[Sonnova]

On Thu, 9 Jul 2009 08:37:41 -0700, Walt wrote
(in article ):

Sonnova wrote:

There is simply nothing you can do to a
couple of reasonable lengths of wire ALONE between an amp and a pair of
speakers that could have the slightest affect at audio frequencies.

You could take a pair of wire cutters and snip one of the conductors.
That would have an audible effect (i.e. the speakers would be silent).

Smartass! But you're right.

You could strip the insulation and make a short circuit. You'd hear that
as the amp frying (or blowing a fuse if you're lucky)

You could separate the two conductors and make a bunch of loops to
create an inductor. That would have an audible effect.

It would have to be a lot of loops!

You could attach connectors with cold solder joints that are non-linear,
and this would induce distortion.

There are many things one can do to the wire to make things sound worse.
Of course, what you meant is that there's nothing you can do to
*improve* the signal transfer at audio frequencies. I can't disagree
with you there.

Actually, what I meant was that there are no applications of fancy, expensive
materials, no special "strand orientation" no high-tech dielectrics between
cable elements, no super connectors, or any other of the hundred and one
things that cable makers throw at their cable designs to justify the high
prices, that actually would cause them to sound different (better or worse)
than a cheap Radio Shack cable or a length of 14 gauge lamp cord for speaker
cable. I'm not talking here about cables with molded or wood boxes on the
ends filled with inductors, resistors and capacitors and are DESIGNED to
alter the frequency response of the cable, I'm talking about cables made of
nothing but copper wire and connectors - no matter HOW fancy.