2. cables
  3. 155823-140523

10 Audio Cable Myths and Facts


In a sea of audio cable industry snake oil, we’re sure you’re wondering, What really matters when buying cables?Save your money by avoiding overpriced cables with outlandish claims. Below are some common myths to look out for and some important things to consider when buying audio cables.
 
CABLE MYTHS1. Conductor skin effect

In some applications like power transmission lines, an electric signal tends to travel through the surface of a conductor and avoids traveling through the center of the conductor. Many cable companies claim that their design limits the skin effect and measurably improves your sound.

The TruthWhile skin effect is a very real issue for large scale power transmission, audio signals are in such a low-frequency range that the skin effect is negligible at best. The skin effect is only an issue in high-frequency applications. 20kHz is the highest frequency that humans can hear. If we calculate the skin effect on a 12 AWG speaker cable like Gene from Audioholics does in this article, we find that the skin effect results in a loss of only -.014dB. Your speakers, room acoustics, and the human ear have a much larger effect on your sound than the skin effect.
2. Cable break-in

Don’t be fooled - any company that claims this thinks they can trick you into hearing better sound after a month or two. “Break-in” is a commonly used term throughout the industry. It is the idea that the dielectric of a cable changes and aligns itself to the electromagnetic field of the signal traveling through the conductors.

The Truth

There is no scientific evidence to support the idea of cable break-in, but there are still those who claim it improves sonic qualities. We’re not against optimism. We’re just not full of crap. Don’t drink the audio industry kool-aid and save your money for legitimate cables.
 

3. Cryogenic treatment

Cryogenic treatment is the process of freezing cables to -320 degrees Fahrenheit before use. The claim is that freezing the conductors of the cable at ultra low temperatures aligns the crystalline grain structure of them resulting in desirable improvements.

The Truth

Again there is no scientific data to support this notion. Cryogenic treatment can improve the durability of certain metals, usually steel, by stabilizing impurities. For example, the process is used to create strong tools or car parts.  

But, steel is a terrible metal to use for audio cables. It is one of the least conductive metals out there! Copper and silver are the best conductors of electricity and the preferred metals for audio cables.


4. Cable signal direction

You might hear this phrase tossed around quite a bit. It’s the notion that a cable has an established signal direction, the direction in which it was initially used, and that this signal direction should not be reversed.

The Truth

The reality is, assuming the connector ends and terminals are the same, the cable will work in both directions and the performance will be equivalent.

5. Cable elevators, risers, or lifts

 

The claim is that the cables’ magnetic field can interfere with the surface it is laying on. Essentially, the magnetic field can “reflect” from the surface back into the cable and cause distortions.

 

The Truth

There is no evidence to support these claims, and these unnecessary devices are merely for looks. They are in no way proven to improve cable performance.  

    CABLE FACTS1. Shielding is Important

    In the modern age, wireless signals are all around us all the time. The rapid growth and spread of technology means that these wireless signals will become more widespread and more likely to cause unwanted interference. Cellphones, wifi, and Bluetooth signals can enter your cables, but shielding can block these signals and preserve your sound quality.

    2. Length is a Factor

    No matter how well a cable is designed, cable length will always impact performance. As the length of a cable goes up, so does the risk of unwanted interference and signal loss. We always recommend keeping your cables as short as possible, but we understand that is not always possible. A well constructed and shielded cable will help combat this issue.

      3. Conductor material plays a role

      The best conductors to use for audio cables are pure silver or pure copper. Both are valued for their high conductivity, but copper is more widely used due to the high price of silver. Additionally, some variations are constructed with silver-plated copper. However, because the metals have different conductivities, the sound is more likely to travel through only the silver plating and not the copper.

      The purity of the conductor will affect performance more than anything. Look for Oxygen-Free High Conductivity (OFHC) conductors. This means that a significant percentage of oxygen and other impurities have been removed from the conductor resulting in high purity.  

      4. Wire gauge should not be overlooked

      The amount of wattage your system is using will determine the total gauge size needed for safe and optimal performance. The standard is 14 gauge wire minimum for the transmission of 250 watts of power. Many electronic devices use much less than this, but some speakers and listening setups may be using more. If your system uses more than 250 Watts, we recommend a higher total gauge cable.

      5. Quality connectors matter

      Truly, the best connectors are no connectors at all. But, if you can’t hardwire your system, gold plated connectors are the industry standard. Gold plating exhibits great corrosion resistance when exposed to oxygen and has good conductive properties. Connectors range from basic to extremely high end and flashy.

      The bottom line is:
      Choose connectors based on your personal needs and the type of connection being made. Overall, always choose quality connectors.  

      We hope these myths and facts will help you choose quality, reasonably priced cables to complete your listening room, studio, or whatever your setup may be.

      Share your setup with us in the comments below!
      128x128shieldedaudio
      bobedwards101
      176 posts
       
      I’ve said before, I’ll say it again. Any speaker or interconnect cables over $250-300 in copper are a total waste of good money, unless you wanna go to solid silver, roughly $7,000 for 20’ pair of speaker cables; $2,000 for 6’ RCA interconnects. Easiest upgrade on both, though is to use pro quality balanced XLRs. 
      oldhvymec
      5,101 posts
       
      So the Golden Ear has the self-satisfaction of making his claim unfalsifiable, while being a position to denigrate anyone who "can’t hear what we Golden Ears hear!"

      And round and round we go....

      Well at least you got that part right..You can't hear it, so I can't possibly hear it. So your right and someone else is wrong...
      You took long time to say it, and not very clearly I might add.

      Golden ears? You mean hear thing well, concentrate, understand how
      to change something you can or can't hear into something you can or cannot CHANGE.
      Yea, I've met a few, that were taught the art, but some learn on their own
      quite well I might add.. Some just can't hear the problems, simple..

      I've done 100s of tweaks maybe 1000s. If it works it stays, if not it goes.
      Works, goes in the "use it again pile" or not work and off to the neighbor I go. If I can talk him into it, he gets the tweak that doesn't work.
      Cable risers... I started using them to make it easier to vacuum. 
      Better risers make it even easier to vacuum. Then I notice a difference, a BIG difference, I WAS getting the floor a lot cleaner.. LOL I use LPs some...
      Vibration control and a lot of the LP tweaks are different, depends
      on the set up. 

      I'm tired of saying regards, I'll say it anyways, it's po----lite, Regards

      bobedwards101
      176 posts
       
      @tweak1 
      You are mistaken about wire manufacturing. Copper or silver rods may be extruded; but they are more often die-cast or poured molten into an oiled steel wire mold. Then the metal rod is mechanically drawn in a powered wire drawing machine or on a draw bench; through successively smaller tungsten carbide or synthetic diamond or sapphire dies; until the desired gauge is achieved. Every two or three passes the wire is furnace annealed in an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen, to undo the work hardening from the drawing process and return it to a soft, workable state once more. 
      tweak1
      3,645 posts
       
      bo
      are you saying ALL speaker and interconnect wire is created as you stated?
      4425
      861 posts
       
      the cable debate is a fun topic bc some people get really worked up, generally more so in the there’s no difference camp. that’s fine. don’t we all wish it were so? however it’s not by a long shot. unfortunately(for me) i’ve been a cable guy for a very long time thinking of cables as perhaps the glue of the system. the wrong choice can absolutely destroy a good system. a great example of fundamental differences can be found in the AQ lineup where two models are identical except that one uses silver and one copper. The sound difference is dramatic to anyone that can hear. seriously this isn’t an opinion. it just is what it is. kimber has the same kind of conductor material difference as AQ in their select series. to put it to rest have the cable company or a dealer come up with two pairs of identical cables as described above and give each a good listen. use the recordings that you know best and have fun with it bc audio is fun. i truly wish some doubters would try this and report back.
      cables are a quandary in that they are grossly overpriced and hyped but they have a profound role in a system and can definitely break a high end system; 40+ years have taught me that. sorry for the verbosity!
      More to discover