Cables off the floor, why?

Not if it’s twisted pair or parallel twin feed, which is why they are preferable unless you are having to bundle cables or lay on metallic objects. If you are forced to have to route a cable that can’t avoid that, then coax or shielded is the next best thing,
But that is why cable dressing is so important for non shielded cables… but if you can manage it that is why for small signal audio they are nearly always preferable.
In critical applications one tends to use transmission lines where a fixed characteristic impedance means there is nearly no degradation, but in many audio setups non transmission line shielded/coax cable is used, and subsequent filtering in cables is compensated for,… albeit at a very slight loss of signal integrity,

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They’re not, that’s your opinion.

Sure, I should have said it’s beneficial for minimum signal distortion and that is a fact, as opposed to being preferable… agreed.

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That is not a fact, just an opinion, a misguided one IMV.

Well you clearly haven’t passed the same electronic and radio engineering exams as I have!

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You are an IT project manager?

Is that for me? If so you couldn’t be more wrong LOL.
But yes being a chief engineer I like to muse on these forums when not working, and yes I do enjoy trying to put the factual perspective across as I see it.

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The people who know stuff don’t talk like you, they have no need of proving everyone how smart they are at all times.

I answered above, I like to attempt to correct as a hobby much of the mumbo jumbo that is spoken about in this pursuit.
I am fortunate to be able to do it. I wouldn’t want you to consider me arrogant however, but if you find me disdainful and prefer not to read my musings then please put me in your ignore settings. But am happy to engage in engineering discussions, but unlike many years ago on the forum there isn’t so much of it now.

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Ouch! Dont be shy now…

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I’m not sure what construction a parallel or ladder line refers to. You may have to enlighten me.

But as to my point on all types at all costs, the (comparatively) expensive cables in one room are unshielded and the relatively low cost Luxman cables in another use a thin 28AWG drain wire that sits between the two main conductors, which Luxman said must be left unterminated at both ends.

Parallel conductors where there is a sand and return so any induced signal is cancelled out. It’s used for lower frequencies whilst twisted pair is often used for higher frequencies, though I have used twisted pair audio interconnects in the past. Sometimes parallel separated conductors may be covered in a combined sleeve.
Ladder line is the term used where the cables are held more apart at a precise spacing to achieve a specific characteristic impedance… the spacers make the cable look like a ladder. It tend to be used for RF balanced signals.
I am not familiar with the Luxman cables, but you say they are a parallel unshielded cables? I can’t think what the purpose is of an unterminated at both ends sink wire… but I am sure they have their reasons.
Nordost I know have a range of parallel cables, I think they call ‘Flatline’. I like to use DNM parallel cables where the source warrants it.

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Be civil

Kettle. Pot.

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I was moderated a couple of days ago for mentioning pots and kettles. I asked why, and was told it was ‘playground’. Who knew?

LOL. I’ve been moderated today already :slightly_smiling_face:

Some of this discussion is flying miles over my head, can we get back to some more easily understood explanations on why this alleged requirement for cable separation/placement is so critical please.

Is there a real benefit or is it a mix of myth and hoped for belief that this cable management brings an improvement in sound?

Thanks

The speed of light in a vacuum is less a fact than that cable threads derail quickly.

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I was hoping to discover why people keep their speaker cables off the floor. I don’t mind a bit of cable dressing and keeping burndies off the floor makes a difference I can hear, but using cable lifters for yards of speaker cables has always seemed like the lunatic fringe of hifi to me. One of my speaker cables runs under the fireplace and lives to tell the tale.

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Agreed, make no sense at all.
My 5m of NACA5 was just Z-folded and lay on the floor.