Thiel Owners

Tom, I noticed in one of your recent posts concerning internal wiring that Jim settled on 18 awg solid core.

I find the decision for 18 gauge very interesting.  Bell Labs and NBS research culminating in the early 1930s determined 18 gauge the optimum conductor cross section depth for the transmission of audible audio frequencies.  This early research comtemplated both skin effect behaviour at higher frequencies and core transmission behavior at lower frequencies.  

Matthew Bond confirmed the same conclusion in the early 1980s.  However, it appears that Jim’s decision for 18 gauge even predated Mr. Bond’s work.

This indeed underscores your point that meaningful and established physics and engineering research was the primary guide for Thiel Audio’s materials selection.

While a heavier gauge in a single conductor may allow a higher ampacity, I am curious how signal response across the contemplated frequency range through such increased conductor cross section would be impacted.  Perhaps a multiple optimum conductor scheme would be a more desirable arrangement under such circumstances, or over longer distances where such frequency distortions are compounded.

All of this seems to reinforce a common EE maxim that even a straight wire distorts an audio signal to a degree.

"esprits4s
Thank You for your assessment of the XP-10. Which ARC pre-amp did you purchase?   "
Jafant,
It is a Reference 3.
-Gary

But there is this other dimension. In my acoustic guitar design and archival recording I have identified an accumulation factor. Recording engineers and piano techs and other technical artists also experience this phenomenon. When on a particular path of exploration, guided by both cognition and intuition, there are many choices which are not provable or even discernible. But a conglomerate effect becomes identifiable / meaningful over time. There are so many subtle factors contributing to the overall result, that each of them could be ignored or over-ruled, but they can matter in their aggregate.

I think it may have to do with how our brain processes signal and the threshold that it will register a response.  For example, our brain could identify a certain amount of echo given the delay after the initial sound arrival.  Theoretically, there is echo everywhere, but our brain will only trigger a response only if above a certain delay.  If our brain is perfectly analog, then the brain should be able to tell use the exact amount of echo from small to large.  But I am glad because we would be driven to crazy if we are constantly bothered by all sort of echo around us.  So in a sense, our brain will only let us know if an echo is worth our attention.

I think this is our own built-in "hysteresis" not unlike the hysteresis in for example a thermostat.  Let's say you program your thermostat at 70deg with 1deg of hysteresis, then the thermostat would turn on when the temperature is below 69deg and will turn back on at 71deg.  Without hysteresis, the thermostat would oscillate constantly at 70deg.  In the same sense, our brain would oscillate constantly without a built-in threshold.

So given a small change may not make a difference but as the amount of changes built-up in the aggregate, our brain will trigger a response as if a switch has been turned on.  

A lot of people have reported a certain "burn-in" phenomenon in which the changes happened abruptly that lends to a certain mystery only adds to the whole "burn-in" controversy.

The Kids are alright...

My oldest brother’s son is getting married this coming October. 

I’ve attended many weddings over the last few years, too many, in fact all of them, using deejays for the reception celebration.  

Recently my nephew’s sister threw a housewarming party. As it turned out it served also to announce HER wedding plans.  Sheesh.  

During this get together I was talking with my nephew about his affair and he related that he and his fiancé had spent the week prior auditioning bands for their reception.  

“Bands?”, I asked. “Bands - actual bands?”

His fiancé overheard my question and quickly sided up to my nephew adding,” We settled on this great nine piece band from the Island.” (Long Island, that is)

I gave her a big fat hug, kissed her on the cheek while shaking my nephew’s hand. 

“Thank you for NOT having a $&@??!!** deejay!”

I had their attention for about five more minutes when his fiancé explained that a partial reason why they wanted a live band was due to the fact that the speakers I gave to my nephew a few years ago - a pair of CS3.5 - had them listening to different genres of music.  They started exploring different genres because what they usually listened to “sounded so good” through the Thiels...

A nine piece...

I’m pinching myself already.  

I said it before...THIEL MAKES EVERYTHING sound better.  

Happy new year, folks