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cable lifting...


Schu

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Been discussed to death... HOWEVER, why is suspending cables in the air in a high resolution system considered audio fodder for the technical minded science based audiophile?

Is it merely because it can't be measured?

I have questions.

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RF Skin effect, kids!  Frequencies over 200 MHz flow easier on the outside of the conductor!

As we raise speaker cables off the floor, we reduce the probability of VHF harmonic absorption

by nearby carpet fibers, vinyl polymers, wood resins, and damp concrete. 

Never mind we can't even hear 20 KHz, much less the 100th harmonic!

Learn the science, expose the grifters, enjoy your favorite music!

 

 

 

 

 

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I suppose you could try cable lifting in high resolution hi-fi system.

I do not hear a difference in mine, although the sound is polluted with HF hiss of other sources. 

On the other hand, I did plugged the amp, preamp and the phono preamp into the RF filter and that did make a slight difference. But I can easily live without it.

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the reason I am asking is...

 

IF electrons don't actually move thru OR ALONG a connecting line, and a circuit is completed/functions by means of an 'electro-magnetic field', why wouldn't lifting cables off a grounding source actually be a good thing?

 

Isn't this why major power cable lifted overhead?

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The most obvious next question would be: How high should I lift them? Ceiling height? Higher?

Followed by: How high should my amp be lifted away from ground?

 

OTOH, it is absolutely factual that the placebo effect is real. Ergo, if raising your wires, and maybe running them through a refrigerated bath, makes your stereo sound better, then it DOES sound better, and you are wise to follow your personal perceptions. Following the perceptions of others brings no joy of any kind.

 

 

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I'm not talking audibility at this time... merely the functionality aspect and the effects of grounding on a electro-magnetic system.

 

I suppose that if there is some effect by having this system in close proximity to or against a ground source, perhaps there are audible effects... whether it be timing or otherwise.

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2 hours ago, Schu said:

the reason I am asking is...

 

IF electrons don't actually move thru OR ALONG a connecting line, and a circuit is completed/functions by means of an 'electro-magnetic field', why wouldn't lifting cables off a grounding source actually be a good thing?

 

Isn't this why major power cable lifted overhead?

 

Actually, the reason high voltage lines are lifted is because they carry extreme voltages, as much as 700,000 volts.  That much power creates a very large field around it in which it’s dangerous to be, as much as 100 feet in diameter.

 

There may be other reasons, but that seems to be the most obvious one.

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I suppose you could also use cable clips to secure your speaker cables to the wall.  That way, they could be a foot/30 cm off the floor, or even more.  Would that multiply the improvement you get from having the cables just a couple of inches/5 cm above the floor?

 

Of course, you can go the way of locating your power amplifiers right beside the speakers, monoblock for most speakers or stereo/dual-mono for bi-amped speakers.  That way, the cables can be the shortest possible length, not sagging down to the floor.  So is it just unshielded speaker cables that need to be lifted, with no worries about your normal shielded interconnects, or are they also vulnerable to those stray carpet/rebar/whatever-generated interference fields?

 

According to the video, with 90-95% of systems, you won’t hear a difference.  The improvements only become obvious with highly resolving systems.  Hmm.  At least he isn’t claiming that the effect is only noticeable with very special/expensive risers, and that the Tinker Toy risers work well enough.  I’ve also seen pictures of Styrofoam risers (but they’re so static-prone that that seems odd) and even inverted waxed-paper cups, with grooves pressed down on them to keep the cables in place.  Of course, the most official-looking risers are those glass insulators that were used on power poles in the past, and may be still in use in some places.

 

Well, I’m not about to dive in behind my Scalas and the Belle to try to set up something like that.  Is anyone with more space behind their system willing to give it a go, and tell us what they find? 

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I've found the old glass insulators are very cool looking and also make good door stops as well as cable risers.  Plus they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, I favor the classic clear squat round ones, also some neat looking green ones.

 

Not suggesting my system is so well resolved that cable risers make any difference, but one can hope.

 

Insulator-min.jpg

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