[kaushama]

Almost every cable builder seems to be preferring the Litz braids for cable making. Does it give any audio and electrical advantage?

Just simple twisted configurations are inferior except the appearance?

 

[Speedskater]

While braiding can have mechanical advantages, twisting has electrical advantages:
a] Lower loop inductance.
b] Better RFI rejection.
 
Disadvantage:
a] Higher capacitance.
 
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But all these differences are very small and in the real world probably don't matter at all.

 

[kaushama]

While braiding can have mechanical advantages, twisting has electrical advantages:
a] Lower loop inductance.
b] Better RFI rejection.

Disadvantage:
a] Higher capacitance.

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But all these differences are very small and in the real world probably don't matter at all.

What's the drawback of high capacitance?

 

[Speedskater]

Some legacy, boutique or poorly designed output stages are unhappy with a high capacitance loud. They may ring or even oscillate. But even then it's only a problem with longer cables.

 

[5genez]

The problem litz solves is something I can only explain in layman terms.....

Litz has each thin strand coated with a polymer that causes each strand to be insulated from all the others in the cable.
With the usual standard stranded cable (no matter how good the copper or silver) each thin strand is bare and not individually insulating each strand from the other strands.
With regular cable when the signal is being sent through the wires without insulation the current/voltage will skip and jump from one strand to the other. That is why solid core
tends to sound smoother, but if too thick can suffer from other types of signal degradation.

Litz allows for the signal to pass from one end to the other of the cable while avoiding most of the distortions that are unavoidable with regular stranded cable.

When trying litz in my system for the first time, in comparison to the regular cables, .. it sounded almost dull. For all that high end tizz was now missing. What was missing was the normally heard high frequency tizz that is caused by the interaction taking place within the non insulated strands. Litz may requires that you reset your system because many audiophiles compensate for that tizz and try to find ways to dull it down. Litz gives a very tight accurate sound when everything is optimal.... I love it. Its warm when the music is warm... and very quick when its there to be heard.

 

[Speedskater]

While there are some industrial applications where Litz wire has advantages, hi-fi headphone and speaker cables are not on that list.
It's just another audiophile myth that current jumps from strand to strand.

 

[5genez]

While there are some industrial applications where Litz wire has advantages, hi-fi headphone and speaker cables are not on that list.
It's just another audiophile myth that current jumps from strand to strand.

Its not a myth. Come on. Stop, it. Maybe your headphones make no difference. But on audio equipment in general it removes the high frequency tizz and gives more precise imaging.My speakers sound amazingly accurate with litz. And, only like hi-fi without. But, if I had not so good speakers I am not sure what I would be hearing. We are assuming here that people are seeking the best sound they can get.

Its amazing... Certain people always pop up in all kinds of forums wanting to prevent others from discovering something that will add to their happiness. What's with these guys?

​

 

[Speedskater]

No, I pop up trying to prevent people from wasting time and money on things that are just misunderstandings or myths.

 

[5genez]

No, I pop up trying to prevent people from wasting time and money on things that are just misunderstandings or myths.

What is a myth about litz configured cable?

I put my money where my mouth is. I have wasted money on somethings. Litz is not one of them.

 

[Speedskater]

It's a misunderstanding. (that then became a myth)
Differences in cable total resistance, inductance & capacitance and overall length will overwhelm any small theoretical skin effect /litz wire differences.
If two cables sound different it's not because of litz wire.

 

[5genez]

It's a misunderstanding. (that then became a myth)
Differences in cable total resistance, inductance & capacitance and overall length will overwhelm any small theoretical skin effect /litz wire differences.
If two cables sound different it's not because of litz wire.

You are only concentrating on one superior aspect of Litz. That one aspect will not make a difference. Litz is also doing something else that is audible and SUPERIOR sounding (more realistic) on good systems.

 

[Speedskater]

You are only concentrating on one superior aspect of Litz. That one aspect will not make a difference. Litz is also doing something else that is audible and SUPERIOR sounding (more realistic) on good systems.

True, I'm only concentrating on the engineering aspects. What is this something else?

 

[5genez]

True, I'm only concentrating on the engineering aspects. What is this something else?

Yes.. What you HEAR on an accurate phase coherent system...

If you listen on a system with all sorts of time and phase problems you probably will think its a myth. Litz is the wire for high end audiophile systems. I know of no other cable that can transfer the signal intact like litz does. Leading edges are dynamic. Bass is solid and tight when its on the recording and your amplification is up to snuff. If you have speakers that are typically having crossovers that make the drivers out of phase with one another you might as well line up in the "Its a myth" line. Yet, you will hear a difference. I have some solid core wire you can buy from me if you wish. I have some shielded speaker cables made from very high quality copper if you wish. Most interconnects and speaker cables are designed to counter the hash produced by the non-insulated strands used in making the cable. Litz avoids that electronic hash.

I use litz as my objective starting point to evaluate my system. I have Q-Audio interconnects, and just purchased some WyWire balanced interconnects which are in transit as I type this. My speaker wires are crappy looking raw litz wire (about 12 AWG)..... Here is what they look like. Obviously I was not liking them because they look fantastic. They sound fantastic when a system is set up optimally!

 

[5genez]

Here is a little view of the Q-Audio braided unbalanced litz interconnects (which sound as neutral as you're going to get). Those plain looking white cables hanging down in front of everything are my litz speaker cables made from raw litz cabling that I made myself. Ugly - looks like junk - by audiophile standards. Sounds fantastic when a system is set up optimally.

 

[Speedskater]

Your cables look like noise and interference antennas.
All good RCA analog interconnect cables are made with coax cable. End of story.