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Like it or not, cables sound different. (long)

Hi.

Sonic difference is technically explanable, though may not be qualitatively & quantatively measurable todate due to our limited knowedge in the relevant data to be measured & instrument available to carry out the measurement properly.

Signal waves travel the speed of light in vacuum.
But when these waves are guided along a insulated conductor in the realworld situation, the waves travel differently per the construction of the cables. Hence we detect the sonic difference, by our ears to start with, & hopefully by instrumenation sooner or later.

Theorettically, when signal waves travels in a bare wire without insulation in free air, they will be affected least in term of propagation velocity relative to the speed of light (=1)

But in realworld electronics, insulation is needed to prevent short circuits. When insulation co-exist with an electrical conductor,
the signal transfer will be delayed somewhat per the insulation dielectric which is measured with reference to vacuum (=1).

Different materials used as the insulation of the conductor exhibit
more or less delay in the wave transfer, are expressed as "dielectric
constant" relative to vacuum (=1):-

The two key behaviours of insulated wires: wave progation
velocity (v.c.) relative to vacuum (=1), & dielectric constant (e) relative to vacuum/free air (=1).

Let me put these two factors into persectives of insulated wires:-

Progation velocity (v.c.) in decending order:

Vacuum (=1), free air (=0.95)), foam polyethylene (FPE)(=0.80), Teflon (TFE & PEP)(=0.70), polypropylene (PP)(=0.69), poylethylene (PE)(=0.659), Butyl rubber(=0.653), silicone rubber (=0.563), PVC
(=0.50) etc etc.

Dielectric constant (e):-

Vacuum/free air=1, FPE=1.55, TFE/PEF=2.0, PP=2.1, PE=2.26, butyl rubber=2.35, silicone rubber=3.16, PVC=4.00

All above data are frequency dependent.

We can see ideally a single bare wire is the best but would be very dangerous to handle w/o shorting.

Multi conductors individually insulated to prevent shorting will induce dielectric capacitance, self/induced inductances & of course
internal resistance.

All these factors will affect the wave propagation, thus sound different as detected by our ears. Our ears are time or 'phase' sensitive.

This is wire & cable fundamentals we should know before we debate further.


This also explains why Teflon is so poupularly preferred as wire & cable insulation, & as capacitor dielectric.

c-J


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