Testing audiophile claims and myths

[upstateguy]

And to further indulge my shallow taste for audio related aesthetics (well at least I do find the cable to look rather pretty) and because I never tried this sort of cable myself, I have bought myself a fancy power cable from Amazon.
Nothing really expensive (28 Euro), but still more costly than an average one you can get for 6 bucks or less (and obviously free with the DAC/Amp you have bought.
Let's find out how well this cable "greatly reduces noise and enhances the entire audio system with wider dynamics".
My guess is that it does jack s**t, but oh well, at least it looks nice

Nothing wrong with a nice looking cable.
What device are you using it with?

 

[Mink]

This one

 

[dougms3]

Here is an idea:

Since electricity doesn't really travel inside the electric cables, but rather around the cables as an electromagnetic field, how about selling snake-oil air to audiophools?

That is incorrect, electricity does not travel around the cable as an electro magnetic field.

It seems your confusing a few different things together. I assume you're referring to the skin effect with solid core cables. It doesnt work the same way with stranded wire thats bundled together without a dielectric between them.

Yes the electricity does travel inside the cable, but in a solid core cable, most of it travels closer to the surface of the core (skin effect). Anything that carries power has an EMF and it moves with the flow of power. The shielding and dielectric help to contain this field and also to prevent outside emi from interfering with the signal.

Whoever told you that electricity travels around the cable as an emf is the one peddling snake oil.

 

[castleofargh]

That is incorrect, electricity does not travel around the cable as an electro magnetic field.

It seems your confusing a few different things together. I assume you're referring to the skin effect with solid core cables. It doesnt work the same way with stranded wire thats bundled together without a dielectric between them.

Yes the electricity does travel inside the cable, but in a solid core cable, most of it travels closer to the surface of the core (skin effect). Anything that carries power has an EMF and it moves with the flow of power. The shielding and dielectric help to contain this field and also to prevent outside emi from interfering with the signal.

Whoever told you that electricity travels around the cable as an emf is the one peddling snake oil.

I learned that current is the flow of electrons, but that electrons move very slowly, while the energy is "carried" outside the wire very fast(speed of light or something).

 

[71 dB]

That is incorrect, electricity does not travel around the cable as an electro magnetic field.

It seems your confusing a few different things together. I assume you're referring to the skin effect with solid core cables. It doesnt work the same way with stranded wire thats bundled together without a dielectric between them.

Yes the electricity does travel inside the cable, but in a solid core cable, most of it travels closer to the surface of the core (skin effect). Anything that carries power has an EMF and it moves with the flow of power. The shielding and dielectric help to contain this field and also to prevent outside emi from interfering with the signal.

Whoever told you that electricity travels around the cable as an emf is the one peddling snake oil.

I don't bother arguing with you. I don't care what you believe.

 

[chesebert]

That is incorrect, electricity does not travel around the cable as an electro magnetic field.

It seems your confusing a few different things together. I assume you're referring to the skin effect with solid core cables. It doesnt work the same way with stranded wire thats bundled together without a dielectric between them.

Yes the electricity does travel inside the cable, but in a solid core cable, most of it travels closer to the surface of the core (skin effect). Anything that carries power has an EMF and it moves with the flow of power. The shielding and dielectric help to contain this field and also to prevent outside emi from interfering with the signal.

Whoever told you that electricity travels around the cable as an emf is the one peddling snake oil.

Depending on if it’s dc or ac/signal.

 

[bigshot]

I read on a manufacturer's site that electricity flows like water, so I had all the wall jacks in my home moved up at the top of my wall, so the current can flow downhill to my stereo components.

 

[sander99]

 

[dougms3]

 

[dougms3]

Depending on if it’s dc or ac/signal.

If they don't know which one this is in reference to, they have no business commenting on this subject.

 

[chesebert]

Looks like I responded without much context. Are we talking about skin effect in relation to audio frequency?

 

[Davesrose]

This seems like the best discussion I've seen about current in relation to stranded cables and AC vs DC https://physics.stackexchange.com/q...w-on-the-surface-of-a-wire-or-in-the-interior

 

[gregorio]

Yes the electricity does travel inside the cable, but in a solid core cable, most of it travels closer to the surface of the core (skin effect).

No, it doesn’t. Electricity (EG. 50Hz mains) has a skin effect depth in copper cable of around 10mm (8.5mm in the case of 60Hz mains) and as consumer electrical cables are significantly less than 10mm (or 8.5mm), the electricity travels equally through the core and surface.

Skin effect depth decreases inversely to frequency, at 1kHz it’s around 1.2mm and at 20kHz it’s around 0.7mm. So, skin effect only potentially becomes an issue (skin effect depth being significantly less than the cable’s cross-sectional radius) when we get into frequencies above about 100kHz or so.

G

 

[dougms3]

No, it doesn’t. Electricity (EG. 50Hz mains) has a skin effect depth in copper cable of around 10mm (8.5mm in the case of 60Hz mains) and as consumer electrical cables are significantly less than 10mm (or 8.5mm), the electricity travels equally through the core and surface.

Skin effect depth decreases inversely to frequency, at 1kHz it’s around 1.2mm and at 20kHz it’s around 0.7mm. So, skin effect only potentially becomes an issue (skin effect depth being significantly less than the cable’s cross-sectional radius) when we get into frequencies above about 100kHz or so.

G

So you think this is an absolute regardless of gauge of wire? Does this change with quality of copper (ie ofc, occ), silver plated copper, current, configuration of the cables (ie litz), etc? Or are you referring to only cheap consumer "included in the box" ac cables?

There are alot of variables you're ignoring.

In DC electricity travels uniformly, not in AC.

And yes the skin effect has a greater effect above 100khz but does not mean anything under that frequency is not affected.

 

[gregorio]

So you think this is an absolute regardless of gauge of wire?

Why would I think that when I specifically mentioned the diameter/radius of wire twice?

Does this change with quality of copper (ie ofc, occ), silver plated copper, current, configuration of the cables (ie litz), etc?

Extremely little (insignificantly) with the quality of copper and silver plate. We’re only talking about relatively small amounts of current in an audio signal and Litz cable for example, can make a big difference but for radio freq signals, up to about 1mHz, not for signals in the audible range.

There are alot of variables you're ignoring.

Of course I am, because they’re irrelevant within the range of audible frequencies, audio signal currents and gauge of consumer audio cables.

And yes the skin effect has a greater effect above 100khz but does not mean anything under that frequency is not affected.

True, it just means the effect is so small within the audible band of freqs that it’s inaudible and irrelevant.

G