American Sound, "The Absolute Nothing"

[Ron Resnick]

cable manufacturers design and tune their interconnects with a 1-meter standard in mind. Any significant deviation from this—for instance, extending from 1 meter to 2 meters—is clearly audible. This is why interconnects should not exceed 1.5 meters.

Whew! Good thing I cannot hear a difference between 1 meter and 2 meters of the same interconnect in a blind A/B test!

 

[andromedaaudio]

Whether preamp is buffered or not, a significant change in the length of an interconnect is audible. Complications may arise if the preamplifier is not of sufficient quality, but no preamp can fully compensate for the increased length of an interconnect—for example, going from 1 meter to 2 meters. Or a huge difference from 1 meter to 5 meters.

You might think shorter is always better, but cable manufacturers design and tune their interconnects with a 1-meter standard in mind. Any significant deviation from this—for instance, extending from 1 meter to 2 meters—is clearly audible. This is why interconnects should not exceed 1.5 meters. If you don’t hear a difference, it’s likely due to either extremely low cable quality or a lack of transparency in your setup. Like it or not, there’s no other explanation. So, cable length is the issue and there is no preamp to cure that. And certainly balanced interconnects are not immune to this situation.

However, if you choose to accept the decrease in sound quality and opt for a 5-meter interconnect instead of 1 meter, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that choice. It’s akin to driving a car from the back seat—it works, but the experience is fundamentally different. The real problem arises if you claim that the sound quality remains unchanged.

So i ve got some more SQ to expect then
lol
Im using ( probably )20 year old 6 meter long interconnects stereo / cinch between my pre / power amp .

Mtemur u did like my vids so its probably due to the fact interconnects age like good wine/ whisky lol.

They cost around 30 euros at the time .
Would be now 40 euros due to inflation

 

[PeterA]

Perhaps Ron’s cable trials should be discussed in his system thread, or on a cable thread, but not really on a turntable thread. My mistake to tell Ron to do his own experiments. Thank you.

 

[mtemur]

So i ve got some more SQ to expect then
lol
Im using ( probably )20 year old 6 meter long interconnects stereo / cinch between my pre / power amp .

Mtemur u did like my vids so its probably due to the fact interconnects age like good wine/ whisky lol.

They cost around 30 euros at the time .
Would be now 40 euros due to inflation

Yes, I liked your videos if you switch to a higher quality 1 meter interconnect then it will sound better.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Whew! Good thing I cannot hear a difference between 1 meter and 2 meters of the same interconnect in a blind A/B test!

This depends on what kind of load is being driven and the current delivery capability of the output stage (pre).

 

[DasguteOhr]

If it has less impact on the belt, it means that it has less w&f from that point of view.

There are other opinions on this, for example that the motor needs a constant load in order to avoid any control interventions, a defined bearing friction and a lubricant that remains the same regardless of temperature.In the past, it has produced excellent results.

 

[PeterA]

Doesn’t the stylus in the groove present a constant load for the motor, even if the bearing has extremely low friction? Perhaps those who are discussing breaking or constant load are talking about a greater force against which the motor must work.

 

[thekong]

Doesn’t the stylus in the groove present a constant load for the motor, even if the bearing has extremely low friction? Perhaps those who are discussing breaking or constant load are talking about a greater force against which the motor must work.

As far as the theory goes, my understanding is that stylus in the groove does present a drag, and thus a load to the motor, but it is far from constant. The stylus drag actually changes considerable with different music passages, higher drag for louder passages and lower drag for softer passages. It is exactly this constantly changing drag creating a challenge to the motor / controller unit to maintain speed.

So, some designers believe a bearing with higher drag would mask the effect of this constantly changing stylus drag. For example, if the stylus drag would change between 1g and 2g (just pick a number for the discussion, I have no idea what the exact number is) and the bearing drag is 1g, then the total drag would be between 2g and 3g, a 50% difference, which could be harder for the motor / controller to maintain speed. However, if the bearing drag is 100g, then the resulting total drag of 101g to 102g, a less than 1% difference, would be a much more consistent load to the motor controller.

That is just my understanding of the theory, please correct me if I am wrong!

 

[howiebrou]

As far as the theory goes, my understanding is that stylus in the groove does present a drag, and thus a load to the motor, but it is far from constant. The stylus drag actually changes considerable with different music passages, higher drag for louder passages and lower drag for softer passages. It is exactly this constantly changing drag creating a challenge to the motor / controller unit to maintain speed.

So, some designers believe a bearing with higher drag would mask the effect of this constantly changing stylus drag. For example, if the stylus drag would change between 1g and 2g (just pick a number for the discussion, I have no idea what the exact number is) and the bearing drag is 1g, then the total drag would be between 2g and 3g, a 50% difference, which could be harder for the motor / controller to maintain speed. However, if the bearing drag is 100g, then the resulting total drag of 101g to 102g, a less than 1% difference, would be a much more consistent load to the motor controller.

That is just my understanding of the theory, please correct me if I am wrong!

Look at it this way. If you eat a lot of peas and carrots and then do a No. 1, if you're constipated and there is a lot of friction and drag on your poo, you might not notice the presence of those peas and carrots the same way than if you had a smooth No. 1. Both contain the same peas and carrots but the constipated poo masks their presence. Now ask yourself do you want smooth or rough?

 

[Lagonda]

Look at it this way. If you eat a lot of peas and carrots and then do a No. 1, if you're constipated and there is a lot of friction and drag on your poo, you might not notice the presence of those peas and carrots the same way than if you had a smooth No. 1. Both contain the same peas and carrots but the constipated poo masks their presence. Now ask yourself do you want smooth or rough?

Howie, many of you audio posts have references to bowl movements, is this your listening chair ?

 

[howiebrou]

Howie, many of you audio posts have references to bowl movements, is this your listening chair ? View attachment 141584

Nah. Chair back is too high for reflections. This is much better.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Nah. Chair back is too high for reflections. This is much better.View attachment 141595

now I know where the saying comes from "a good system even sounds good on a tiled toilet"