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From: prk@charm.UUCP (Paul Kolodner)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Ultimate speaker cable
Message-ID: <639@charm.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Apr-85 19:10:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: charm.639
Posted: Mon Apr 29 19:10:53 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Apr-85 07:51:57 EDT
Organization: Physics Research @ AT&T Bell Labs Murray Hill NJ
Lines: 21

1. "High-capacitance, high-speed computer cable"?  Computer cable
is not high-speed.  High capacitance means low speed.  To get 
high speed out of a coax cable despite its high capacitance, you 
have to terminate it properly, so that it acts like a transmission
line.

2.  Gold-plated interconnects:  I had a chat recently with an engineer
at Keithley Corp (specialists in low-current, low-voltage dc measurements)
about the poor connectors in my stereo system.  He said that, despite the
corrosion resistance of gold-plated connectors, they pefer plain old
nickel-plated ones for critical applications, since gold plating rubs
off so easily.  Of course, the difference in electrical conductivities
between the two metals is irrelevant here.  He also said that plain
old banana plugs are extremely well engineered and make very good
connections, due to their springyness. I would guess (and I might make a
measurement or two to confirm my guess) that a) the resistance of a
banana-plug connection is only about 0.01 Ohms (matches my experience
in other contexts) and that b) the "shot noise" (due to the fact that
current flows through metal-to-metal connections via microscopic needles)
is completely negligible in this application.  I conclude that banana
plugs are fine for speakers.  Any comments?