Sugar, once again you bring up some good points and this thread is expanding in a "good" way.
I also agree with your comments concerning technology advancements and the increased quality of materials used in the production of wires / cables. Only problem is, how much of what "scientists" know about dielectric materials is actually being applied to the products that we as audiophiles are buying ? We are told that Teflon is "king". Is that really true ?
As to silver corroding, silver oxide is supposedly highly conductive ( from what i've been told ). As to your comments on gold, i have no idea. I am far from knowledgeable when it comes to metallurgy. However, i do have to wonder what happens to both of these materials ( along with copper ) when exposed to other materials such as the dielectric that is decaying ? Is there some type of "chemical reaction" between the metal and plastics that causes surface decay / increased skin effect ? I have NO idea.
As i mentioned, the only way to get around this type of problem is to use what is called a "non-contaminating" or "Type II" dielectric material. This boils down to the fact that the plastics being used to make the jacket are of a stable molecular structure ond don't "bleed" over time. I don't know if this is applicable to Teflon or not.
I've been told that using a foil shield between the conductors and the outer jacket helps drastically reduce the effects of plasticizer migration from the outer jacket into the conductors though. The foil simply acts as a "barrier shield". Even doing that would not solve the problem as individual stranding would still need some type of insulation to keep from shorting out internally. As such, the wires would still be surrounded by some type of dielectric that was susceptible to "plasticizer migration".
I think that enameled wire is looking better and better the longer that this thread continues : ) Sean
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I also agree with your comments concerning technology advancements and the increased quality of materials used in the production of wires / cables. Only problem is, how much of what "scientists" know about dielectric materials is actually being applied to the products that we as audiophiles are buying ? We are told that Teflon is "king". Is that really true ?
As to silver corroding, silver oxide is supposedly highly conductive ( from what i've been told ). As to your comments on gold, i have no idea. I am far from knowledgeable when it comes to metallurgy. However, i do have to wonder what happens to both of these materials ( along with copper ) when exposed to other materials such as the dielectric that is decaying ? Is there some type of "chemical reaction" between the metal and plastics that causes surface decay / increased skin effect ? I have NO idea.
As i mentioned, the only way to get around this type of problem is to use what is called a "non-contaminating" or "Type II" dielectric material. This boils down to the fact that the plastics being used to make the jacket are of a stable molecular structure ond don't "bleed" over time. I don't know if this is applicable to Teflon or not.
I've been told that using a foil shield between the conductors and the outer jacket helps drastically reduce the effects of plasticizer migration from the outer jacket into the conductors though. The foil simply acts as a "barrier shield". Even doing that would not solve the problem as individual stranding would still need some type of insulation to keep from shorting out internally. As such, the wires would still be surrounded by some type of dielectric that was susceptible to "plasticizer migration".
I think that enameled wire is looking better and better the longer that this thread continues : ) Sean
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