https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zobel_network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nZobel networks and loudspeaker drivers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compared to our \u201ctypical\u201d Belden cable (blue trace),\nICONOCLAST is flatter (orange trace) in velocity change as we go lower in the\ntheoretical impedance. This is more the result of a higher, but still low,\ncapacitance between the two designs. Lower inductance was preferred over\ncapacitance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The table data below is REAL and represent what even really\ngood cables do through the audio band. The physics of the propagation delay\nmatch the measurements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHAT CABLE IMPEDANCE REALLY DOES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe interconnect tables follow and yes, they too show time\nbased changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5.0 CAPACITANCE AND\nINDUCTANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue \u2013 What do the reactive\nvariables do with respect to frequency?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCapacitance and inductance are essentially FLAT with\nfrequency. Yep, capacitance and inductance are, interestingly, the same from\nnear DC to the \u201csky is near the limit\u201d frequencies. Capacitance is set by the dielectric,\nassuming it is a linear dielectric material, and some aren\u2019t (PVC).\nMeasurements show that stable dielectrics offer frequency linear capacitance.\nInductance is set by the distance between the wires and the loop area; it isn\u2019t\nchanged by the dielectric at all. These two values are always steady Eddies,\nbut their time based effects on current and voltage change with frequency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is ICONOCLAST speaker cable that shows L and C\ndata,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nand it is FLAT with frequency using\nTeflon\u00ae as the dielectric.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe choice of what plastic to use sets the dielectric\nconstant. You want stability with respect to frequency. Teflon\u00ae has the lowest\ndielectric of any SOLID plastic and thus the lowest capacitance with the\nthinnest walls of any material and, it is durable. It costs a LOT to buy and\nprocess, too. Cost isn\u2019t why we use it,\nperformance is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plastics aren\u2019t magic for capacitance, that is just the way\nit is. You want to pick the lowest dielectric constant value not just for low\ncapacitance, but to help offset the change in the dielectric constant with\nrespect to frequency. PVC dielectrics are far worse in linearity with respect\nto frequency, and the slope is not the same everywhere. The chart and graph below assumes a set wall\nthickness and changes to the dielectric material alone. We can alter the WALL\nthickness based on the dielectric constant to get a given capacitance between\ntwo wires. Double the dielectric constant means doubling the wall for the same\ncapacitance. Use the cheap stuff then? Sure, but more wall thickness increases\nloop area (space between the wires) which increases inductance! Oops, we\u2019re not\ngoing to get zero cable reactance that way! A wire in a vacuum inside a braid\nground would be the smallest size with lowest capacitance you can realistically\nsee. This design would also have the lowest inductance since the loop area\nwould be at a minimum with the vacuum acting as a low dielectric material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can calculate the effects of the dielectric and\ncapacitance using a shorthand RF formula 101670 \/ C *V. We fixed the reactive\nimpedance to a set value, so for a fixed wall of insulation, the capacitance\nrises as the dielectric constant is higher. \nSince we know that the capacitance value is flat with frequency, this\napplies to the audio band as well. Better dielectrics for a given wall mean\nlower capacitance. This has nothing to do with Inductance, which is related to\nthe magnetic field lines. Inductance is related to the distance between\nconductive surfaces, the less the better and field cancellation\u2026if any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impedance = 100 ohms<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Velocity = 1 \/ SQRT (E)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Capacitance = 101670 \/ (impedance * VP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6.0 INDUCTIVE AND\nCAPACITIVE REACTANCE VARIABLES, X<\/strong>L<\/sub> AND XC<\/sub>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe issue \u2013 all cables store and release energy (current or voltage)\nreactively to the frequency being electromagnetically moved through the wire,\nadding time based distortion. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLook at the Impedance \/ Phase trace shown above on Part 3,\nVelocity of Propagation Issues. Notice that the PHASE on BOTH cables changes.\nPHASE include reactive components that TIME shift the signal\u2019s ability of a\nsignal to become resistive (If the phase trace hits \u201c0\u201d the circuit is\nresistive and has no reactive component).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A capacitor looks like an OPEN to DC or to very low\nfrequency AC voltage changes. The cable is very \u201creactive\u201d to voltage changes\nat lower frequencies. As you go up in frequency the cable\u2019s bulk capacitance\nlooks more and more like a SHORT circuit. The cable becomes more \u201cresistive\u201d\nlooking with less reactance to voltage change. The trace explains why we can\nuse 75-ohms and 100-ohm loads for RF cables, they look \u201cmostly\u201d resistive at\nRF. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using a high impedance probe to measure the cable\u2019s\nreactance produces the traces that you see. There is little current flow into\nthe cable and, this is essentially how interconnects are used. The terminating\nload is VERY high impedance limiting current flow. When you put a voltage\nacross a capacitor (our cable) it sends a momentary inrush of current to try to\nfill the capacitor. Output devices loading the circuit are ideally super low\nimpedance to allow for this \u201cinrush current\u201d. Cables with lower capacitance\nmitigate the inrush current issue. Current LEADS voltage in a capacitor so\nthere is a TIME shift caused by the cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker cables are differing in that we don\u2019t measure them\nlike they are used; terminated into what is essentially a short circuit, the\nspeaker. The large current flow in speaker cables responds to reductions in\nINDUCTANCE. Inductors resist current flow changes and that\u2019s what speaker\ncables are trying to \u201cmove\u201d. Voltage leads current in an inductive circuit and\nagain, we see a TIME shift caused by cable but the opposite reactive variable,\ninductance verses capacitance, than the interconnect cable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also consider that in speaker cables, the most reactive\nregion is exactly where speaker\u2019s impedance is also the most reactive, too. We\nwant is a cable that is purely resistive but that\u2019s impossible since a cable is\na vector of capacitance and inductance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can we look at this another way? Yes, we can. If we examine\nthe capacitive reactance equations below, and stick in the values at DC (F=0)\nand infinity frequency (remove F) and see what the results are we get the same\nanswer; reactance is high at low frequencies and lower as you go up in\nfrequency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xc= \u00bd * pi * F * C<\/p>\n\n\n\n
XL<\/sub> = 2 * pi * F * L<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe inductive reactance is the opposite, it looks much\nsmaller at DC (F=0) than at higher frequencies (F= infinity). An inductor is a\nSHORT at low frequencies and an OPEN at higher frequencies. Fortunately speaker\ncables are relatively lower frequency making things less severe than at RF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cables, and all circuits, have capacitive and inductive\nreactance. Capacitive reactance resists voltage change and inductive reactance\nresists current change. They are both frequency dependent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The TIME it takes to CHANGE the signal applied against a\nreactive load is measured in TIME CONSTANTS. It takes about 5 to 6 time\nconstants to reach steady state amplitude. Our signal is also distorted the\nlonger it takes to reach steady state amplitude so it may get nearly as big\n(we\u2019ll pretend attenuation isn\u2019t an issue), but it isn\u2019t the same SHAPE. Don\u2019t\nforget, every frequency is associated with a different time constant, and the\ndecay or removal of the signal is the inverse. It takes TIME for the signal to\nbleed away to zero and this alters the decay signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As frequency changes, so do the reactive variables the determine a cable\u2019s reactive performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the very high end of the\ngraph below, we see simply SQRT (L\/C). At the low end the simple reactance\n(denominator) enter in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7.0 SKIN EFFECT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue \u2013 Current magnitude\nnormalization at audio frequencies. Is this real?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are several ways to calculate skin depth, and they all\nwill yield the same answer. Impedance \/ RL can be derived from several\ninter-related factors and so can skin depth. It is real, and it can be managed\nto control phase distortion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all know about skin effect, but WHAT exactly is it doing\nat audio frequencies and is it real? Yes, skin effect is real at audio and all\nindustry accepted calculations show that it is. The definition of skin depth is\nthe point inside a wire where the current decreases to 37% the surface current\nmagnitude. Skin depth is always the same depth of penetration no matter the\nwire size. Skin depth will vary based on the material\u2019s electromagnetic\nproperties and the frequency of the signal. For audio we calculate @ 20 KHz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u00b5 = permeability (4\u03c0*\n10-7 H\/m), note: H = henries = \u03a9*s<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u03c0 = pi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u03b4s = skin depth (m)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u03c1 = resistivity (\u03a9*m)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u03c9 = radian frequency\n= 2\u03c0*f (Hz)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u03c3 = conductivity\n(mho\/m), note: mho [Electrical ‘mho’\nsymbol – RF Cafe] = Siemen [S]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAt low frequencies it\nsimplifies to;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u03b4s = SQRT (2\u03c1\/ \u03c9u)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLooking at COPPER, we\nwould calculate 461um (0.0181\u201d depth). <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf the skin depth at a given frequency is 10-mil on a\n100-mil wire the 37% current point is well near the wire\u2019s surface, it\u2019s just\n10-mil away in 50-mil radius. If we\nhalve the wire size, the current magnitude is larger through more and more of\nthe wire. Each time we decrease the wire size, the larger the current magnitude\nbecomes across the wire relative to surface current. In our 18-mil skin depth\nwire example above, the current in the \u201ccenter\u201d of a 36-mil wire will see 37%\nthe magnitude of the surface current. Making wire smaller will INCREASE the\ncurrent magnitude in the wire\u2019s center to be closer and closer to the surface\ncurrent in the wire at higher frequencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
AC resistance involves FREQUENCY which is a TIME based\nvariable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RAC<\/sub>= (RDC<\/sub>) (k) SQRT (Freq)<\/p>\n\n\n\nK is a wire gauge factor that involves skin depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Freq is in MHz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The internal wire impedance (AC resistance) is driven by the\nINTERNAL magnetic field\u2019s relationship to inductance. Inductors RESIST\ninstantaneous current flow and have higher \u201cresistance\u201d as AC frequency goes\nup. Current flows in the least resistive part of the wire as frequency goes up,\nso it reaches the surface where the self-wire inductance is nearest to zero. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once we flatten the velocity change as best we can with a\ngood dielectric design, we need to ALSO time align the effects of the\ndielectric at ALL frequencies using SMALL wires. Small wire improves arrival\ntimes as it forces the effects of the composite dielectric speed to be more\nuniform, as best we can, at all frequencies. This counters the skin effect\nproblem that moves the current density magnitude to the surface of the wire as\nfrequency goes up. Smaller wire increases the current magnitude (arrow length)\nin the wire center region to make it more efficient at time alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One BIG wire<\/strong>More SMALL wires<\/strong>Even if we have the SAME current magnitude throughout the\nwire at all frequencies (impossible unless our wire is one atom in size) the\nvelocity of propagation of the electromagnetic wave energy is STILL different\nat every frequency! But the ears say if we MANAGE the problems, our cables can\nsound much better. I took the time to measure all of this and flattened the\nimpedance trace as much as I could. The VP changes less with frequency the\nflatter the impedance curve. Capacitance stays the same at all frequencies, so\nthis VP is therefore changing less the more consistent. Smaller wires are more consistent\ndielectrically at all frequencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bigger wires will cause even more signal speed change\nrelative to frequency because each electron\u2019s is far smaller inside the wire.\nEach magnetic field contribution changes velocity the closer or farther that\nelectron is away from the dielectric material. When a current is applied\n(electrons start moving) an inner wire located high frequency current mode\ntravels slower than the same frequency signal on the outer wire surface and all\nthese current modes are superimposed one on top of the other. This is called\ngroup DELAY. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not all signals at the same frequency arrive at the same\ntime, it depends on WHERE they traveled (MODE path) through the wire and what the velocity of propagation is from the\ngeometric perspective. The lower in frequency you go the less you can change\nthe group delay since the current density through the wire is more and more\nconsistent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The overall magnetic field is a summation and superposition\nof ALL the moving electrons, the whole \u201cgroup\u201d. This is also why air is often\nused in interconnecting cables to mitigate the dielectric\u2019s impact on the\nsignal, and why you see more small wires in speaker cables. Electromagnetic\nfield uniformity in the dielectric is important. The overall audible\nimprovements are more debated. But, there is science involved in the\noptimization process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8.0 DIELECTRIC\nEFFECTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe issue \u2013 dielectrics can impact weak electromagnetic signals\ndisproportionately. Electromagnetic fields are squared law fields, and are most\ninfluenced by dielectrics nearest the wire. Weaker electromagnetic fields are\nmost susceptible to dielectric distortions and the group velocity is mostly set\nby the strongest signals dielectric medium.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nUsing too many small wires splits up the current and starts\nto allow the dielectric to influence the sound more and more, negating the\n\u201cadvantage\u201d of dielectric uniformity. The electromagnetic field is strongest\nnearest the wire, decreasing with the square of the distance moving out away\nfrom the wire. The electromagnetic signal moves from being \u201cin\u201d the dielectrics\nto being around it. The signal propagation speed is an average of ALL the\ndielectrics, with the material the stronger fields reside in have the most\ninfluence on the average of the \u201cgroup\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four-fifths or more of the current magnitude at audio is\nbelow 3 KHz. Some call this the spectral power density, or roughly where the\nmost energy is being placed. The electromagnetic energy does not STOP in the\nplastic or air. It emanates out in an inverse LOG power decay THROUGH all the\nmaterials it encounters along the way. The predominant material VP effect\noccurs CLOSEST to the wire. The smaller the signal (interconnect cables) the\nbigger the effect of the immediate dielectric nearest the wire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weaker signals will be impacted by the dielectric\u2019s effects\nmore than stronger ones, as they decay to far weaker signals moving away from\nthe wire. The speed is more and more determined by the dielectric near the wire\nas we go up in frequency. Interconnects see little of the plastic out away from\nthe bare wires as the field decays so quickly, but, the smaller the\nelectromagnetic signal, the MORE it is influenced by the material nearest the\nwire. That superposition of materials SLOWS the signal (air to plastic) or\nspeeds it up (plastic to air) relative to just the initial material\u2019s\nproperties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can see this in actual practice as the \u201cgroup\u201d velocity\nof all the materials on Ethernet cable shoes a value SLIGHTLY higher than the\ndielectric (66%) itself, and measures 71%. The signal is in the \u201cair\u201d, a good\ndielectric\u201d and this influences the overall signal speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ICONOCLAST interconnect design switches this around, and\nputs the AIR nearest the wire, where the signal strength is highest. This\nnegates the outer plastic dielectric\u2019s contribution to the group velocity, so\nwe see a higher 87% value at RF. This translates to lower capacitance number\nwhere we use the cable in audio applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The VP speed variation caused by the \u201ccomposite\u201d velocity is\ncomplicated by the fact that the LOWER in frequency you measure, Mother\nNature\u2019s devious plan slows everything and this time shifts the audio band. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t change the fully diffusion coupled (same magnitude\ncurrent through the wire) low frequencies, so we try to time align the faster\nupper frequencies. At RF the upper frequencies are \u201con\u201d the wire surface so the\ndielectrics affect them nearly 100%. At RF this is fine because it is near the\nsame VP at all RF frequencies. At audio, we want to move most of the high\nfrequencies AWAY from the dielectric so the speed is closest to the lower\nfrequencies. We already know that the VP\nis faster the higher in frequency we go so this messes up the signal arrival\ntimes. The only good way to slow the\nupper frequency magnetic field is to make the wire smaller so less energy is\nJUST at the wire surface nearest the dielectric. More current is \u201cin\u201d the wire\nversus \u201con\u201d the wire based on skin depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can we overdo field current normalization? What if we could\nmake a wire one atom wide? Now, the impact of the DIELECTRIC is as big as it\nwill ever be and with a really, really small current in each wire. The total\ncurrent will be the sum of all the wires we want to use in parallel. The more wire\nyou use, the smaller the current in each wire. Current is the number of\nelectrons past a point with respect to time. Well, we have ONE tiny electron\nmoving in each \u201cwire\u201d and THAT is as small a current as you can have! Model a\nweak signal, and the electromagnetic wave is so weak it never really leaves the\ndielectric, whatever material the dielectric is. The dielectric better be\nreally decent as it is hugely involved in capacitive rise time (calculated\ncapacitive reactance rise times constants) signal arrival time (velocity of\npropagation). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At very high frequencies, and if the wire is infinitely big,\nwe see ONLY the dielectric as the current is at the surface (skin effect).\nLikewise if the wire is infinitely small we AGAIN see JUST the dielectric (no\nskin effect can happen). Between the extremes of wire size, somewhere, we can\nalter the arrival time of the upper frequencies with wire diameter and\ndielectric choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interconnects are much easier, but not real easy, as they\nterminate into a high resistance, nearly open looking circuit. The reflections\noff a CONSISTENT resistive load of 47K-120Kohm aren\u2019t as bad as the mismatch\nspeaker cables experience as BOTH the cable AND the load are in constant flux.\nWorse, the speakers change by design! The seemingly high measured impedance\nslope of RCA or XLR interconnects in the initial graphs aren\u2019t as bad as they\nseem. Not only are the \u201cimpedances\u201d not real at audio but you have far bigger\nissues with the non-linearity of cables loading the output devices in your\npreamplifier. Trying to match ideal infinite input impedance on RCA or XLR\ncable would mean tiny<\/em> capacitance\nvalues. We go as LOW in capacitance as we can to allow the output devices to\nsee an easy load. This is way we shoot for keeping capacitance reasonably low.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMassive signals in the speaker cable are less impacted by\nthe \u201ccomposite\u201d dielectric speed. The electromagnetic field will travel at an\n\u201caverage\u201d of all the stuff it is moving through, so the better the \u201caverage\u201d\nmaterial is that the electromagnetic field is in, the FASTER the signal\ntravels, and the less TIME the signals have to become separated as they travel\ndown the cable. This is the time and distance story problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PC\u2019s stopped using FLAT cables because the signal arrival\nTIME differential got to be too high. They went to SERIAL digital designs, and\nre-clock the data from memory. This at first seems counterintuitive, adding the\nre-clocking circuit, but unless the TIME can be managed, you\u2019re screwed. Faster\nis better but I\u2019d take SLOWER and the SAME in an instant! This is the \u201ckeep\ncable shorter\u201d thing, but to be LONGER we have to be FASTER, too, if time\nerrors are to be kept low. Mother Nature says we get a raw deal in the audio\nband verses RF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In speaker cable, the stronger low frequency electromagnetic\nwaves emanate into the air through the plastic dielectric more than the higher\nfrequency signals so they are theoretically aided by the air around the wire\n(superimposed dielectric value) more than the weaker high frequencies that see\nmore of the slower plastic dielectric. But the VP erosion as we drop in\nfrequency eats-up that advantage in the low-end. It\u2019s there, but small. The\nproblem is that the low frequencies still drop in speed way more than the air\u2019s\naddition to the overall speed. Seeing more air as we go lower in frequency\nspeeds the signal up relative to the faster high frequencies and offsets some\nof the problem\u2026but it never aligns it away to zero. The VP still marches slower\nand slower as we go lower and lower in infrequency. Arrival times are more\nimportant than SPEED down the wire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The highest frequency carried in the speaker cable is most\nfragile, but compared to interconnect cable, it is relatively robust. The high impedance interconnect cables are\nyet another problem. ALL the signals are VERY, VERY low current electromagnetic\nfield energy states. Here, I need the BEST material possible to time align the\nenergy field \u201cwhipping\u201d (slowly whipping) down the wire; air. The VP is the\ninverse of the dielectric constant so we want a fast dielectric and the lowest\nassociated capacitance it can also provide. This is why I HAVE to use AIR core\ndesigns to properly time align the energy AND use SMALL wires to better\ndistribute the dielectric\u2019s effects at ALL frequencies nearest to the same\ncomposite velocity. The third leg is to decrease output device capacitive\nloading. Air helps mitigates velocity variation across the frequency band that\nis the bane of audio signal transmission. It incidentally also pushes UP the\n\u201cimpedance\u201d to better match the load, the opposite of a speaker cable. I\u2019d be\nwary of that improvement as we need to be aware that audio isn\u2019t a transmission\nline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems counterintuitive to use air, as it speeds up the\nhigher frequencies relative to the lower frequencies (makes the difference\nworse) but the capacitive reactance influences rise time error if you let it\nget too high. The propagation time and the rise time need to be balanced,\nsomehow. There is no perfect solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We call, it \u201csound quality\u201d when we use the cable, but it\nreally is the arrival time alignment of all the signals. The human brain hears\nsuperimposed time alignment and amplitude preservation first, everything else a\ndistant second. The argument is: does this make a difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9.0 INTERCONNECT\nCABLE RCA to XLR MATCHING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe issue \u2013 Changes in electromagnetic properties between interconnect\ncables types can alter the ideal \u201ctone\u201d that was intended.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAn often ignored issue is, what do you do with a really good\nsounding RCA cable? Why not make a really good sounding XLR that\u2019s the same\nreactive measured design? Most RCA to XLR cables never match. ICONOCLAST is no\naccident. I purposefully designed the RCA and XLR to be the exact same reactive\nmatch and thus the same \u201cquality\u201d of sound through the channel. The above\nimpedance chart that we saw earlier shows both the RCA and XLR. Look closely,\nthey are electromagnetic buddies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does that make a difference? If you have a very good RCA\ndesign, it sure can\u2019t hurt to start there on the XLR!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10.0 CABLE SYMMETRY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe issue \u2013 how to make complex cable\u2019s cross section look like one\nsimple wire electrically, and every wire sound the same?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMatching multiple wires into a complex structure isn\u2019t easy\nto do well. The ideal cable is one wire that is exactly the same as the\nopposite polarity wire. To meet other objectives, we usually have several\nwires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More small wires will make a nice big capacitor (wires with\na dielectric between them) and trash reactive signal conversion to resistance\nproducts. Inductance will inversely follow capacitance, messing up the current\ndelivery, and to get BOTH intrinsically LOW, you can\u2019t go \u201cwhole hog\u201d on the\nopposite variable. The two variables are tied together inversely. Rats! A\nsuitable compromise must be reached? Yes, audio is a compromise, as we are\nseeing. BOTH L and C need to be low in value and good design manages this.\nTrade-offs for better sound can, and should, be logically explainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The less understood variable is Inductance. This variable is\na big contributor to more wires. We all think, \u201ccapacitance\u201d for audio. Realize\nthat if we had NO inductance, we could separate the wires as much as we wanted\nand eventually have no capacitance (outer space actually has capacitance, so\nthat\u2019s impossible, too). The reduction of the magnetic fields by proper cable\ngeometry reduces the inductance, allowing a larger wire center-to-center\ndistance for low capacitance. The LOWER\nthe electromagnetic field, the LARGER the loop area can be (lower capacitance)\nfor a given inductance and vice versa. Too many cables ignore getting the\nelectromagnetic field as low as possible. The higher the current (speaker\ncables) the more field energy you need to eliminate. Wires with low electromagnetic fields and\nsmall loop area have the lowest inductance. \nICONOCLAST\u2019s speaker cable design balances out the wires\u2019 proximity to\none another so as to not \u201crob Peter to pay Paul\u201d. The unique weave pattern\nincreases the average wire C-C (Center to Center) distance creating a wire\npattern that CANCELS the electromagnetic field while increasing the average\nspacing for low capacitance. Cancelling the field energy allows me to also\nlower inductance which would be impossible to do with JUST wire spacing for\ncapacitance alone. No magic need apply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
EVERY wire in a cable has to be the same wire if you use\nsuperposition of the electromagnetic fields traveling down each wire. This is\nwhy symmetrical cable designs are used to efficiently remove reactive time\nalignment issues. I measured the reactive time based issues on other designs\nand they all came up short. Capacitance and Inductance have to be the same on\nEVERY wire to as tight a manufacturing standard as is possible. Multiple, and\ndiffering wire sizes are too complex to align things nearly as well. The\nsignal\u2019s SPEED has to be best matched at all frequencies and not just the\nphysical wire length. The wire\u2019s \u201csignal length\u201d is the problem. Use too many\nnon-symmetrical, differing sized wires and this is all but near impossible to\ndo with all the variables involved. I call this type of mixed wire cable,\n\u201ccable in a cable\u201d. The effect is a kindergarten lunchroom in the dark; a mess.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In passive cable, you can\u2019t force the highs to go in the\nsmall wire and the lows in a bigger wire, and adjust the wire lengths to offset\nthe VP changes. The ENTIRE spectrum goes into EVERY wire, so now we compound\nthe time based issues. Only active electronics can separate the spectrum, and\nthat\u2019s a problem too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does ICONOCLAST remove the \u201ccables in a cable\u201d problem? Only\none way to find out and that is to MEASURE them. The data is showing each\npolarity with 12 two wire BONDED pairs, 24 wires in each polarity, and 48 total\nwires in each cable;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
175.3815 pF (X) +175.3815 pF = 180.1803 pF<\/p>\n\n\n\n
175.3815 pF (X) + 171.4507 pF = 171.4507 pF<\/p>\n\n\n\n
X = +2.74 % and – 2.29% variation between wires, or, they\nare ~ 97.5% the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would say yes, I got it right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For ICONOCLAST speaker cable I set my design goal at no more\nthan 50 pF on capacitance and 0.1 uH\/foot an inductance (45 pF and 0.08 uH\ntypical). On the interconnect I set the goal at 12.5 pF and 0.16 uH (12.0 pF\nand 0.15 uH typical). This is WITH\nconnectivity and tested to prove it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complex electromagnetic designs of the RCA, XLR and\nspeaker cables allow ICONOCLAST to exist. The RCA is the most pure electromagnetic\nequation that I have to work with and defines the interconnect cable problem.\nHow do we reach the greatness that a PROPERLY designed RCA does in the XLR\ndesign (matched impedance \/ phase)? How can I convert the small signal world of\nthe RCA and XLR into the large current world in the speaker cable (low\ninductance with still low capacitance)? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
11.0 ATTENUATION At AUDIO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nissue \u2013 is it mostly LOG linear so we can\u2019t hear it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf it is true that we can\u2019t hear LINEAR attenuation\n(measured Rs values say there is non-linearity) or TIME based issues in audio\ncables, WHAT are we hearing with optimized designs, i.e. those that try to get\nL and C to near ZERO as we can and with low time based issues? The design goal\ndifference in ICONOCLAST is TIME based and I\u2019m not so sure that the\ninaudibility of difference values of 5-10 micro seconds is correct. Linear\nattenuation, I agree, is MUCH harder for the ear to pick out in typical cable\nlengths. I said LINEAR LOG type decay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rest assured, if there is snake oil in these products it\nsure looks like physics to me. All the above data is measured and real. The\nquestion remains, WHY do the cables SOUND so much better if TIME based issues\naren\u2019t audible? WHAT are we hearing, then? The reactive TIME altering L and C\nalong with the VP change with respect to frequency seem to be the difference in\ncables, and audibly so. Linear attenuation can\u2019t account for the differences.\nSeries resistance says that that factor isn\u2019t as linear as we\u2019d like, either.\nThere is a measurable difference in cables resistance across the audio band. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is attenuation linear? I measured the Rs (series\nresistance), with respect to frequency, of ICONOCLAST and saw a significant\nCHANGE in attenuation with high quality R, L and C. Look at standard 1313A\nspeaker, 10 AWG Zip cord style cable (red trace). ICONOCLAST flattens resistive\nnon-linearity artifact, and the interconnects are both flat to 20 KHz human\nhearing test point. Still, look at the\nUNITS; it isn\u2019t a wall of lost energy above 20 KHz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SPEAKER CABLE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nINTERCONNECT CABLE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n12.0 Low Pass Filter\nEffect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe issue \u2013 Cable is a low pass filter, and rolls off the frequency at\nthe frequency of the filter\u2019s cut-off; Fc. \n<\/sub>How does this change what we hear?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI saved this one for dead last since it was even overlooked\non my categorization of issues with audio cables. You\u2019ll see why in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is the basic circuit. There is actually a SMALL\ninductor in series with the resistor but notice that it doesn\u2019t appear in the\nequation that defines how the filter will behave, and is omitted. There are\ncircuits that involve larger inductors, and unless we have a resistor to\nground, they won\u2019t apply to \u201ccable\u201d filters. Well, decent cable anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The capacitor is a reactive device, like I\u2019ve mentioned\nbefore, so its properties change with frequency as does an inductor. A\ncapacitor eventually looks like a short to ground (capacitive reactance value\nkeeps changing) at higher frequencies so the signal energy takes the path of\nleast resistance through the capacitor to ground. R is in Ohms when capacitance\nis in picofarads (pF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good thing about almost ALL\naudio cables is that the roll-off properties of the filter are WAY above the\naudio band. Yes, a first order filter will change the PHASE at the -3dB\nattenuation point by 45 degrees, and time based distortions are more audible\nthan the roll-off attenuation. First order filter attenuation nor phase changes\nare going to be an issue, theoretically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Typical ICONOCLAST™ R, L and C Variables<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/td> RCA<\/td> XLR<\/td> Speaker<\/td><\/tr> Capacitance<\/td> 12.5 pF\/ft<\/td> 12.5 pF\/ft<\/td> 45 pF\/ft<\/td><\/tr> Inductance<\/td> .15 \u03bcH\/ft<\/td> .15 \u03bcH\/ft <\/td> 0.08 \u03bcH\/ft <\/td><\/tr> Resistance<\/td> 32\u03a9\/Mft <\/td> 14\u03a9\/Mft <\/td> 1.15\u03a9\/Mft <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\nThe RCA shield \u201cgoes away\u201d as\nit is such a low resistance in series with the center wire, leaving essentially\nthe center wire DCR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The XLR uses TWO 25 AWG wires\nin parallel for each polarity, so the resistance is HALF the two wires, or\nabout the same as a ~22 AWG wire. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>Calculating Fc <\/sub>we arrive at;<\/p>\n\n\n\n15.5 GHz for the 5 foot RCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
36.4 GHz for the 5 foot XLR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
15 GHz for the 10 foot Speaker Cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The real problem with cable is that it can load down the\noutput op-amps with too high capacitance and change the frequency response and\npossibly phase response. Some really high capacitance or high inductance\nspeaker cables can bug the heck out of power amplifier output stages, too. But\nthese problems aren\u2019t filter problems, but bulk capacitive or inductive loading\nproblems on the output circuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All circuits \u201cpush back\u201d below their operating region into\nthe pass band but a rule of thumb is to keep the fc<\/sub> pass band 10X or\nmore above the circuit\u2019s operating frequency. We surely are meeting that\nrequirement with any decent cable, even zip cord.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMany outside this sub-discipline of engineering will STILL\ninsist that electromagnetic field time management and time alignment are not\nimportant, and that only the bulk R, L and C matter. The ear is a time domain\ninstrument and readily time aligns the signal to the natural world we live in.\nEVERY effort was made to pay attention to TIME domain issues in audio cables\nand attenuation non-linear artifact. There are a myriad of ways to lose track\nof TIME, and an audio cable is not a good place to make mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider all the measured and factual information above on\ncable design and then ask yourself why cables sound different. Why wouldn\u2019t\nthey sound different given how complex \nit all is? True, poorly made cables all fall into a bunch of warm and\nsoft sounding products. Elevate the engineering and they indeed measure\ndifferent. The above is 100% true for ALL cables, if I may add. If I\nmischaracterized a topic then, of course, only my cables are affected! All the\ncable designs in the ICONOCLAST line are under US patents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope my cables bring years of enjoyment to you, and NEVER\na feeling of complacency in what was provided to enhance your hobby\u2019s (mine\ntoo!) pleasure. The search is constant to try to align TIME based issues to\narrive at the best sound possible. The bad layers of the onion can\u2019t be\nremoved, but the order and thicknesses can be altered. Signal coherence is both\narrival time and amplitude time dependent. Passive cable won\u2019t allow\nperfection, just a lot of hard work to manage the ill effects that Mother Nature\nthrew our way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSound Design Creates Sound Performance\u201d, and this means\ndriving down all measurable variables to the lowest possible balance we can\nachieve. Does this make better sounding<\/em>\ncable? <\/p>\n\n\n\nSincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Galen Gareis
If you have spent plenty on cables you may well wonder WHY these cables are physically as they are. If care is taken to adhere to fundamentals, there are very good reasons for a physical design in audio cable, of both high (interconnect) and low (speaker) input impedance types. If…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cable-design-principles","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iconoclastcable.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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