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Pinging Al Sekela...

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cdc

Hi Al,

I built one of the R-C Networks for speakers exactly per your email. I installed the network at the speaker end (Infinity MTS Preludes). Definitely these R-C Networks improve the sonic reproduction. Excellent job and thank you! I remember reading a post in AA that you recommend that there be a pair installed per speaker/speaker cable. One at the speaker terminal and one at the amp speaker cable binding post.

Before I start experimenting with these R-C Networks, have you found that placing one at each end of the speaker cables improved the performance vs using one at the speaker end?

Thanks bro,

Chris

Follow Ups:

Yes, treating both ends is better IME. - Al Sekela 12:40:27 08/09/07 (3)
These networks dissipate RF energy from the standing waves on the cables. They are not perfectly coupled to the cable ends because of the need for finite lead lengths, flexibility, etc. Adding another network to each cable at the amp end improves the damping compared to the setup with just a single network at the speaker end of each cable.

These networks address the normal-mode waves, where the electric fields of the waves go from one wire to the other. There is also a set of common-mode waves, where the two wires act in unison and the electric fields go from the wires to the surrounding material objects or free space. The networks do not affect the common-mode waves.

A treatment that damps the common-mode waves is to place carbon fiber sleeve around the cable. This stuff is sold to DIY golf-club builders who want to make carbon fiber shafts, and is cheap in audiophile terms. See the link.

The fibers are conductive, so use care to not short out the speaker cable with them. I wrap the sleeve with Teflon thread-seal tape to secure it and keep the loose fibers under control.

Put the sleeve as close to the ends of the cable as practical, since all the modes have peak electric field nodes there. Covering the whole cable is best, but treating the ends gets you most of the way there if you cannot do the whole cable.
- Soller Composites home page (Open in New Window)
- Excellent, I just tried using TI-Shield with this R-C Network... - cdc 14:31:28 08/09/07 (2)
  and I really like it. I will go into more detail with exact construction of the R-C networks I have built. I install them into a small project enclosure. Very similar to your recommendations with all the caps (5 total) and additional resistors. Except I dampen the whole unit and added a few other tweaks. I need to build another 16 of them....lol I will take pics and post exactly what they do in my system.
  
  I do have one other question. Your experience regarding break-in?
  
  Thanks again Al,
  
  Chris
  - Break-in is not something I've paid much attention to. - Al Sekela 15:15:57 08/10/07 (1)
    These R-C networks are made of resistors and capacitors with wire leads and that are soldered, so there will be some physical changes that take place over a matter of hours or days regardless of whether they are exposed to a music signal or not.
    
    The specific benefit of reducing RF artifacts is immediate and reproducible IME. Taking the networks off allows the artifacts to come back, and replacing them removes the artifacts about as much as the initial application.
    
    I have not tried the TI-Shield. I will have to do that. Thanks for the tip.
    - RE: Break-in is not something I've paid much attention to. - cdc 15:55:50 08/10/07 (0)
      In direct comparison, the TI-Shielded R-C Network (vs non TI-Shielded) adds a warmer, more organic feel to the sound reproduced from midbass freq. on up. This is without loss of any information. Note, the speakers I tried the network with is crossed over at 80hz so I am not sure how the sub frequencies are effected by the TI-Shield.
      
      By the way, even just at the speaker terminals only, the R-C Network effects the speakers in a way that feels/sounds like I spent quite a bit upgrading the crossover network in the speakers. So far even without further experimentation, I am very happy with the results. I was actually very surprised at the additional amount of information and clarity that came from the speaker with the network attached vs without. Will be interesting to see what placing a network at the amp end also will do.
      
      Thanks again,
      
      Chris

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