Re: [ARSCLIST] Cables- was Can 78s sound better than LPs?

[steven c <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Richter" <mrichter@xxxxxxx>
> Steven Smolian wrote:
> > Seems to me the theory of matched impedence comes into play here
> > somewhere. What is the size of the wire attached to the connector on the
> > inside of the box?
> >
> > Unknown.  Many of us the "it couldn't hurt" theory.  So do I.  I use
> > heavy lamp wire for speaker connections.
> >
> > I expect cable length has more to do with it than thickness.  All other
> > things being equal, I've found powered speakers sound better- more open-
> > than the same speakers with external amplification.
> >
> > This is heresy.  None of the classic speakers were made that way and we
> > all venerate age- of equipment.
> >
> > Steve Smolian
>
> I have been using 10 gauge zip cord for decades, since I first heard a
> shop selling junk speakers by hooking up AR3s with "speaker wire" for
> comparison.
>
> It's easy enough to calculate the impedance of any length of
> standard-gauge wire. That yields the damping factor for speaker
> resonances since it is almost always far more than the output impedance
> of a modern amplifier. Said damping factor then goes into classic
> expressions for the Q of the tuned circuit which is the electrical
> aspect of a speaker.
>
> In short, run a few feet of high-impedance wire to turn your
> high-quality speakers into a boom box.
>
When you folks are talking about "impedance" in relation to speaker
(and other sound-system) cables...are you talking about the impedance
of the cables as a transmission line? If so, does the frequency of
the tramsmitted signal get involved at all? As well, does this mean
that the impedances of both the output of the signal source and the
input of whatever is being fed would have to be matched to the
cables' characteristic impedance? I used to use 72-ohm transmission
line to feed a half-wave dipole, with a pi-network output feeding
my transmitter signal to the "house end" of the twin-lead (or 300-
ohm line to feed a "folded dipole")...But is the upshot of this
the possibility of having "standing waves" on speaker cables?

Steven C. Barr