY Most RF interference is not demodulated into an audio signal. The real problem is high frequency energy from radio and TV stations, microwaves, radar, CBs and hundreds of other sources, including your own stereo system! CD players must be registered with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) because they are sources of RFI. The same is true for tuners, TVs and computers. The problem of RFI is not new, and neither is the most common solution.
CABLE THEORY absence of technical detail who are most easily able to cut directly to the truth. However, even these fortunate people need an appropriate context for the bare truth to come shining through. There are pitfalls even for virgin ears. The challenge for most of us immersed in this fabulous world is to reclaim the innocence we once had when we first felt the emotional and sensual thrill of a sound system that was better than we had thought possible.
CABLE THEORY glasses and yet still see that the sky is blue. If we use yellow goggles while skiing on a cloudy day, when we take them off the snow looks purple. The “solution” isn’t to get out the yellow paint to fix the snow, the solution is to allow ourselves time to re-calibrate our references. Once we have adjusted to a colored (distorted) reference, we can be fooled into thinking reality is wrong.
CABLE THEORY The only thing that needs to be learned is how not to be misled by the incredibly deceptive process of listening to equipment. People hear real sounds all day long. None of these real sounds has the added layers of distortion which exist in every audio system. Whether or not we have ever heard a particular singer or instrument, we can recognize whether more or less “extra stuff” is in the way.
