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#1
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Zip Cord for Speaker Wire
Zip cord, along with Romex and outdoor grade extension cord cable, are
probably the most common speaker cables employed other than cables sold specifically for the purpose. In fact, among non-audiophiles and in commercial, industrial and HOW use they are much more common. All of these do a good job provided a heavy enough grade is used and more importantly proper termination is used. A heavy properly made terminal should be soldered or crimped-using a professional grade tool-on the cable. However, they are not the optimum product for the job if only from an appearance standpoint. I like to use heater cord bcause of its attractive cloth outer cover. Certain vacuum cleaner and other appliance vendors have what I consider attractive products from the standpoint of sufficient gauge and for handling and appearance as well. |
#2
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wrote in message oups.com... Zip cord, along with Romex and outdoor grade extension cord cable, are probably the most common speaker cables employed other than cables sold specifically for the purpose. In fact, among non-audiophiles and in commercial, industrial and HOW use they are much more common. All of these do a good job provided a heavy enough grade is used and more importantly proper termination is used. A heavy properly made terminal should be soldered or crimped-using a professional grade tool-on the cable. However, they are not the optimum product for the job if only from an appearance standpoint. I like to use heater cord bcause of its attractive cloth outer cover. Certain vacuum cleaner and other appliance vendors have what I consider attractive products from the standpoint of sufficient gauge and for handling and appearance as well. Cal, Although zipcord seems primitive, it does have the feature of good cancellation of mutual inductance, by virtue of the close spacing of the two inductors. Perhaps the spacing in appliance cord is a little wider, due to the paper lathing inside? |
#3
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It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also
has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. |
#4
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wrote in message oups.com... It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. I question that. IMHO, the vinyl in zipcord seems more durable than the rubber in appliance cord, provided it is not flexed often. I use triple runs of zipcord held together with duct tape. The result is a multiconductor solution with some of the benefits of "Litz" construction. |
#5
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wrote in message
oups.com It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. This would probably be type S or SJ, heavy-duty rubber insulated cord. The two conductor versions usually have fiber filler to add bulk and roundness. Tight twisted construction, which is common with type S or SJ cable, tends to increase the mutual inductance between the conductors and thereby decrease the series inductance of speaker cables. |
#6
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Arny Krueger wrote: wrote in message oups.com It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. This would probably be type S or SJ, heavy-duty rubber insulated cord. The two conductor versions usually have fiber filler to add bulk and roundness. Tight twisted construction, which is common with type S or SJ cable, tends to increase the mutual inductance between the conductors and thereby decrease the series inductance of speaker cables. Just twist the lighting cable would do the same thing? |
#7
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"redux" wrote in message
ups.com Arny Krueger wrote: wrote in message oups.com It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. This would probably be type S or SJ, heavy-duty rubber insulated cord. The two conductor versions usually have fiber filler to add bulk and roundness. Tight twisted construction, which is common with type S or SJ cable, tends to increase the mutual inductance between the conductors and thereby decrease the series inductance of speaker cables. Twisting also randomized the incidence of outside sources of electrical interferance, reducing noise pickup. Not much help with speaker wiring, but quite effective in balanced signal cables. Just twist the lighting cable would do the same thing? Yes. I've been known to use hand drills, power drills and electric screwdrivers for the purpose. |
#8
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On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 21:36:56 -0500, "Robert Morein"
wrote: wrote in message roups.com... It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. I question that. IMHO, the vinyl in zipcord seems more durable than the rubber in appliance cord, provided it is not flexed often. I use triple runs of zipcord held together with duct tape. The result is a multiconductor solution with some of the benefits of "Litz" construction. There is no real benefit to Litz cabling in audio wires of 14AWG or thinner and only a very slight one for 12AWG. OTOH, trippling 16AWG cables gives you better than 12AWG performance and puts to rest any possible worries (existnt or not) about skin effect issues. |
#9
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"Ron" wrote in message
On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 21:36:56 -0500, "Robert Morein" wrote: wrote in message oups.com... It depends, however it has a high rate of twist in many cases. It also has a type of rubber which is more durable and aging-resistant. I question that. IMHO, the vinyl in zipcord seems more durable than the rubber in appliance cord, provided it is not flexed often. I use triple runs of zipcord held together with duct tape. The result is a multiconductor solution with some of the benefits of "Litz" construction. It takes a lot more than Litz wire to address skin effect. Skin effect is based on the magnetic field around a wire, which in turn is based on its diameter and current flow. Doesn't matter whether the wire is stranded, stranded insulated or solid. There is no real benefit to Litz cabling in audio wires of 14AWG or thinner and only a very slight one for 12AWG. OTOH, trippling 16AWG cables gives you better than 12AWG performance and puts to rest any possible worries (existnt or not) about skin effect issues. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/...ect/page1.html pretty well debunks this idea. |
#10
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wrote Zip cord, along with Romex and outdoor grade extension cord cable, are probably the most common speaker cables employed other than cables sold specifically for the purpose. In fact, among non-audiophiles and in commercial, industrial and HOW use they are much more common. All of these do a good job provided a heavy enough grade is used and more importantly proper termination is used. A heavy properly made terminal should be soldered or crimped-using a professional grade tool-on the cable. However, they are not the optimum product for the job if only from an appearance standpoint. I like to use heater cord bcause of its attractive cloth outer cover. Certain vacuum cleaner and other appliance vendors have what I consider attractive products from the standpoint of sufficient gauge and for handling and appearance as well. I been wondering about the two pairs of speaker cables I own. Both pairs are of equal gauge and length but uses proprietary geometry and, I suppose, metallurgy as conductors. These cables are WireWorld Eclipse lll and Audioquest Midnight ll. The WW will noticeably make the sound of my system louder compare to AQ. Obviously, this could be due to its low resistance. I woner what else is behind these considering that the loudness level it brings is quite apparent for me. I like the AQ cable but all in all, the WW tend to make my system sound better for its seeming ability to present slices of detail more distinctly. |
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