From: utzoo!decvax!duke!unc!mcnc!dvamc!ms Newsgroups: net.audio Title: connecting cables and damping Article-I.D.: dvamc.1043 Posted: Tue Mar 22 10:35:17 1983 Received: Thu Mar 24 22:37:19 1983 In response to uiucdcs!emrath: And that's the same type of literature that says 1 watt is sufficient amplifier power, under the most ideal conditions with 100% efficiency. But that's not the world stereo equipment lives in. I don't claim to have golden ears either, but my equipment *is* very good, and I use heavy cable (Monster cable type). Your listening test wasn't very well controlled, you didn't even do a simple A/B comparison. Maybe the following comparison is too simple, but I think it illustrates one of the main reasons for using heavy gauge wire. Larger gauge wire can carry more current with less loss, which is why high tension power lines and jumper cables are so big. It is now more or less agreed that an amplifiers current capability is more important than its power, and therefore, for the amplifier to most efficiently pass the current, especially over long distances, large cable would be most effective. What about the difference between resistance and impedance and their interaction with damping? I know that speakers are really measured by impedance, NOT resistance. Is it not possible that if two speakers have widely varying impedance, within or between themselves, that a difference in cable gauge will allow the amplifier to "see" the load in a different manner that will affect the sound? That's just a question up for grabs, I don't know the answer. Also, I think that damping is frequency dependant, i.e., amplifier specs give damping at several specific frequencies, or over a frequency range. So, the technical literature says 4 is enough, but at what frequency? Is it a misconception that damping is more important at the very low frequencies, is 4 enough at 30 Hz. ? (And yes, I do have transmission line subwoofers that go down to 30Hz., powered by Dynaco 416 with 200 watts/ch - not that many sources go that low, but I do like direct-to-disk and audiophile records that have honest bass and wide dynamic range). Does simply changing the resistance change the damping ?? I'm pretty much middle of the road on this issue, I wouldn't get cables just because they use some fancy or esoteric theory. But, it seems entirely reasonable to allow more amplifier amperage to reach the speakers, and I simply use very heavy gauge wire. There is sometimes a gap between theory and reality and what can be heard vs. what can be measured. And, just because *you* can't hear a difference (in a poorly controlled test) doesn't mean the cables aren't worth it to a lot of other people who can hear a difference with superior equipment.