What is Low Impendance for an interconnect?
01-16-14: JtcfMontana??!! there are no manuf in Montana so this dental floss cable does not meet the standards of Provided, of course, that the string has good pedigree and is well vetted by the cable manufacturer, is specially treated with some esoteric compound, and is marked up to audiophile price standards. ;-o |
01-16-14: DopogueDopogue, I believe you jumped the gun all too quickly to damn Roger Sanders. I'd wager that you did not bother to read the ENTIRE material at the link Al provided.... Roger Sanders does say: But please carefully note that I said all WELL-DESIGNED interconnects sound identical. Some interconnects are badly designed and do indeed sound different.The article goes on for quite a while to give his definition of "well-designed". He's not talking about hi-end or mid-end or low-end priced cables; only well-designed cables. I suggest that you read all the material there before you shut your mind. Just to let all know: I do not own any Sanders equipment, have no stake in his company. I did hear his equipment at RMAF2013 & it sounded really very good. |
Hi Almarg, You had the right link and I think that it has been discussed in this thread. My read is that Roger is saying that his interconnects do not impart any coloration to the signal, which is his definition of a well designed interconnect. It would seem that is the right place to start. Then if you want it to make a warmer sound, accenuate the bass, etc., etc. then you go from there. So if I am trying to buy a pair of interconnects that do not color the sound, what does one look for in terms of construction and measurements? |
So if I am trying to buy a pair of interconnects that do not color the sound, what does one look for in terms of construction and measurements?That's a difficult question, in part because the sonic effects of an interconnect are dependent on the impedance and other technical characteristics of the components it is connecting. Generally, a lower output impedance of the component driving the cable will mean lessened cable effects, although of course that benefit may be far outweighed by differences in the performance of the components themselves. Susceptibility of the particular components to ground loop effects (not just hum, but also effects that can occur at high frequencies) can also be a significant variable, especially for unbalanced interfaces. And the performance of a given cable in a line-level application will likely be completely different than in a phono cable application, as the technical factors that are involved are very different. Cable length is also a major variable, of course, most cable effects being proportional to length. Also, if the components provide balanced connections, and their balanced interface circuits are of good quality (which is certainly not always the case), it can generally be expected that using balanced cables will result in lessened cable effects relative to unbalanced cables. Beyond that, when looking for neutral (uncolored) behavior I think it would make sense to be skeptical of a cable having any parameters that are extreme (either unusually high or unusually low), or for which the rationale for the design seems to focus excessively on minimizing one particular claimed effect. And beyond that, it probably comes down to researching the experiences of others (while trying to calibrate the credibility of the person providing each report; for example I would consider the many cable-related comments Jmcgrogan2 has provided over the years to be especially credible), and if possible trying a variety of cables, such as via The Cable Company. Regards, -- Al |
