Why some speaker cables sound different - in layman's terms
I think we've established that speaker cables can sound different. The important question is whether they should.
It's a good point, but the same could be said of any Hi-Fi component.
Scientific mumbo jumbo is something that sounds impressive to the people who don't understand what it actually means.
Wouldn't it be cool if WHFI could do an independant test with various cables and speakers,if the high end cable makes the differance the makers claim it does surely they would be all-to pleased to supply said cables? 
Wouldn't it be cool if WHFI could do an independant test with various cables and speakers,if the high end cable makes the differance the makers claim it does surely they would be all-to pleased to supply said cables?
That is exactly what HiFi+ did (blind test with 2 systems), and I linked to it ( previous page - post 8 )
Yes, I'd be happy to try some TQ Black. Does anyone have a 20 metre stereo set I could borrow?
I think it would be a bit unfair of me to borrow some from a dealer as it's highly unlikely that I'd buy this cable new as 20 metres would set me back about £1500 - which would be 10 times what I paid for the amplifier in the system I'd be testing it in.
Isn't that the gear that stands up to stuff costing many hundreds or thousands more though? Should be worth a run then!
Yes it is. It's an over-engineered amp that suits my sources well.
It's highly likely that the TQ cable would have higher impedance than my 742 strand cable, due to the TQ having a smaller cross-sectional area. How this would translate to the sound in my system remains to be seen.
Scientific mumbo jumbo is something that sounds impressive to the people who don't understand what it actually means.
So if I don't understand inductance or capacitance, that's scientific mumbo jumbo?
What do you think the score is so far? A 'deuce'. 
You make a good there point though.
So long as we keep it friendly and respect each others opinions then this type of thread can actually be quite interesting and people reading may even get a few nuggets of useful information out of it.
IMO these threads only become repetitive when people get argumentative with each other rather than just debating an interesting (to me 
) subject. Cno, despite you having polar opposite beliefs to myself, you are courteous, friendly and a pleasure to chat with. 
Scientific mumbo jumbo is something that sounds impressive to the people who don't understand what it actually means.
So if I don't understand inductance or capacitance, that's scientific mumbo jumbo?
Anyone who has even the most simple and basic understanding about how electronics work will know what inductors, capacitors and resistors are. If you read about electrionic engineering then inductance, capacitance and resistance will be the first thing that you learn about.
In my job I sometimes get to work with a highly qualified electronics engineer. He's not an average electrician who's only qualified to do things like wiring houses, he actually designs the electronics and circuits for machines that are used in various different industeries. When I asked him to take a look at the claims that audiophile cable manufactures make he said that the things they talk about are real things but that they have no real world relevance as far as the functioning of a speaker cable is concerned.
He actually used the phrase 'scientific mumbo jumbo' himself which is where I got it from. He also said that they talk a lot of B.S.
If you want an example of 'scientific mumbo jumbo' read some of the stuff that Cno has quoted in post #12 on page 3.
I think we've established that speaker cables can sound different. The important question is whether they should.
IMO no they shouldn't sound different. Why would anyone want to use an expensive cable that adds audiable distortion when a standard cheap copper cable works perfectly fine without adding any audiable distortion?
Then again, who am I to say how people should spend their money? If an expensive audiophile cable that adds a bit of distortion makes some people happy then good for them. There's nothing actually wrong with that. If they still enjoy listening to music on their hifi then isn't that all that matters at the end of the day?
Scientific mumbo jumbo is something that sounds impressive to the people who don't understand what it actually means.
So if I don't understand inductance or capacitance, that's scientific mumbo jumbo?
Anyone who has even the most simple and basic understanding about how electronics work will know what inductors, capacitors and resistors are. If you read about electrionic engineering then inductance, capacitance and resistance will be the first thing that you learn about.
In my job I sometimes get to work with a highly qualified electronics engineer. He's not an average electrician who's only qualified to do things like wiring houses, he actually designs the electronics and circuits for machines that are used in various different industeries. When I asked him to take a look at the claims that audiophile cable manufactures make he said that the things they talk about are real things but that they have no real world relevance as far as the functioning of a speaker cable is concerned.
He actually used the phrase 'scientific mumbo jumbo' himself which is where I got it from. He also said that they talk a lot of B.S.
If you want an example of 'scientific mumbo jumbo' read some of the stuff that Cno has quoted in post #12 on page 3.
So 'any ful kno data' then?
Perhaps you could explain inductance and capacitance to those of us who don't understand. And the characteristics of speaker cable that influence each, and how they're affected by cable topology. In layman's terms, obviously.
Oh and seeing as we're living vicariously, my oldest friend is tertiary qualified in electronic and electrical engineering from one of the great engineering universities, and has £500 interconnects. Go figure.
The only important characteristic for a speaker cable is series resistance. Thin cables tend to have a higher resistance / impedance which means that the signal can be dissipated as heat.. There is no magic here, cheap cables will perform as well as the expensive ones.
That's full of scientific mumbo jumbo. Why don't *you* explain it in layman's terms?
Cno, despite you having polar opposite beliefs to myself, you are courteous, friendly and a pleasure to chat with.
Appearances can be deceptive...... 
Stop talking about it, and go listen!! 
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The only places that say a cable will add a noticeable amount of distortion is the audiophile cable companies. They always seem to try and confuse the situation by burying the information in scinentific sounding mumbo jumbo and they always conveniently forget to include any real and meaningful scientific measurments such as the capacitance or inductance specifications of the cables.
Everyting either of us has argued is academic, and rather like a game of google tennis, where the quoted "links" are batted back and forth. I have provided a number of possible "scientific" reasons why cables may sound different. In truth, neither of us are qualified enough to truly comment on how important this is. I personally suspect that it is key.
As I keep saying, the only way, is to go and listen to some well regarded expensive cables, and make up your own mind. I have done this with the likes of Atlas Asimi / Mavros; TQ Blue / Black / Ultra Black; Cardas Golden Cross; Vertere Pulse B / R / X / X Ref; TCI Viper / Mamba / King Cobra / Anaconda.....and all I can tell you, is the difference that I heard was far from subtle.
"Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." André Gide