What is the Monster "Magnetic FluxTube"?
Nov 29, 2009 at 5:22 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19

3602

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RT..
They don't even say what it does on their site. I only know of a "magnetic flux pipe" in astrophysics. What...do we pass some 88 volts through it and get mind-blowing sound quality from the future?
Did anyone ever cut open a Monster cable and saw what this is? Any photos there?
 
Nov 29, 2009 at 6:45 PM Post #2 of 19
It appears to just be a wire construction where the conductors are wrapped around an insulating center core or tube.

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Nov 29, 2009 at 6:59 PM Post #4 of 19
Flux capacitor ftw!

Where monster is going, there are no roads!
 
Nov 29, 2009 at 7:02 PM Post #5 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by 3602 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
More senseless Monster marketing..thanks anyway.


If this were proposed by a more "respectable" cable manufacturer, some people here would be defending it to the bitter end.
 
Nov 30, 2009 at 7:38 AM Post #7 of 19
That's a lot of supposed technologies cramped into some toothpick-thin cable. Heck, not even toothpick-thin. It does shape the sound of the Turbine though. I plugged them into my RE0's extension cord and the sound signature got seriously messed up, almost sounded like a different phone, which was strange and unexpected. I plug my FX300 or PL30 into the same cord and they get slightly louder with better bass. It's wierd.

That and marketing by Monster. =\
 
Aug 21, 2014 at 6:11 PM Post #8 of 19
It claims it reduces distortion and increased dynamic range.   I wish companies, regardless of price level would post useful and meaningful graphs and measurements to prove their claims, unfortunately they don't have to.

Has anyone actually requested measurements from the factory?
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 1:29 AM Post #9 of 19
It's just a fluffed-up version of late 1800s marketing of those first twisted-pair cables.  It is an overblown way to present the ubiquitous magnet wire cable used in almost every headphone currently produced.  A bundle of unextraordinary copper strands, each coated with enamel, then spiraled around a cotton core to help reduce microphonics a bit (or so I assume that is what the cotton is for).  Each conductor is then assembled in regular ol' twisted pair geometry.
Edit: I'm still laughing at reading my own post from five years ago.
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 8:38 AM Post #10 of 19
I just saw this video posted by another cable mfg explaining what might be what this Magnetic FluxTube is all about.
 
Here's the video, decide for yourself.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkYqfiOVOVY
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 8:42 AM Post #11 of 19
The magnetic flux tube isn't cotton.  I was just at the store buying some cable and the sales rep was explaining this new Monster cable with Magnetic FluxTube.  It was new to me, so that's why I'm trying to look up what it's all about.  I didn't buy any.  Plus, they don't list the gauge of this type of wire, which is a little odd..  I bought something else because I was specifically buying 12 gauge wire.
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 10:45 AM Post #12 of 19
In the above 4 1/2 minute video, the first 3 1/2 minutes are correct, while the last 1 minute as relating to cable is total nonsense.  The first part is about how a loudspeaker works.  Also any other system that has a moving magnet past a a conductor or a moving conductor past a magnet. Do you have moving magnets in your audio cables?
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 11:45 AM Post #13 of 19
No, but the Monster cable has a magnet inside. They are just showing about the eddy current existing.  I know it's not that easy to show because it's something that is invisible to us just like electricity is.  I would be much more convinced of it's ability to do something if they showed the cable without the Magnetic FluxTube inside vs exact same cable with. If they could show a noise level comparison that was lower or some other useful measurement to prove it's effectiveness, then that would convince me a little more.
 
Then there is the "listening" to different cables and seeing if there is any noticeable difference.  I guess that's what most people would probably do since the average consumer isn't going to break out expensive test equipment to measure a cable that probably costs less than the test equipment itself, let alone having to go through training to understand what measurements to take, how to perform the measurements and then understanding the results.  The average consumer isn't going to do that. Some geeks with test equipment might, so if the mfg doesn't release any, then maybe someone with equipment and time on their hands will do that.
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 11:49 AM Post #14 of 19
No, but the Monster cable has a magnet inside. They are just showing about the eddy current existing.  I know it's not that easy to show because it's something that is invisible to us just like electricity is.  I would be much more convinced of it's ability to do something if they showed the cable without the Magnetic FluxTube inside vs exact same cable with. If they could show a noise level comparison that was lower or some other useful measurement to prove it's effectiveness, then that would convince me a little more.
 
Then there is the "listening" to different cables and seeing if there is any noticeable difference.  I guess that's what most people would probably do since the average consumer isn't going to break out expensive test equipment to measure a cable that probably costs less than the test equipment itself, let alone having to go through training to understand what measurements to take, how to perform the measurements and then understanding the results.  The average consumer isn't going to do that. Some geeks with test equipment might, so if the mfg doesn't release any, then maybe someone with equipment and time on their hands will do that.
 
The other thing that I raised is that this video isn't from Monster, it was from another cable mfg that does more high end cables.  I don't know if it's the exact same thing, but it appears to.
 
Here's my philosophy on things like this.  If the company doesn't have any compelling measurements and there's not reviews of the product, and I'm still not convinced, I with them either decide to try my own listening tests or I will just simply cast it off as something I'm not convinced of.  I don't really go much past that unless the company is blatantly making some false claims and not even TRYING to discuss what the product actually does.  It's unfortunate the audio industry is like that, but it is. Unfortunately, there aren't enough rules on publishing measurements, etc.
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 1:49 PM Post #15 of 19
  The magnetic flux tube isn't cotton...

 
Yes it is, take a Monster cable built in the manner that they describe and cut it open.
 

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