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What do audiophiles want from a cable?

What should a high quality interconnect or speaker cable do to the sound of a system? Make it more transparent? Improve the sound stage and focus? Soften unpleasant highs? Tighten the base? Bring out the mids?

To me, a good cable should reveal more of what is on the recording and more of the true nature of my components. So when trying new cables, I look for more detail and accuracy without becoming cold and clinical. This seems logical, and yet after reading reviews and trying a few of the cables in the reviews, I find that the cables that have received glowing endorsements are not especially transparent or revealing. They modify the sound, but they don’t take me where I want to go. I wonder if the reason I don’t hear what the reviewer heard is that I don’t know what to listen for. Am I too focused on cable accuracy and resolution, and not enough on actual sound quality? Or is it just a case of no two systems sounding alike so why trust a review anyway? Thanks.
mward
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Hi chrisr,

What is your opinion on the potential of liquid for rejection of RF/EMI before reaching the conductor?

Best to you chrisr,
Dave
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
chrisr
167 posts
11-04-2016 4:22pm
Yea thanks maybe something really big I know, but I just don’t get the use of liquid in cables as discussed above,other than maybe for having an additional layer of control over photons’ energy? I have always thought that electrons traveling down a pvc-covered (or PE) wire could not be struck by a single photon and even if they did, the photon(s) frequency could not be high enough to change electrons’ kinetic energy, not to mention eject a single one from the copper. The work function is totally insufficient in this case imo.

well, just to interject, the electrons traveling down the cable can’t have too much kinetic energy to begin with as the electrons are traveling what, around a few centimeters per minute? And as the mass of electrons is also rather small the result is hardly any kinetic energy at all.

cheers


chrisr's avatar
chrisr
542 posts
 
Well, i am not sure at this moment, but i'' ll consult with my friend albert on this one, as it may be worth to enlghten ourselves on this potential breakup of elements.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
chrisr
168 posts
11-04-2016 11:04pm
Well, i am not sure at this moment, but i'' ll consult with my friend albert on this one, as it may be worth to enlghten ourselves on this potential breakup of elements.

One assumes you're referring to Fat Albert.

chrisr's avatar
chrisr
542 posts
 
Yes, fat albert who kindly reminded me that the doppler cooling mechanism is very real and must not be ignored when hi-fidelity is the goal. You see by cooling the copper atoms with constant temperature fluids, you prevent the atoms kinetic energy to change if they have the misfortune to absorb a photon.  Albert also suggested that the doppler cooling may not be sufficient, and we may benefit from a sub-doppler cooling mechanism know as the sysyphus cooling, which implies the use of lasers.  So basically, we could come close to the perfect cable by inserting a laser beam into the pvc jacket, which is doable with an optical fiber, preferably glass for near-zero loss.  Now what copper gauge to use remains a question mark.

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