The sounds are different. They’re fuller. More spacious. More separated / isolated. The bass feels deeper, more defined, longer lasting, yet subtle.
Or maybe I’m imagining it.
What kind did I get? M shapes cut from a wooden 4x4.
So, now I’m curious.
What’s the science behind these cable elevators? Has anyone studied them like those technical studies of speaker cables? Anyone have links to share?
I’ve seen a reference to static electricity interactions. I don’t believe that one given the cables are insulated.
Perhaps electrically induced magnetic fields? Right hand rule, magnetic fields flow perpendicular to the direction of current flow via the right hand rule.
So what happens when a magnetic field hits wood? Common sense says wood is not magnetic… Or is it? Some Googling suggests all things are magnetic… it’s just a matter of how much.
So we know the thicker the wood, the less powerfully two magnets will stay attracted. Something in the wood is interrupting the magnetic attraction.
So a weak force coming from current flowing back and forth in a power or speaker cable generates momentary magnetic fields in both directions.
Is the wood’s weak interaction with the magnetic field causing weak feedback into the electrical signal that’s impacting current flow by causing a different pattern of Eddy currents?
Shunyata makes some out of some Magical Mysterious Material that not only saves lives it protects against any and all audio viruses. And each one is affordable, like $300 each. Of course a proper incantation is required to set the mood for the gear to bond with your system. Karma is a huge factor in the elevators decision to bond with your cable.
If I wasn’t already completely taken advantage of by those silly cable manufacturers I might consider trying some. Double blind testing of course. I prefer to be fooled not just once, but twice.
About the only reason I can think of, too.
It would probably make a difference then, whether it is a concrete floor (or an earth floor!) compared to a suspended wooden floor.
Me, I’m skeptical it actually makes any audible difference whatsoever, but that’s just me…
I was afraid to say this , but since you brought it up, Karma is a big part of this particular bonding process…
I tried those risers, but my cables kept rejecting them. Like hairs that were normally attached yesterday, just pop off your head today. Or an organ transplant gone wrong.
That’s an interesting thought. I haven’t read any studies on how a second layer, or in this case – side, of dielectrics impact capacitance of a wire, but it likely has some kind of effect if there’s more polarization running along one side of the wire compared to the other.
So far, we have magnetic reactivity of the floor potentially causing changes in magnetic flux as current is flowing and changing inductance.
Then we have a dielectric effect from a secondary dielectric that’s more polarizing than air causing a change in capacitance along the wire.
And don´t forget vibrations from the floor. For what to use as cable risers I use all kinds of boxes my audio gear came in,with nice upgrade in SQ. I have all my cables,not just speaker,lifted up.
A dielectric relative to what, though? Unless the floor is metallic, like a ground plane, the cables are coupling to nothing electrically. I put risers in the same general category as cryogenic treatment of vacuum tubes and magic dots. No proven, published science behind it. But if users hear benefit even if it’s a placebo effect, who am I to say don’t buy risers. I can just say dollar for dollar I have other priorities for improving my rig.
The dialectic of a cable is anything within the electrical field of the cable; insulation, spacing materials, jacket, etc. and, by extension, anything the outside of the cable touches, all coupled through induction.
The only induction going on here is internal to the cable itself. That’s self induction between the conductors in the cable. It doesn’t matter what the nature of the ‘dielectric’ between the cable and the floor is when the floor is non-conducting.
That’s why cable manufacturers use complex weaves in the cable to reduce internal inductance (and capacitance) to a minimum.
I do EMI/EMC as part of my job as an engineer.
If someone wants to argue risers reduce vibration, I might even buy that since cables in general are known to be microphonic. Even that is a difficult sell because cable microphonics have been studied and the impact of vibration can only be measured at all in very stable precision oscillator systems.
Cable risers are useful if you run power cables near your IC or speaker cables…more your RCA unbalance leads than XLR (cancel common mode noise) or speaker cables (low impedance and large signal swamps low level magnetic fields).
An RCA cable’s noise contribution is directly related to its shield DCR. The coupling to a magnetic field around a power cable is based on the “transformer” properties of the two wires parallel, and close, to one another. Separating the two cables, RCA and high current power cables can impact good old HUM in marginal systems.
The tested L and C is EXACTLY the same in an RCA or XLR as the SHIELD prevents the external “dielectrics” from being part of the cables internal EM design…it is a SHIELD after all to what impact cable “impedance” at RF. And, L and C are FALT with frequency through the audio band on up through RF. Steandard reactive tests of L and C are at 1 KHz for RF coaxial cables! Even UTP speaker cable tests the same on METAL tray or dielectric “loop” in the air (giant cable riser if you will).
Cable trays are often made of metal, and Ethernet cable runs up to 100 meters in these trays with no ill effects. The “external” dielectric properties are diminished to being unimportant realtive ti the internal magnetic fields between conductors. It is more what is BETWEEN two wires, not around it.
If you run power cables, with a good deal of current to even generate the EM field, some space is the best solution if you hear NOISE (hum) with specifically RCA cables. A few inches or so can have an impact in high ground differential set-ups (ground is really broken some where with a high DCR segment). Hum is a low frequency magnetic field which is not shielded by copper, and can allow the EM field to cross between the outer shield and conductor and thus…now it is part of the signal in an RCA cable.
A $70,000 HP LCR meter can’t see a change in the L and C so the concept that the dielectric is somehow externally important from the internal EM fields is pretty suspect and thus is one of those “faith” impact things.
If you have AUDIBLE NOISE move your cables apart…then see what happens. If you don’t have noise, move them too, no one is watching. If it helps, then consider REASONABLE risers to clean-up the routing. So there you go. I’ve tested, and designed, risers and have had ZERO benefit in my system except looking at them. Those with NOISE, especially with long run RCA may benefit. Beware they make a great trip hazard.
Even though I’m multi-tasking, even skimming this thread wasted 37 seconds of my life I will never get back.
The only benefit I can think of is if Jehovah’s Witnesses come knocking and you can show them your cable risers and ask them whether or not you should be using them. They will them run away in the knowledge there is someone madder than them.
Not what I said. The topic is external risers. Of course the dielectric material between the conductors internal to the cable matters. Specifically for capacitance and signal group delay.
