Search results

To follow up on IMD, as @MaxwellsEq said, IMD can actually be worse than HD to listeners. The basic reasons are two-fold: 1. For given peak signal levels, IMD is actually higher than HD, by e.g. 9.5 dB for third-order and 6 dB for second-order products. That is, third-order IMD terms are 9.4 dB...

Exactly. In fact, -3.54 dB at Nyquist, as stated in the article I linked: "Note that the amplitude rolls off in the images, and there are notches (nulls, zero inflection points) at each multiple of the sampling frequency (44.1 kHz). It’s in the math which I’m trying to minimize, so trust me –...

I was a member long ago, and looked into rejoining maybe 10 years ago, at which point "they" (do not recall whom) said I could be an associate but not a full member. IIRC it was because I was not actively employed in the audio field... Hmph. I agree it'd be nice to have a lower-cost senior...

It's an anti-imaging filter. See e.g. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/digital-audio-converters-dacs-fundamentals.1927/ There are a few other articles on here describing sampling and such, as well as plenty of other material around, that would help clear up some of...

Yes, skin effect is very real, but it is simply not an issue at audio frequencies. For various reasons (eddy currents, molecular discontinuities, various field physics etc.) as frequency goes up current flow migrates towards the surface of the conductors, so less of the cross-sectional area...

I think the JJ/squid stuff I got to piddle with used silver wires for the final routing into the cryocoolers. Something to remember when our listening rooms hit 77 K and below (the stuff I piddled with was mostly 4 K superconductor stuff).

Not necessarily tube amps, and very much depends upon the amp and cables. Braided or Litz speaker cables had (have, if still around) relatively high capacitance, much higher than normal cables, so if the speaker is reactive and amp sensitive to capacitive load there could be problems. The amps I...

As @Speedskater said, the idea is that the signal mostly travels in the silver plating at such higher frequencies. The cables I used targeted 100+ GHz, not THz, however, and skin depth in either material was usually more than the plating. There are more esoteric benefits to silver over copper...

I have found audiophiles mean different things when they say "speed" with respect to speakers. Often enough when they say it "sounds faster" it can be duplicated by applying a mild boost in the 2~3 kHz octave. That is, "speed" implies greater upper midrange response, but if you turn it up too...

See my answer above. The difference between silver and copper is negligible for the vast majority of applications. The pure silver cables I have used were in a 100+ GHz radar system. The difference in weight and conductivity is not really a consideration between Ag and Cu except in very rare...

No. Long lines are typically Al to save weight, or rather Al with steel reinforcement, never silver that I have seen or heard about. Al has a much higher strength-to-weight ratio, meaning longer lines between supporting towers, and replaced copper early on. Silver would be far too expensive and...

As a user of professional stuff and one who's been in and out of studios and a lot of live rigs I can say Hosa is not the choice of most professionals... Nor are professionals immune to marketing. Edit: And that is a great example of egregious marketing hype.

You chose wisely. :)

It's measurable, yes, but inaudible. The science says you will not be able to distinguish copper from silver cables if the conductor material was the only difference. Marketing (and thus sales) thrives on differences that are insignificant. A common ploy, aside from just the usual marketing...

Both, of course!

A number of amplifiers (not just tube IME) lift the input ground for isolation, stability, and to prevent ground loops (which I could have lumped with "isolation"). I had an expensive (ARC) component that did that, and if you shorted the RCA inputs to chassis ground, it would oscillate. Since...

Note if the silver cable is not coaxial but parallel wires or a twisted pair then noise immunity will suffer compared to Mogami's coax.

Aside: XLR connections, if fully balanced, provide the ability to break a ground loop by lifting the shield at one end of the cable. XLR cables alone do not prevent ground loops. Here is a very brief overview of ground loops (thought I'd expand it one day but never got around to it)...

The OP posted in a previous thread that he (she, it, they, whatever) could tell the difference between silver and copper cables, and preferred silver over copper for tubes and copper for SS. Hopefully this thread is the start of learning why and why not.

I have not tried a Grado (or any cart) in years now. I had a couple way back when. They sounded nice, but did not track well, so I ultimately replaced them with other cartridges.