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Lifters ForGetting Cables Off The Floor, Worth It Or Snake Oil

  •  I'm looking at some porcelain cable lifters to get some power and speaker cable up off the floor.  Does raising the cables off the floor really make a difference? It's going to be about 200 bucks for 10 of them. Thanks.  
zar
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,306 posts
 
My recollection about the rationale for lifters is some claim carpet the cable rests on acts like additional dielectric and alters the (capacitance?) properties of the cable. Others claim a vibration isolation benefit. Before spending $ on those ceramic lifters, why not experiment with DIY? Find out if you hear a benefit. I opted to go with some 4" solid wood cubes under my cabliing. Figured it couldn’t hurt. Did it make a difference? Not huge, though I do recall a few days after making the change thinking the system sounded clearer. Had actually forgotten I’d lifted the wiring. I’d call any improvement, real or imagined, subtle, however. See link here:

http://caseyswood.com/shoppingcart/zen-cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=12
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
It makes a huge difference. Everyone who sees your setup can realize you are absolutely passionate about audio and anyone who has any science background will know you are just plain foolish about your hobby.
dill
2,515 posts
 
It also makes it easier to clean the floor if the cables are off of it.
czarivey
5,938 posts
 

you can get pack of balloons $1..2, fill them with air partially using hand held pump and knot them around cable in several spots so you can place them on top of balloons. if you're creative enough with balloons, you can make 4 legs out of one balloon instead of 2.

it's going to make you an AIR BEARING SUSPENSION of wires for $2 not for $200.

not sure if it will make difference, but cables definitely will be elevated. while paying $200 is definite snake oil call, paying $2 washes the snake oil off and gives you room for cheap experiment. if you find this interesting and entertaining you can make money on your own snake oil selling same mentioned above CABLE AIR BEARING SUSPENTION or CABS tm.


zar OP
185 posts
 
Hi all and thanks for your responses. Teo, thank you for the extra and interesting thoughts. Not sure what I will do yet. The tidying up factor is at a minimum having me think about it. The lifters are on Music Direct. 
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