AC Power cable "break-in"
- Thread starter marty
- Start date
I don't know how you feel about this Caelin but some manufacturers feel that the changes (eg. in some cases a brighter sound) one hears when switching PCs between equipment may also be traceable to the unit's power supply caps having to reform to the "new used" cable.
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Hello, Mr. Gabriel. I find this interesting. Not that there is change but more so my curiosity into what changes when a cable is bent or subjected to vibration and why this change becomes audible. Would throwing the cable to the floor "with force" have the same type of effect as hitting the top of a screwdriver with a hammer or is my logic somewhat flawed here?
Tom
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I have always felt the same and could never understand why some companies use cable burners at the factory before shipping
IMHO all the evidence we have on the effects of power cables on sound quality is mainly empirical. Looking for the real causes of burn-in is almost impossible, as we do not know exactly what we are looking for. Some manufacturers have developed technical tests and methods that they use for cable development and checking for manufacturing consistency, but surely they are not interested in completely exposing their knowledge - they release just enough for marketing purposes and for the protection of their industrial and intellectual property in patents.
Although they will not openly admit it, in private informal conversations some manufacturers have told me about the importance of mechanical aspects of the materials in cable design. In electrical terms the properties connecting mechanical and electrical are piezzoelectricity and triboelectricity - very small magnitude effects that are not easy to check using a digital voltmeter or an audio analyzer at home! Surely if I slightly tap a Teflon cable connected to a Keithley electrometer the needle moves, but what does it prove for audio? Teflon has the highest dielectric resistance and the highest tribolelectric coefficient, in the lab sometimes we really need cable elevators!
I can easily guess that some one with a proper technical and scientific background that has devoted part of his life to the study of power conditioning has carried a lot of systematic tests on the subjective effects of mains noise on audio equipment and knows a lot about that, but unless Wikileaks opens a section on power cables we will never have access to it.
AC power cable selection is a nebulous zone. My opinion is that unless someone wants to spend a lot of time and effort playing all the game he should rely on some one he can trust and focus on one or two solutions, benefiting at maximum of others experience. Or go the opposite - buy zip cord power cables and tell it is all bias expectation!
And yes, I already built a few IEC - Schuko adapters to connect all my in-coming power cables in series to burn them simultaneous - currently I am also a believer in burn-in of audio equipment.
BTW I have found a few days ago the report of Michael Fremer on his visit to the Shunyata factory. You can find it at: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/visits/shunyata_visit_interview.htm
Although they will not openly admit it, in private informal conversations some manufacturers have told me about the importance of mechanical aspects of the materials in cable design. In electrical terms the properties connecting mechanical and electrical are piezzoelectricity and triboelectricity - very small magnitude effects that are not easy to check using a digital voltmeter or an audio analyzer at home! Surely if I slightly tap a Teflon cable connected to a Keithley electrometer the needle moves, but what does it prove for audio? Teflon has the highest dielectric resistance and the highest tribolelectric coefficient, in the lab sometimes we really need cable elevators!
I can easily guess that some one with a proper technical and scientific background that has devoted part of his life to the study of power conditioning has carried a lot of systematic tests on the subjective effects of mains noise on audio equipment and knows a lot about that, but unless Wikileaks opens a section on power cables we will never have access to it.
AC power cable selection is a nebulous zone. My opinion is that unless someone wants to spend a lot of time and effort playing all the game he should rely on some one he can trust and focus on one or two solutions, benefiting at maximum of others experience. Or go the opposite - buy zip cord power cables and tell it is all bias expectation!
And yes, I already built a few IEC - Schuko adapters to connect all my in-coming power cables in series to burn them simultaneous - currently I am also a believer in burn-in of audio equipment.
BTW I have found a few days ago the report of Michael Fremer on his visit to the Shunyata factory. You can find it at: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/visits/shunyata_visit_interview.htm
The only reference I have found was in the manual of the Cable Cooker about the effects of over cooking. Happily it could be reversed, something that unfortunately you can not do with steaks!
Other than Francisco mentioned, no. It's more that the qualities that were present in the cable didn't improve or change.
The biggest problem with PCs is using them with "big" wattage amps. Power cords that work on smaller wattage amplifiers often just aren't up to the job of providing enough juice for bigger amps. Same goes/went for many PLCs too.
Actually, yes, ... Monster cables ... very indistinct & phasey new ... they somehow managed to get worse over time.
The only cables I've ever thrown out with the trash, because I couldn't sell em in good conscious.
Perhaps I should've sued Noel instead ...
tb1
If you read my previous post about burn-in theories, particularly the part about inter molecular stress, it follows that if you bend the cable, it will alter the relationship between atoms thus disturbing the micro pathways established during burn-in.
Strong vibration or a sharp physical shock to the conductors also degrades the sound of the cable, probably for the same reasons as above. We know that strong and prolonged vibration, as in shipping, degrades sound quality.
A good macro analogy for electron flow in a conductor would be to observe a lightning bolt in the sky. You notice the path of the bolt is not a straight line from ground to cloud but rather a complex path of zig-zags and splits in complex patterns. Electron pathways in a conductor are probably similar in that there are certain micro pathways established over time. It would be easy to disturb these with even minor movement of the conductors.
Why do cables sound different when they come into contact with fabric materials like curtains......?
Hello, jeromelang. This I have yet to experience. With all due respect.....are you joking, asking a question based upon reading something or are you asking a genuine question based upon personal experience?
Tom
Why do cables also sound different when pieces of masking tape are pasted on their cable jackets....?
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Coconut(s) audio has a new vid , it seems also the productline expanded check out the jobopportunities as well :
http://www.coconut-audio.com/howaudioworks.html
http://www.coconut-audio.com/howaudioworks.html
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This WBF thread is dedicated mainly to burn-in of electrical devices, more specifically power cables. IMHO, the Coconut site is exaggeratedly targeted towards the marketing and hype of their products, and try to present themselves as victims of the skeptics. Although they claim their products need extra long burn-in I doubt that anyone can find anything useful for this particular debate in their claims.
Disclaimer - I have never listened to any of their products, and so my comments are not addressing them. I am only referring to their writings.
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