Cable Lifts thread
- Thread starter shapo
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Perfect - I could see now that they are called "NCF Booster Signal " and show in the Furutech site http://www.furutech.com/products/ncf-booster-products/
Did some checking on this product. Helps secure big power cord connections to the AC outlet which tends to sag due to diameter and weight. Cost $350.
I had this issue with my Shunyata PC's. I placed some stiff packing foam (2" X 2" X height + 1/4" or so) between the shelf and the bottom of the power cord and "wedged" it in the gap to create a very firm / robust (no sag) connection. Doesn't look pretty but its behind all the gear and you can't see it unless you look around the back of the rack.
Cost $0.00. Just save some foam scraps from other electronic gear.
About 15 years ago I noticed that when I raised my speaker cables about 5 inches or so off the carpet there was a very small but still distinct improvement in clarity.
Eventually I purchased the NoNameHiFi ceramic cable lifters and used those for about 10 years. See pic below.
Then I read some positive feedback on the Shunyata Dark Field II cable lifters just making their way onto the scene. Having read positive things about the Dark Field I's, I purchased 2 boxes of 12 Dark Field II's.
Within a couple of days of installing the Dark Field II's, I noticed 2 nice little improvements and enjoyed them for about a month. See pic below.
Since I like to dabble with mechanical energy mgmt, the Dark Field II's improvements sparked an idea so I grabbed some acoustic foam bars 4" x 4" x 36" squares from storage, used my box cutter knife and cut 2 parallel 1/2" deep slits along one side of the 4 foam bars.
Then I buried my tiny Audio Tekne speaker cables inside the cut slits and powered on. Over the next 4 days I realized about double the improvements of the Dark Field ll's so I sold the Dark Field's and kept my acoustic foam cable lifters. See pic below.
Evaluating the construction and materials of the Dark Field ll's, I've no idea why they offered any improvements but they did and the Dark Fields are worth the money. I suspect they were better anchored into the carpet (no movement allowed there) at the base and their V-shaped tops probably limited cable moveent there too.
What prompted me to try my experiment with the acoustic foam bars after installing the Dark Field ll's was my recalling a Cardas video showing how a wire vibrates when current passes through it. So I suspect my very small girth Audio Tekne speaker cables fitting snuggly into the slits was perhaps just enough to curb some of the potential micro vibrations, but I really don't know.
Wasn't it Einstein who said, "Of course we don't know what we're doing. That's why it's called research."?
What about jitter?Absolutely. Less noise, better imaging, less smearing, etc.
Problem is they are inexpensive so many folks on this site are (unfortunately) unlikely to try them.
And they do reduce any "floor vibration" to a single point of contact for each case used.
Highly recommended for raising cables off the carpet for those that don't want to spend thousands of dollars on the "high end" lifters.
I have made them out of wood and heard no difference. I have also used glass. The cd case thing is cool on the cheap. The only real compelling reason to have them is if you live in a dry climate and have carpet that induces static electricity. Separating the cables from the carpet can reduce static interference. The other reason is they look cool if done sparingly.
Hi, Ron. I'd say about 85% of the cables are embedded into the foam squares. Each square is 3 ft long and there are 2 foam squares per side as the speaker cables are about 7ft in length.
I was able to confirm the foam square's value when about 18 months ago I replaced the bi-wire Audio Teknes with an equally small set of fully-cryo'ed silver speaker cables purchased new. IME, new speaker cables always 5 - 7 days of continuous play to reach full burn-in status. So I was a bit purplexed when during the silver cables initial few days I noticed a handful of small improvements (well before the 5 day min mark). Then I remembered the square foams doing essentially the same for my previousl cables.
I was about to say eBay but now that I think about it, I got these in 6ft runs from some large 7ft tall computer shipping crates received by my employer. I thought they might come in handy one day so I grabbed a handful of these. Then I cut a couple them in half for my use here to make a sharp angled curve.
So these are not acoustic foam squares but packing foam squares. If there's a difference.
Getting IC's off a carpet floor makes sense and has some science behind it. You can use most anything, as long as it does not resonate. Big $'s for fancy name brands is silly. In the past I have made some with black heavy construction paper, formed into a cylinder, taped, and kitty litter in a baggy placed in the center to provide dampening. I have not A/B'd it myself, but Al Sekella, a sadly passed EE/Audiophile did, and convinced me. Today, I have various other approaches. Simply be creative. On wood floors, the need is much less. Vibration control is important, particularly with PC's. Strain control too. The pictured foam pucks are effective, and provide some space between PC's and IC's where they cross.
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"I use SBA Iso-ESD cable lifters. Highly effective"
Agreed. They are effective and relatively cheap. I have some too.
Agreed. They are effective and relatively cheap. I have some too.
At 145 Euro these are silly expensive! But if you have money to burn, why not?
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Just balance the cables on €135 worth of banknotes, and buy a couple of beers w the €10 left over.
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