Speltz Anti Cables

Now,for a cosmetic question.
Im planning on running my cables along my baseboard,extended out and up 2 or so inches from the baseboard/floor with 'something' I have not decided on yet.
Im wondering if the cables can be lighty painted to match the baseboard.
The red 'covering'on the cables looks like paint,but I really am not sure what it is.
Thanks.

Palasr: I see that you've taken to using the "chaos theory" form of cable geometry i.e. multiple conductors laying wherever they fall : )

Your plan to spiral wrap the conductors around a vibration absorbing core material with a gap between them is very similar in concept to some interconnects people were discussing quite a while ago. Since consistent spacing would be very difficult to achieve, you would have kind of a cross between what you had before and your current "chaos theory" geometry that you now have. That is, you would have a relatively consistent nominal impedance due to the specified gap that you mentioned yet there would be impedance bumps due to the lack of perfectly consistent winds. Some say that having a consistent impedance is what provides a specific sonic signature ( and it probably does to a certain degree ). They believe that a random impedance is best in order to achieve a lack of a sonic signature, whereas others would say that loading / power transfer / transient characteristics would be random at best. I would be interested to see what you think when all is said and done.

Eagle: Your cables remind me of an elevated model train track hovering in space : )

While i don't know the specifics, the nominal impedance of this type of arrangement would be VERY high i.e. well in excess of 300 ohms. With a less than "robust" amp and a set of speakers that were highly reactive / low impedance, i could see this cable acting as a beneficial buffering device. That is, where the amp might shut down using more conventional cables, it might run fine with this type of arrangement. Obviously in this type of situation, having a system that works is better than a system that doesn't work.

This is kind of what Nelson Pass did when one of his amps kept shutting down trying to drive his old Dayton Wright Electrostat's i.e. used a smaller gauge, higher series resistance cable that presented a higher nominal impedance. Under more normal conditions i.e. an amp that can drive the speakers without much of a fuss, the presentation would be strictly a matter of personal preference.

David: That "red" stuff is the dielectric insulation material, which is some type of enamel base. I don't know how great of an insulator enamel is in terms of chemical penetration into the conductor, so you might want to use an enamel based paint. I'm kinda guessing that this shouldn't create a problem. Sean
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Sean, I like your use of chaos theory to describe the geometric orientation of the cables - I'd say that's about right. Mathematically speaking there is some degree of order in all patterns of chaos, and after some extended listening last night, my chaotic cables are beginning to reveal a few more sonic properties to me: the cables now sound as if they are single wires with jumpers, as oppossed to a true biwire configuration. The relative strenghts of biwiring seem to have been ameliorated in favor of a somewhat more confused presentation (not that true biwiring or using jumpers is in itself good or bad, but more a matter of personal preference and system voicing). I will be bringing home a Sencore LC103 capacitance and inductance meter (a nice unit BTW for diagnostic work) and making a few measurements over the weekend. I'm anxious to see if I can correlate what I hear with what is measureable (if at all). And, while the cables now sound more dynamic, I find the loss of delicacy and information to be bothersome the more I listen. I think I have found an adequate spacing method/device, and some experimentation today should yield a definitive answer.

Eagle, I'd be curious to know what you think if you moved your conductors about a centimeter apart. Your setup is essentially what I had (albeit with four conductors) before I started fiddling.

Good listening, -Richard

In order to keep the cables closer, I used clear tubing as a spacer with a short piece of cable wrap to hold it together.
This photo shows the previous setup compared to now. The cables are higher off the carpet as well as closer together. Bass is still tight, vocals and mids are improved with more focus, and highs do sound extended.
Next phase would be to tighten the spacing with smaller tubing and after that spaced twisted pairs. I'm thinking it would be best to buy another set of cables for the twisted pair experiment. What material would be good for spacing the twisted pair and should it be continuous or just tied every foot or so?

Yeah, I know my cable supports are ugly, but didn't mean for them to kill the thread. It was going so well!