Speaker cable

[abacus]

For a pickup cartridge to give its optimum performance then it needs the correct capacitance, this is the reason why the amp input and cable have to have low capacitance, as while capacitance can be added if needed, you cannot reduce it. (Classic were the Shure cartridges which needed 400pf to give there best)

Bill

 

[Noddy]

I really cannot comment on the social behavioural leanings but most professionals are likely to use one of the three major mirrorless brands, from Sony, Canon or Nikon.

I didn’t say all professional photographers, as you say most use Sony, Canon and Nikon. But there’s a small class of photographer that do very highly paid shoots for clients, who may deliberately choose an expensive camera brand to create the right impression with clients.

If you’re shooting the olympics say, or a famous royal ex prince in the street, all that matters is the shot.

 

[Noddy]

Can you point me in the direction of that one? I read The Sky at Night and Science Focus every month, and I didn't think we were that far along (yet - JWST should make big strides).

The term for planets outside of our solar system is an exoplanet, some information here:

Exoplanets - NASA Science

Most of the exoplanets discovered so far are in a relatively small region of our galaxy, the Milky Way. (“Small” meaning within thousands of light-years of

science.nasa.gov

As I understand it they do occultation measurements , basically measuring the light from distant stars, and if the light dips, it could be due to a transiting planet. They can do spectroscopy to determine the nature of the atmosphere if any of the occulting planet. That link says we’ve found 6,000 exoplanets in our galaxy. We have mapped, if my memory serves me, 30 million galaxies. So it seems to me, and you might agree or not, that life definitely exists elsewhere. Oh and they have found all of the amino acids needed for life on asteroid samples captured and returned by space probes.

 

[Noddy]

You're forgetting that science knows everything, and everything can be measured, so not only can you build the perfect loudspeaker, you can also capture live performances perfectly.

I’m not forgetting anything. It’s an engineering problem, with constraints e.g. two directional speakers. As far as I am concerned, what we can do today is incredible.

 

[Jasonovich]

I didn’t say all professional photographers, as you say most use Sony, Canon and Nikon. But there’s a small class of photographer that do very highly paid shoots for clients, who may deliberately choose an expensive camera brand to create the right impression with clients.

If you’re shooting the olympics say, or a famous royal ex prince in the street, all that matters is the shot.

I'm just a hobbyist, and you're correct what really matters is the shot. 🙂

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

As I understand it they do occultation measurements , basically measuring the light from distant stars, and if the light dips, it could be due to a transiting planet. They can do spectroscopy to determine the nature of the atmosphere if any of the occulting planet. That link says we’ve found 6,000 exoplanets in our galaxy. We have mapped, if my memory serves me, 30 million galaxies. So it seems to me, and you might agree or not, that life definitely exists elsewhere. Oh and they have found all of the amino acids needed for life on asteroid samples captured and returned by space probes.

I understand all that, it's just that we've yet to confirm an atmosphere that would be capable of sustaining life as we know it - to the best of my knowledge. JWST should be a great help here as the determination of gasses at that remove is a far from straightforward. There's a lot else in the way that might not always be in the way, if you follow my meaning.

 

[Noddy]

I understand all that, it's just that we've yet to confirm an atmosphere that would be capable of sustaining life as we know it - to the best of my knowledge. JWST should be a great help here as the determination of gasses at that remove is a far from straightforward. There's a lot else in the way that might not always be in the way, if you follow my meaning.

Yes it seems that we haven’t confirmed earth like planets. You’ve probably found this or similar:

This Earth-like planet might have an atmosphere

Could this planet have the right conditions to support life?

www.bbc.co.uk

There’s not just JWST, there’s also a 39m diameter (about 6X JWST) earth based telescope under construction:

M1 Mirror | ELT | ESO

The Extremely Large Telescope: The World's Biggest Eye On The Sky

elt.eso.org

It has a segmented mirror with adaptive optics, and worthy of science fiction.

Musk’s Falcon Heavy should allow more huge space telescopes.

 

[daytona600]

Speaker cable as a skint student used TE twin & earth cable free from a building site
Handy with a wire stripper , solder iron & Pliers DIY

Reel of silver cable & quality connectors £100 gets you a £1,500 cable
AudioNote 1metre bare cable £ 3341 SOGON LX96 gets you a £15,000 cable

USE XLR Fully balanced equipment & XLR cables and save a fortune
Pro cables/connectors are made in vast volumes & 95% cheaper than Audiofool RCA cables

Speaker Cables | HIFICollective

Speaker Cables

www.hificollective.co.uk

Connectors | HIFICollective

Connectors

www.hificollective.co.uk

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxmxHcUy_AQ

 

[daytona600]

For a pickup cartridge to give its optimum performance then it needs the correct capacitance, this is the reason why the amp input and cable have to have low capacitance, as while capacitance can be added if needed, you cannot reduce it. (Classic were the Shure cartridges which needed 400pf to give there best)

Bill

Classic Shure and many other vintage cartridges work better with 470/500pF Loading otherwise they sound flat/lifeless
If you cant adjust the capacitance on your Phono Stage MI ( Moving Iron ) like Grado are ideal as MI is Non-Sensitive to Capacitive Load
or Active loading

ZinAmp | Z-ACT

https://www.thefunkfirm.co.uk/shop/akutrak-mm

 

[Jasonovich]

I understand all that, it's just that we've yet to confirm an atmosphere that would be capable of sustaining life as we know it - to the best of my knowledge. JWST should be a great help here as the determination of gasses at that remove is a far from straightforward. There's a lot else in the way that might not always be in the way, if you follow my meaning.

If I may add 🙂
Oxygen that is sustainable to life on another planet, does not mean it is safe for humans.

Back in the Trumpianfarage period 😂 when giant insects roam the land, I believe the Oxygen level in the atmosphere was 35%.
Insects breath through their pores, such conditions allowed them to attain monstrous growth.

These creepies made Freddie's Nightmare seem like a dream.
If humans lived at the time , we'll be lunch, if humans lived under dense concentration of oxygen, our lungs would collapse and also the gravity would be like an elephant on your back.

 

[Noddy]

If I may add 🙂
Oxygen that is sustainable to life on another planet, does not mean it is safe for humans.

Back in the Trumpianfarage period 😂 when giant insects roam the land, I believe the Oxygen level in the atmosphere was 35%.
Insects breath through their pores, such conditions allowed them to attain monstrous growth.

Don’t worry, the MAGAcene era is fast approaching, increased atmospheric CO2, high sea levels, arctic conditions in northern Europe, and the earth will become too hostile to support Trump and Farage. I’m sure there’s a downside, I can’t recall what it is is, I’m sure it’ll come to me later on.

 

[My2Cents]

But they do know, as they're men of science, and science knows (and can measure) everything. Google/AI says otherwise, but who's going to believe Google/AI?

Science does not know nor can it measure everything! e.g. experiments done at CERN's Large Halon Collider often result in discoveries that challenge existing 'theories' and uncover new physics beyond what is currently understood. There are many 'concepts' that science has no way of measuring; moral, existential, logical, historical and experiential truths for example. FYI; computer 'scientists' invented the internet and AI... and so there's the rub.

 

[Paul.]

The Hasselbald or upmarket Leica are excellent camera's and really out of my league in what I can afford. Really happy with my Nikon Z6II 🙂
This isn't to say, a Hasselbald or Leica aren't used by some photographers to elevate their professional status and draw in the richer cliental, I really cannot comment on the social behavioural leanings but most professionals are likely to use one of the three major mirrorless brands, from Sony, Canon or Nikon.

According to Digital Camera World puplication, I believe this was based on recent industry surveys and expert reviews in 2025–2026, the Sony A7IV is widely regarded as one of the most popular and versatile cameras for professional photographers, particularly for weddings, events, and hybrid shooting.

With regard to the highest-tier performance, the Nikon Z8 and Canon EOS R5 Mark II are considered leading, high-end, all-around options. Nikon traditionally best for landscape photography and portraits, the Canon better suited for live shoots and speed photography. These days, particularly with the latest mirrorless technologies, there's some ovelap, more versatility with the brands.

You can get some mighty fine, Hi-Res sound recordings and excellent 4K videos from modern mirrorless digital cameras, amazing technology in a small form factor.

Sony A9iii is the boss when it comes to high speed photography, the global shutter readout speed is phenomenal. Far more interesting to read about than cables 😁

 

[Jasonovich]

Sony A9iii is the boss when it comes to high speed photography, the global shutter readout speed is phenomenal. Far more interesting to read about than cables 😁

Yeah agree, the Sony A9iii is a phenomenal product. Sony was first to come out the Mirrorless gate, and when the market started shifting away from the traditional DSLR, others followed suit, Canon, Fujisu, OM System, Lumix and last of the bunch was Nikon. So, it had a lot of catching up to do.

Sony still has most of the mirrorless market share, followed by Canon and trailing in third place is Nikon.

No surprise coming from a Nikon fanbois, one can argue, photo realism and accuracy tends to favour the outfit from Nishi-Ōi, Shinagawa, Tokyo 🙂

I love photography, tried to start up a separate thread......... I hear the crickets in the background 🙂

 

[Noddy]

Yeah agree, the Sony A9iii is a phenomenal product. Sony was first to come out the Mirrorless gate, and when the market started shifting away from the traditional DSLR, others followed suit, Canon, Fujisu, OM System, Lumix and last of the bunch was Nikon. So, it had a lot of catching up to do.

Sony still has most of the mirrorless market share, followed by Canon and trailing in third place is Nikon.

No surprise coming from a Nikon fanbois, one can argue, photo realism and accuracy tends to favour the outfit from Nishi-Ōi, Shinagawa, Tokyo 🙂

I love photography, tried to start up a separate thread......... I hear the crickets in the background 🙂

I love my Nikon Z6 and lenses especially the 105mm F2.8 micro lens. I’m tempted to buy a Z6 III or Z8, but cannot justify it. For some reason Nikon are regularly put down. When Canon had much lower dynamic range, it wasn’t an issue. Now the Z6 III has one stop less than Canon and Sony, it’s an issue. Most of us have cameras that far outclass our abilities too.

 

[Paul.]

I was a card carrying Canon fanboy (literally, was a cps member) but ended up switching to Sony when Canon took for ever to take mirrorless seriously. Had the og A7, it felt like the spiritual successor to the Canon 5D. Upgraded that eventually to an A7iii and last year bought a grey market A1.

I guess when Canon had poor dynamic range, that’s because it was early cmos and Nikon were still on ccd. The trade off was the Canons had significantly better iso performance, at the time the entry level 350D would thrash a Nikon D200 for iso performance. At the time multi shot HDR was very fashionable so dynamic range wasn’t as big a selling point as low light performance. Now it’s all about AI noise reduction so it’s iso performance that doesn’t matter so much and manufacturers are all about dual gain iso to improve dynamic range.

There used to be a photography thread on here in the before times, I guess it was lost in the purge?

 

[Noddy]

I guess when Canon had poor dynamic range, that’s because it was early cmos and Nikon were still on ccd. The trade off was the Canons had significantly better iso performance, at the time the entry level 350D would thrash a Nikon D200 for iso performance. At the time multi shot HDR was very fashionable so dynamic range wasn’t as big a selling point as low light performance. Now it’s all about AI noise reduction so it’s iso performance that doesn’t matter so much and manufacturers are all about dual gain iso to improve dynamic range.

There used to be a photography thread on here in the before times, I guess it was lost in the purge?

I apologise in advance for my geekiness. About 20 years ago Canon moved to CMOS and dynamic range increased, and ISO decreased, markedly. Nikon used CCD. However, a few yesrs later Nikon moved to CMOS, using mostly Sony/Nikon sensor designs, and overtook Canon as did Sony. Canon had noticeably worse noise and dynamic range. But for some reason it didn’t really matter … Now Canon have caught up.

As you say, dual gain is the new fad, along with global shutter, stacked sensors blahdee blah blah.

Modern Nikon lenses are stonkingly awesome with bells on. I assume Canon and Sony ones are too. I’m sure Leica have ribbons as well as bells.

 

[Jasonovich]

I was a card carrying Canon fanboy (literally, was a cps member) but ended up switching to Sony when Canon took for ever to take mirrorless seriously. Had the og A7, it felt like the spiritual successor to the Canon 5D. Upgraded that eventually to an A7iii and last year bought a grey market A1.

I guess when Canon had poor dynamic range, that’s because it was early cmos and Nikon were still on ccd. The trade off was the Canons had significantly better iso performance, at the time the entry level 350D would thrash a Nikon D200 for iso performance. At the time multi shot HDR was very fashionable so dynamic range wasn’t as big a selling point as low light performance. Now it’s all about AI noise reduction so it’s iso performance that doesn’t matter so much and manufacturers are all about dual gain iso to improve dynamic range.

There used to be a photography thread on here in the before times, I guess it was lost in the purge?

We should start a What Camera thread 😉
Anyone new to photography, the Z5II is the best budget full frame mirrorless camera.
APS cameras are obviously cheaper but this limits your choice of lens.
I'm still using some of my DX/APS lens via an adapter on my Z6II with good results.
HiFi and photography are similar, we're looking for the best outcome for the least amount of money 😊

 

[Paul.]

I apologise in advance for my geekiness. About 20 years ago Canon moved to CMOS and dynamic range increased, and ISO decreased, markedly. Nikon used CCD. However, a few yesrs later Nikon moved to CMOS, using mostly Sony/Nikon sensor designs, and overtook Canon as did Sony. Canon had noticeably worse noise and dynamic range. But for some reason it didn’t really matter … Now Canon have caught up.

As you say, dual gain is the new fad, along with global shutter, stacked sensors blahdee blah blah.

Modern Nikon lenses are stonkingly awesome with bells on. I assume Canon and Sony ones are too. I’m sure Leica have ribbons as well as bells.

Dynamic range didn’t increase on cmos sensors for a little while. The 350d/30d were both at 10.5 stops whereas the D200 on a ccd sensor were 11.5 stops. The ccd sensors were poor for iso on both ends, Nikons base iso was 200 and dynamic range dropped and noise increased if you used 100 or 50 as it was basically over exposing the image and bodging it in processing. I was working in camera shops around 20 years ago, my knowledge of cameras then is better than for current cameras 😅

I’m a big fan of a full stacked sensor though. The sensor readout and focusing speed on my A1 is insane, shooting with blackout free viewfinder with no discernible rolling shutter is bliss for birds in flight. I used to be all about the pixel pitch, no replacement for displacement etc but I’m a convert to the modern ways, begrudgingly. This was iso 10k!

 

[Al ears]

Can I just say this is a first surely when it comes to cable threads.
Never have I seen one go this way....... 🙂

 

[Shrek]

Can I just say this is a first surely when it comes to cable threads.
Never have I seen one go this way....... 🙂

You beat me to it AL i was thinking this was a speaker thread now we are talking photography /cameras i blame Jason .

I think my silver bright sounding QED cables are fine what you say Jason 🤓

 

[Jasonovich]

Dynamic range didn’t increase on cmos sensors for a little while. The 350d/30d were both at 10.5 stops whereas the D200 on a ccd sensor were 11.5 stops. The ccd sensors were poor for iso on both ends, Nikons base iso was 200 and dynamic range dropped and noise increased if you used 100 or 50 as it was basically over exposing the image and bodging it in processing. I was working in camera shops around 20 years ago, my knowledge of cameras then is better than for current cameras 😅

I’m a big fan of a full stacked sensor though. The sensor readout and focusing speed on my A1 is insane, shooting with blackout free viewfinder with no discernible rolling shutter is bliss for birds in flight. I used to be all about the pixel pitch, no replacement for displacement etc but I’m a convert to the modern ways, begrudgingly. This was iso 10k!

View attachment 11685

Nice work, nice bokeh.

 

[Jasonovich]

You beat me to it AL i was thinking this was a speaker thread now we are talking photography /cameras i blame Jason .

I think my silver bright sounding QED cables are fine what you say Jason 🤓

Wasn't me! It was @Noddy ha ha ha! 😂
I love a good hijack of a thread, especially if we're talking photography.

Well Shrek, if QED Silver Anniversary cables work well on your system, you have my full blessing 😜

Cables are a funny subject, if you're believer, there's so much to say on a subjective level.
If you're cable denier, you'll tell me it's all in my head.
On the other hand, talking about cameras is a safe space. 😂

 

[DougK1]

Quite right. Science cannot explain Donald Trump and Keir Starmer. Neither seem to have a purpose or a use.

That said, the sad fact today is that we are in a post truth world. Truth is whatever your favourite social media influencer or politician says it is. Decide what you want, then create facts to fit.

How you can even put these two people in the same sentence bemuses me. One should be in gaol, the other not so.

 

[Noddy]

Dynamic range didn’t increase on cmos sensors for a little while. The 350d/30d were both at 10.5 stops whereas the D200 on a ccd sensor were 11.5 stops. The ccd sensors were poor for iso on both ends, Nikons base iso was 200 and dynamic range dropped and noise increased if you used 100 or 50 as it was basically over exposing the image and bodging it in processing. I was working in camera shops around 20 years ago, my knowledge of cameras then is better than for current cameras 😅

I’m a big fan of a full stacked sensor though. The sensor readout and focusing speed on my A1 is insane, shooting with blackout free viewfinder with no discernible rolling shutter is bliss for birds in flight. I used to be all about the pixel pitch, no replacement for displacement etc but I’m a convert to the modern ways, begrudgingly. This was iso 10k!

View attachment 11685

You might have your cameras mixed up. CMOS had a big leap in DR and reduction in noise. The D200 had 8 stops DR. The Canon 300D had 8 stops at base ISO but much better DR at higher ISO therefore less noise. The Canon 40D, a D200 contemporary, had higher DR at base ISO and about 2 stops more at high ISO. See here:

Photographic Dynamic Range versus ISO Setting

People were leaving Nikon in droves. The D300 was CMOS with big sensor improvements.

Nice dicky bird, I don’t see them often.