[MrProggie]

I have noticed chinese "high end" sellers on Ebay selling interconnects with oil shielding.
Is it just to make the cable look cool or is there an observable benefit?
 
Examples:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Silver-Audio-Oil-Inject-Analog-RCA-Interconnects-Cable-/290502913553?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a352ae11
http://electronics.shop.ebay.com/Electronics-/293/i.html?LH_PrefLoc=2&_nkw=oil+cable&_stpos=&gbr=1

 

[Lazerboy2000]

Sounds like snake oil to me 

 

[Nebby]

Oil provides no shielding at all.
 
Quote:

I have noticed chinese "high end" sellers on Ebay selling interconnects with oil shielding.
Is it just to make the cable look cool or is there an observable benefit?
 
Examples:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Silver-Audio-Oil-Inject-Analog-RCA-Interconnects-Cable-/290502913553?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a352ae11
http://electronics.shop.ebay.com/Electronics-/293/i.html?LH_PrefLoc=2&_nkw=oil+cable&_stpos=&gbr=1

 

[Uncle Erik]

I hear that a pepper-infused oil will make your music spicier.

 

[Benjamin6264]

My guess would be that it avoids oxydation, even though I'm not sure if oxydation is even possible, or affects the sound negatively.

 

[nikongod]

If you buy into the fact that cables look like capacitors, would you rather have a PVC dielectric or a paper in oil dielectric? I guess you would have to buy into different dielectrics sounding different too, but if you can hear cables you can surely hear caps.
 
I should preface that with my belief that any difference is going to be VERY VERY small... buy a better (insert headphone, amp, dac, recording, something that matters, etc here) before any cable. 

 

[Omega17TheTrue]

These cables look nice and relatively cheap but i would be afraid of a potential oil leak...

 

[scootermafia]

I can only think that it is to resist static buildup...oil-soaked cotton makes for a pretty good dampening layer. 

 

[Anaxilus]

Well, as far as PCs go they started submerging them in clear oil tubs to prevent oxidation, dust bunnies and increase thermal loads for running a silent PC.  Plus it looks cool.  So if you can overclock your oiled speaker cables they should have better PRaT.  

 

[JamesL]

10 years ago, I asked my dad why the cables behind the audio equipment were all oily and greasy.  He said it was normal.
 
Now I know he had a set of oil-infused (I think audioquest) interconnects back there.  
 
Yes they leak over time...

 

[Budgie]

I use massage oils in my cables for a nice relaxed sound.

 

[Lenni]

^ I must say, I LOL

 

[wuwhere]

I've heard of dry sound, liquid sound, creamy sound but this is the first that I've heard of oily sound?

 

[wilyodysseus]

I've had experience with gel filled cable for outdoor/buried use. The gel prevents water from getting into the cable, freezing, and wrecking it.
 
Oil filled cable performs a similar function--insulating and automatically filling voids of insulation caused by expansion or contraction. You can also pressurize and monitor  the oil, so that you know if a cable is breached. This is for industrial/utility use.
 
I can't think of any benefits to using oil-filled cable for home audio. And eventually it will make a mess.