Speaker Hook-up Wire

Paully · 27288

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4krow

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Reply #60 on: August 25, 2012, 01:16:26 PM
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That would be Julian Hirsch's lab.
      Ah yes, JH land, where everything is delightful.
  Eric(bra),  Get it out man. Mom raised us better than that, 'everything makes a difference' stuff. Right down to the dust on the cabinet? Cut the cord, draw the line, imagine whirled peas,   but don't forget reality....we're a bunch of old guys....with great wisdom and burnt ears. Experience is what you got when there is nothing left. Yet, I STILL LOVE THE HOBBY. YES, IDO



Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #61 on: August 25, 2012, 01:54:30 PM
Dude that heavy!...  I think I just saw God!

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline Grainger49

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Reply #62 on: August 25, 2012, 03:05:39 PM
So now you admit to being twin sons of different mothers?

Julian Hirsch never met a piece of electronics he didn't like even if the tests proved it to be a POS.  On the other hand he swore that all amplifiers sounded alike.  I say that most all of them amplify, that is similar.



4krow

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Reply #63 on: August 25, 2012, 05:52:31 PM
Well, more like identical strangers, born on the same day, in the same room, but different mothers, possibly in different dimensions.

  JH never met Johnzer speakers...



Offline RayP

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Reply #64 on: August 26, 2012, 03:28:08 AM
Since it came up a couple of times in the thread, I've been thinking a bit about barbed wire as speaker cable and would there be any benefit to using it.

Most modern barbed wire appears to be a twisted pair of uninsulated steel with barbs made of the same steel wrapped around it at intervals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbed_wire

Steel is usually considered a no no for audio but has anybody actually tried listening to it? Of course the resistance of steel is much higher than copper but for short distances, the actual difference is small. Using a larger wire gauge for the steel would obviously lessen the difference in resistance.

Obviously the steel wire would need to be insulated but insulated steel is available.

I am open to the idea that a copper cable would sound different to a steel cable, but in a blind test would I say the copper was better?

And finally, the barbs which appear to be a short wire wrapped around the main wire at intervals. There is a school of thought that says that your speaker cables should be raised above the floor. Barbed wire would do this for you. I don't know what the distance is supposed to be but if you built your own cable, you could  create bigger barbs than usual.

And of course, since the barbs are sharp, any badness coming from your amplifier to your speakers will ooze out at the sharp points leaving you with the best sounding speaker cables ever!!

I'll have to make a pair and take them to our Bottleneck meeting later this year to try them out. I think it will be held in Sterling VA.

ray
« Last Edit: August 26, 2012, 03:41:34 AM by RayP »

Ray Perry


4krow

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Reply #65 on: August 26, 2012, 03:52:43 AM
Not too surprisingly, I found what appears to be steel wire in an S400 Threshold amp. Maybe they were trying out that  theory.  I have wanted to use something evil to keep people away from my fragile speaker cones! They are like magnets to the curious. Speakers wrapped in barbed wire( being used as speaker cable, why hasn't Coconut Audio thought of this?), hmmmm.



Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #66 on: August 26, 2012, 04:56:44 AM
Ray - Nicely presented. I few tweaks and I think you have a 'white paper'. -)

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline RayP

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Reply #67 on: August 26, 2012, 05:25:00 AM
Steve and I have started to set up our next meet on the last weekend of October and we have decided it will focus on diy speaker cables.

I will start another thread to discuss how we will do this but my initial thoughts are that each of us who brings cables will bring two pair of cables. They will need to be exactly the same except for one parameter.

For example, same copper, same gauge, same topology, same length, different insulation. We would then do a blind test to see if we can hear a difference.

Of course I will be bring the barbed wire version.

ray

Ray Perry


4krow

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Reply #68 on: August 26, 2012, 07:41:00 AM
Steel wool speaker wire,  no, no Copper wool speaker wire. Man, I got ideas not proven to be bad until tried. Our assumptions often trumph our progress.
 Speaker wire can be quite honest if simply made. I was amazed how well the flat braided RS speaker wire sounded.



Offline Grainger49

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Reply #69 on: August 26, 2012, 08:10:07 AM
Since it came up a couple of times in the thread, I've been thinking a bit about barbed wire as speaker cable and would there be any benefit to using it.  .  .  .

ray

I can see two advantages of this.  

1) a very large friend of mine feels the need to step over my amps which are between the speakers.  It would deter him as I have never been able to do.

2) the two new kittens would stop chewing on my speaker wire.

See my listening room here:

http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,1251.0.html

I miss those loafers, they were comfortable!
« Last Edit: August 26, 2012, 08:15:19 AM by Grainger49 »



Offline Laudanum

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Reply #70 on: August 26, 2012, 11:26:56 AM
I was thinking of trying some .750 or 1" fused disk, twisted.  May need to clamp it to an airplane propellar to get it twisted though.   I wonder if General Cable still makes the stuff.  Mostly air dielectric, should work well for interconnects, maybe speaker too   ;D  
« Last Edit: August 26, 2012, 02:39:09 PM by Laudanum »

Desmond G.


Offline Grainger49

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Reply #71 on: August 26, 2012, 11:58:00 AM
Desmond,

I have some fused disks but I don't think they are conductive at all.



Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #72 on: August 26, 2012, 12:16:17 PM
Now I am convinced! You guys are WAY frickin out of control!

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline John Roman

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Reply #73 on: August 26, 2012, 01:23:03 PM
Yeah, and I know who those guy's are. Just sayin ;D
John "the old fogie" Roman

Regards,
John
Extended Foreplay 3 / 300B Paramount's / BassZilla open baffle/ Music Streamer 2 / Lenovo Y560-Win7-JRMC & JPlay


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #74 on: August 26, 2012, 01:34:07 PM
Yeah I know John! Like I say, everyone is crazy except for you and me, and sometimes I wonder about you!

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.