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Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

Congratulations:The best troll since the last post of Aczel's Ten Biggest Lies in Audio

A pretty bold statement to start, though I agree with some points. That dielectric stuff isn't worth bothering with;it's a secondary or tertiary effect too low in level at audio frequencies to have much effect.

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/DielectricAbsorption.php

I would substitute shielding for dielectric as a major effect category. The only significant effect I've heard from interconnects is differences in noise pickup, mainly hum. People who live near transmitters may have RF effects if the cables aren't well shielded.Just ask Al Sekela:)!

I can substitute "tri-braid" unshielded cable for twisted pair cable with braid shield connected on one end and hear a difference in hum. Ground loop hum may increase if you mix coax cables with different shield resistances in the system. I'd say these effects, and cable placement if you've got hum pickup problems, are more important than dielectric effects.

I generally like Don Morrison's take on cables, but I think I could win some money from him with some blind testing. All I have to do is compare Kimber-type unshielded braided cable with Audioquest Turquoise on my system, as long as I bring the hum back again by removing the Jensen isolation transformer in front of the preamp. I know a couple of places in the system where the cable (and its position) will make an audible difference.

I do like Morrison's test protocol. If you substitute cables with similar construction and RLC parameters, like Cableplex braided and Kimber braided, I don't believe you will pick up the difference.

http://morrisonaudio.com/morrison_donsview.htm

Cables can sound different, but I would prefer to concentrate on parameters that have a significant effect and not marketing hype like magic RCA connectors, secret dielectric formulas or long-crystal cryo-treated conductors. "A difference that makes no difference is no difference."


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