stock powercables, freebie interconnects and qed 79 strand.

  • Thread starter Deleted member 188516
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D

Deleted member 188516

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when ever a cable question / debate is discussed some one always posts that a cable only has to be "made to spec" and to be of "good quality".

sound advice that i personally agree with having done some power, interconnect and speaker cable tests many years ago.

therefore does anybody know what is the actual design specification for the "stock" power cables and freebie interconnects that come bundled with most purchases ?

i believe qed 79 strand speaker cable was designed with some specific "specifications" years ago hence the 79 stands, conductor thickness and insulation used.

i'm guessing there is some sort of "technical specification" for stock power cables and freebie interconnects also, for example, having a specific number of conductors, conductor thickness, insulation type and the thickness of that insulation when manufactured ?
 
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Gray

Well-known member
i'm guessing there is some sort of "technical specification" for stock powercables and freebie interconnects having the specific number of conductors, conductor thickness, insulation type and the thickness of that insulation when manufactured ?
Not really. The only requirement is that they do the job.
Mains leads have to meet safety standards, nothing specific to hi-fi.
Stock interconnect leads all look similar because they only need, so only use, enough strands on the inner core to give them basic mechanical strength, plus a lapped screen (again using no more strands than necessary for coverage).
 
D

Deleted member 188516

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Not really. The only requirement is that they do the job.
Mains leads have to meet safety standards, nothing specific to hi-fi.
Stock interconnect leads all look similar because they only need, so only use, enough strands on the inner core to give them basic mechanical strength, plus a lapped screen (again using no more strands than necessary for coverage).

so the stock power cables just have to pass a safety test with features, such as, a certain thickness of insulation to prevent the cable being easily cut - nothing regarding the number or thickness of conductors to safely power a component ?

as for the freebie interconnect surely just a single thick piece of copper would be stronger / more robust than the few (20 ?) strands of thin copper that these cables seem to use ?
 

Gray

Well-known member
so the stock power cables just have to pass a safety test with features, such as, a certain thickness of insulation to prevent the cable being easily cut - nothing regarding the number or thickness of conductors to safely power a component ?

as for the freebie interconnect surely just a single thick piece of copper would be stronger / more robust than the few (20 ?) strands of thin copper that these cables seem to use ?
The conductors in a mains cable need only be capable of handling slightly more current than the fuse in the plug. (So that in the event of a high current fault condition, the fuse blows before the cable!)

And yes, no more than 20 x 0.2mm strands would be typical for the inner core of a freebie interconnect lead. It's stranded for flexibility.
CT100 type satellite coax cable (for example) uses a solid inner core because it's designed never to be bent about once permanently fixed in place.
If you didn't need the flexibility, CT100 would make a decent interconnect - well screened with braid and foil - and 75 ohm impedance where digital interconnection calls for it.
 
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Deleted member 188516

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i noted a company called "anti cables" and they sell interconnect and speaker cables that looks like a single strand of copper in a (thin looking) plastic "coating".

i wonder if anybody uses their products ?
 
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TrevC

Well-known member
My speaker cables are four runs of 79 strand per speaker, because I can clearly hear the difference in speaker cables. Or at least I could when I had one run of 6 metres and one 3 metres in my previous house. Why not, I had a whole 100 metre reel of the stuff! Still using four runs now, athough now the runs are only 2 metres. I also tried biwiring with the longer runs but found it to sound better with the links put back on the speakers, so they are no longer biwired.
 
D

Deleted member 188516

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My speaker cables are four runs of 79 strand per speaker, because I can clearly hear the difference in speaker cables.

Or at least I could when I had one run of 6 metres and one 3 metres in my previous house. Why not, I had a whole 100 metre reel of the stuff!

Still using four runs now, athough now the runs are only 2 metres. I also tried biwiring with the longer runs but found it to sound better with the links put back on the speakers, so they are no longer biwired.

thanks for the reply.

4 runs of qed 79 strand ?
may i ask what are the differences you can hear with this approach ?

(i'm guessing you hear a more defined sound because your amplifier can control the speakers better ?).

also is there any advantage in having 4 separate runs of qed 79 strand cable as opposed to say a single (stranded) speaker cable consisting of 316 strands all bunched together ?

any views on the "design specification" of the freebie interconnect and stock power cables ?
 
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TrevC

Well-known member
If I hadn't had a reel of 79 I might well have used one run of a thick cable. Power cables need to be safe and up to the job. Interconnects, almost any screened wire will perform the same so why not use the freebies?
 
D

Deleted member 188516

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If I hadn't had a reel of 79 I might well have used one run of a thick cable.

Power cables need to be safe and up to the job.

Interconnects, almost any screened wire will perform the same so why not use the freebies?

so there is no technical advantage to having 4 lots of "separate" runs of the 79 strand cable as opposed to just using the same amount of strands in a single bunch as such.

any views on the anti cable range ?

 

TrevC

Well-known member
so there is no technical advantage to having 4 lots of "separate" runs of the 79 strand cable as opposed to just using the same amount of strands in a single bunch as such.

any views on the anti cable range ?


Yes, it amounts to the same thing. No, I haven't any views on the anti cable range, apart from the name being silly.
 
D

Deleted member 188516

Guest
Yes, it amounts to the same thing. No, I haven't any views on the anti cable range, apart from the name being silly.

years ago the anti cable range was recommended to me.

the speaker cable (at the time) was described as being like coat hanger wire wrapped in plastic but apparently sounded better than the very expensive chord cables he had before !

so speaker cable, consisting of a single solid core copper conductor, you could bend into shape - any views on that ?
 
what are your views on people who use a hifi shops demo room facilities to test kit then buy it online from someone else ?
I have demoed stuff and used the online world as a haggling tool before, but couldn't bring myself to demo with no intention of buying - not fair to waste others' time/electricity/patience (in my opinion).
 
D

Deleted member 188516

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I have demoed stuff and used the online world as a haggling tool before, but couldn't bring myself to demo with no intention of buying - not fair to waste others' time/electricity/patience (in my opinion).

+1.
 

Jimboo

Well-known member
I have demoed stuff and used the online world as a haggling tool before, but couldn't bring myself to demo with no intention of buying - not fair to waste others' time/electricity/patience (in my opinion).
Really ? So you know the price online , know the price of the deal at your shop of choice , listen to something your going to buy anyway , haggle because what you were going to buy anyway is cheaper somewhere else , buy it from the shop even if they cannot match it because it's only fair?
The demo is like an advert , have a listen to this played through this , they need you to demo to come in touch and listen and experience.
I didn't buy from my demo because the demo was great that is the speakers were.
The service , deal and costs weren't. That was my time wasted.
 
Yes, really.

I did get a discount on a Pioneer plasma I bought years ago, and each time I bought Arcam power amps - but the price was still greater than I could have got online. I wanted the reassurance of a proper demo. so I tried to treat the dealership in a way I'd be happy to be treated myself. Can't go wrong in life that way.
 

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