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From: ron@topaz.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,sci.physics,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Mercury Filled Speaker Wire
Message-ID: <14700@topaz.rutgers.edu>
Date: Mon, 14-Sep-87 08:18:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.14700
Posted: Mon Sep 14 08:18:13 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Sep-87 04:42:22 EDT
References: <3816@watdcsu.waterloo.edu> <578@uthub.toronto.edu> <1700@crash.CTS.COM>
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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Xref: mnetor rec.audio:3225 sci.physics:2162 sci.electronics:1291


>  Apart from the varying
> conductivity of different metals, the shape and size of the conductors,
> how many of them and their plating, all affect the flow of electrons,
> especially when the currents are alternating and the frequency of
> alternations (read that: your typical audio signal) varying.

I don't think anyone was arguing this point.  The point was the
difference in using Mercury vs. Copper was more likely to be
things like the difference in size and spacing than the nature
of the metal itself.  (By the way, I don't think plating really
helps anything at audio frequencies except for where the wire
is exposed to the air).

> Phase noise is a degrading by-product of a larger cable problem known
> as 'delay distortion'.  Instead of passing energy uniformly, non-nuetral
> cable actually stores energy, subsequently releasing this energy -- at
> the wrong time, and often out-of-phase.  Such cables have a large
> 'settling time', which means that as a signal passes through these
> cables, substantial information is left behind.

This cracks me up everytime I read these smokescreen Stereophile stuff.
If HiFi addicts would just learn a little about electronics they could
discuss things sensibly in the terms that everyone else uses.  This
temporary storage/blockage of energy in a frequency dependent nature
is called REACTANCE.  Not only is this caused by size and spacing of
conductors but is also effected by loops in the cable.  Reactance when
combined with plain old DC resistance (constant with respect to frequency)
is called IMPEDANCE (gee, haven't I heard that term before?)

In addition to the frequency response problems that it generates,
impedance plays a significant factor in the performance of your power
amplifiers.  Despite the nominal impedences given of 4 or 8 ohms, remember
that this is frequency dependent.  The cable/speaker has it's impedance
characturistics and amplifiers have their best performance characturistics.
This is why speakers need to be matched to the amplifiers.


freqencies at the same speed for our purposes.

> As discussed, these frequency dependent delays move
> energy from one location in a complex waveform to another.

Frequency dependent delays are phase changes (probably).  My favorite
was the discussion of using a single DAC in CD players and how this
causes a phase shift between the two channels.  Even worse, a frequency
dependent one.  That's because it was a (non-frequency dependent) DELAY,
which is easily corrected for.

Note that nothing they say is probably really wrong with respect to
what is probably happening to the audible sound, but it would be
MUCH nicer if they would learn the electronics principles when
describing the electronic parts (it is probably not possible to
characturize the audible sensations, which is another issue).

-Ron