John Dunlavy On "Cable Nonsense"

Rgd, forgive me for my skepticism, but have you (or anyone here) actually observed or been involved in the manufacture of cables? I would think that the extrusion of the jacket/insulation over the cable would be very difficult to perform by hand and my understanding of cable/wire manufacturing is that it is a very highly automated and capital intensive industry. Production economies dictate that a relatively low value-added, commodity type item such as cable (remember, audiophiles are unique in what they are willing to pay for wire) must be manufactured in large quantities to justify the capital intensity I have mentioned.

In such situations, small players that cater to limited volume niche markets (like the market for high-end audio cables) must rely on outsourcing or contract manufacturing arrangments. Given their low volumes, they simply could never recoup their investment were they to attempt to manufacture the cable themselves. Perhaps there are some exceptions to this? Anyone???

Frap, you can discount ABX testing as a means of comparison if you like, but you offer nothing in its place except a method so highly susceptible to errors and misjudgment that it's really useless for true comparisons of audible differences.

Liguy: Brush up on your transmission line theory, particularly the 1/10 wavelength rule, and you'll find that audio cable would have to be close to 1.5 kilometers long to *start* exhibiting transmission line characteristics at even the highest audio frequencies.

Rgd - OK, I've just never heard the terms transmit and return used for speaker wire. Since the signal is AC each wire performs exactly the same function.

I've done a bit of poking around the Net and looked at the North American Industrial Classification System maintained by the Bureau of the Census. The industrial structure is pretty much as I painted it in the last post, only with more levels in the supply chain. For the trivia hounds amongst you, here is the series of handoffs (NAICS text in quotations).

#1 --- wire is drawn

"NAICS 33142: Copper Rolling, Drawing, Extruding, and Alloying
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) recovering copper or copper alloys from scraps; (2) alloying purchased copper; (3) rolling, drawing, or extruding shapes, (e.g., bar, plate, sheet, strip, tube, and wire) from purchased copper; and (4) recovering copper or copper alloys from scrap and rolling drawing, or extruding shapes (e.g., bar, plate, sheet, strip, tube, and wire)."

#2 --- drawn wire insulated by firms at next level in supply chain

"NAICS 33592: Communication and Energy Wire and Cable Manufacturing
This industry comprises establishments insulating fiber-optic cable, and manufacturing insulated nonferrous wire and cable from nonferrous wire drawn in other establishments."

#3 --- insulated wire sold to audio OEM's and turned into audio goodies

"NAICS 3343: Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
This NAICS Industry Group includes establishments classified in NAICS Industry 33431, Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing."

I would venture that most, if not all, of the audio cable manufacturers pop up at the third/last level rather than the second.

Well, yes Doc, the audio cable manufacturers pop up in the 3rd category. But the issue raised is whether many of the high end cable marketers are among the manufacturers (or final assemblers). My guess is that some are, some aren't. I find it hard to believe that Nordost Valhalla is made in the same third world factory as some lower priced branded cable. I even find it hard to believe that Kimber and Audiquest are not involved in the final assembly of their products. I think Ray Kimber has invited AA inmates for a factory tour.

Just suppose there were only one factory, and all the cables were made in the same place. So long as they were made to spec and the specifications were different as ordered by the designers, why would anyone care? You only have to look at a variety of cables to see that they reflect a lot of different ways to twist, wrap, coat and space different thicknesses of wire. Who cares where they are made?