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.