Can anyone explain clearly in either common parlance or technical terms the difference between a $1,000.00 cable and/or speaker wire versus a $20.00 (or so) one? What does wire "do" in an expensive cable/wire that an inexpensive cable/wire does not? Does it conduct more or "better" electricity?
Llanger
I'm surprised that with 39 responses, no one explained the difference between
mains electricity and
electronics. Power cords and power lines are built to transmit mains electricity. In the US, this is electrical current that alternates at 60 Hz, and is kept at a narrow range of voltage ideally from 110 to 120 VAC.
Electronics, on the other hand, is an elaborate system with the use of a combination of devices (e.g., diodes, triodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.) to amplify voltage fluctuations (which are known as *signals*) to perform tasks. In simple electronics rudimental signals trip a relay, close a switch, adjust temperature, etc. The task of signal transmission in audio is far more sophisticated. The musical performance is encoded to represent all the notes, all the frequencies of the instruments' and voices' overtones, the amplitude of each note, and the tempo at which these notes are played. There is a separate encoding and fluctuation for each of these.
Wire for electricity has very few requirements--it has to have low resistance, be able to transmit lots of current, and be insulated so it doesn't cause short circuits or electrocute the user.
Audio signal cables (interconnects and speaker cables) have a much more complicated job. Ideally they must convey all the various signals (which are minute voltage fluctuations) in time with one another (with the challenge that signal speed varies with frequency), keep the amplitude of each accurate, minimize (ideally prevent) signals from being absorbed by the dielectric to be released back into the signal path later, and have near perfect rise time (which requires frequency response somewhere past 1 GHz). High end audio cable is optimized for signal transfer of all frequencies. It is more challenging to optimize all audio frequencies to travel coherently for ultimate audio signal performance than it is to deliver up to 15 amperes at a constant 115 volts AC.
Even a power cord for an audio component has requirements that general power cord does not--you want to provide as consistent and noise-free power provided to the components as possible. To that end, high end power cords are wound, shielded, and/or woven to reject noise in the electrical lines that can degrade the sound quality of the component receiving the "dirty" sound.
So there's your basic answer. The primary job of electrical wire is to transmit a relatively narrow range of electrical power at a fixed voltage. The primary job of audio cables is to transmit an incredibly complex time-dependent array of electronic signals covering ten octaves of frequencies while rejecting electrical noise that can compromise the musical aspects of the signal quality when it reaches its destination--loudspeakers.
