Electrostatic speaker cables...

Detlof: I had the same question--does "fast" translate to low capacitance or some other measurable characteristic, or is it a technical term like "warm, dark, dry" (I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time--I posted on the audiophile terms forum).

Incidentally, I have tried bearlabs speaker cable on esl with very good results. Note that I use these cables on my regular system too, so it's a reflection of taste.. Also take into account that the ESL in question has an erratic impendance curve (+1 ohm to around 20 ohm). I used a 10ft pair (IF that makes any difference).
For the record, this cable was tonally balanced & reasonably FAST -- by which I mean that transients, following one another, were subjectively perceived as appearing in quicker succession (good point, Detlof & Rives!) -- than with another cable.

When I speak of a fast cable, I have the signal propagation speed in mind. One of our direct competitors advertises that his top cables have the fastest propagation speed in the world, but according to the calculations Dr. Strassner did, the HMS Gran Finale is even faster.
I do not say that his alone will translate in a superb cable, but I always felt that any speaker, especially a ESL, can benefit from this, especially since Mr. Strassner found out that the slower the propagation speed of the signal is, the more the signal will become distorted.
Since we discuss here a certain technical aspect, I hope I am allowed to say that one of the main features of the Gran Finale speaker cables is the ability to adjust the current rise time of the signal. It can play a role in hybrid ESL speakers, but even more so in 3 or 4 way speakers. The bass driver is always slower to react than the midrange and treble, so again, this mismatch in reaction time of the drivers to the current can translate into distortion. With the adjustable current rise time selector, you can match the bass driver to the midrange and treble drivers, gaining a less distorted sound here.

Whoa...Tekunda, whoa! The velocity of propagation can be argued to be entirely irrelevant to a signal that is restricted to a maximum rise time LESS than a 20kHz. sine wave (at that!)...In fact it is virtually irrelevant to most RF applications.

As far as an adjustable "current rise time selector" someone will have to tell me just what that is in reality. Since the voltage and current are directly related and linked, I see no way to adjust the "current rise time" without altering the frequency response of the cable - ie. a filter.

By definition, ALL bass speakers are "slower" than tweeters, IF you mean that the time between a min and max excursion is longer, which it HAS to be because it is a lower frequency.
But if you are talking about acceleration, that's a different bird. It may be that some woofers are "faster" than some tweeters if you are talking about acceleration.

The *real* effect of speaker cables comes mostly as it effects the waveform produced by the amplifier, especially with reactive loads and/or amps that use a lot of feedback (which most do) and/or may not be totally stable into some loads or impedances.

If you do something via a cable that adds subjective "speed" or "impact" (etc.) I'd bet you can *see* it by looking at the effect the cable has on the output of the amp when you use a nice clean square wave as a test signal - in most cases you'll see the leading edge alter and the overshoot change. I'll give you odds on that one.

Tekunda, You should change your info, if you are not a private user, and represent a manufacturer!