Is this a "Hybrid" cable?

[doctorcilantro]

I am confused as to what this is

http://www.zaolla.com/zaolla_product_audio_interconnects1.html

All comments aside regarding Zaolla PR; I'm concerned with the cable construction (not if it was designed with low noise in mind).

What is this cable accoding to both the diagram (linked abive) and this comment from them:

"Our analog audio cables have oxygen-free copper braided shields. These are terminated to ground and conduct no signal.

Analog audio interconnects benefit from having some copper in the signal path, so the solid-silver center conductor is surrounded by 37AWG Ohno continuous-cast copper ancillary conductors. We believe that this produces the best balance between the sparkling highs of silver and the powerful mids of copper.

Zaolla Silverline digital audio cables, video cables, and speaker cables contain only silver, no copper, in the signal chain."

I was under the impression that the copper shield here carries the signal as well as the silver core. Granted I have a sub-rudimentary understanding of cable design/geometery.

But I have haerd mention of gorunding only one end (uni-directional cable).

Hre is one comment from another forum:

"That is simply not true.If the braid is connected to the ground,then it
does indeed carry the same signal as the positive conductor."

v/r
JC

[efzauner]

Snake oil companies like this one are relying on your "sub rudimentry" understanding of cable design in order to overwealm you with believable bullshit about the different sound of copper or silver.

Skin effect is not an issue at audio frequencies. This has been proven over and over in many posts and links. Visit www.Audioholics.com for good technical discussions on cabling. I see no benefit from the twin silver/copper core. And the statement about the ground carying no signal is nonsense. The ground is always the return path in single ended systems. You have to move to balanced connections such as 600 ohms in order for the ground not to carry signal. YOu can have a second ground shield connected only on one end for extra noise protection, but one ground shield must always be connected at both ends.

They may be well built cables and sound fine, just like any other good quality cable, but not for the snakeoil reasons they give you.

[Hardhead]

The ad doesn't say that the ground carries no signal; it says that the braid carries no signal. In many cables there's a copper braid solely for the purpose of shielding that's connected only to ground at one end, and the shielding doesn't, and can't, carry a signal. That design is hardly unique or revolutionary, though. Probably not snake oil, either. The rest of it probably is.