Dover makes a great point re cable loom construction.
I mentioned in my previous post that I have rewired my ET2 three times. With the exception of the VDH silver plated litz, which the tonearm was internally wired with in stock form, the construction of all three subsequent wire looms (Cardas, Discovery, AudioNote) is absolutely identical. Unlike the VDH, these three wire looms were run externally and in one continuous run (no break) from cartridge clips to the phono preamp (RCA); unshielded until just beyond the point where the free movement of the tangential air bearing would be impeded. Except for the different wire, the length and construction of the three looms are absolutely identical. As I mentioned in my previous post, for me, the AudioNote silver is clearly superior to the two copper wires.
It is true that the two copper wires, Discovery in particular, are less flexible than the AN and this fact alone does undoubtedly affect performance. Out of curiosity, as a rough experiment and certainly not definitive, I experimented DECREASING the amount of flexibility of the AN loom so as to try and mimic the reduced amount of freedom of movement that the bearing “sees” with the Cardas and Discovery looms. This can be achieved easily with very small changes to the way one dresses the wire. I hoped to then be able to get a better sense of what were the characteristics of the conducting materials (silver/copper) without the added influence of more or less freedom of movement of the wire. There were clearly some subtle negative audible effects of reducing the wire’s flexibility. Interestingly, the most obvious was a perceived reduction in soundstage width and depth; akin to what is heard with the Cardas. However, the spectral balance remained essentially the same as well as the general superiority of the AudioNote silver in the areas of clarity and overall refinement.
It has been claimed that the “distortions” of silver (the material) may be erroneously perceived as superiority in the context of a “deficient” system. However, this argument can easily be turned on its head. It is entirely possible and probable to my way of thinking that the superior inherent clarity of a silver wire (well, at least the AudioNote), perhaps due to its provable superior conductivity and lessened resistivity, lays bare problems with the “components” that preceded it in the chain. In this case, with the cartridge and possibly its setup.
For kicks, or when I need an audio “fix” (boredom? 😊), I will occasionally reinstall the Cardas or Discovery wire looms. The results are always the same. After having lived with the AN, I could not go back to either on a long term basis.