$35K for Speaker Cables!

[E-Stat]

More assumptions. It was five different manufacturers, not one.

Let's see if we can figure out the source of your confusion. Here is an earlier comment of yours:

"I have heard the entire line of Nordost speaker cable and interconnects both analog and digital when I was building my studio."

So, how many different Nordost speaker cables are there in the entire line? Let's take a look here. Answer? Fourteen. So, there are two possibilities:

1. You listened to fourteen different speaker cables from one manufacturer (in addition to whatever else you haven't stated). The first statement is correct and the second one is wrong.
2. You actually listened to fourteen speaker cables from multiple manufacturers. The first statement is wrong and second statement is correct.

Both statements cannot exist simultaneously. Which is it?

You are and endless sea of assumptions.

I really don't expect you to provide any substance to your detail-free commentary, but I'll try anyway. What "no-name" brand speaker cable has the lowest DC in your experience? And what is that value? Obviously, you have no idea and will prove that conclusively with your reply.

rw

[E-Stat]

For anyone who is really interested in speaker wire performance, there are three metrics - inductance, capacitance and resistance which can characterize part of their performance envelope. While some engineers like Roger Russell only focus on resistance, smarter engineers understand that the other two also play significant roles with the interaction between an amplifier and the speaker's crossover network or transformer interface, especially inductance for most speakers and both for electrostats like mine. Several years ago, our resident nuclear scientist John Escallier (aka JNeutron) taught me there is a relationship between the two former metrics which is called Dielectric Constant. Here is where the formula can be found.

A "perfect" cable would have a DC of 1. Let's compare a couple different cables and see where they fit:

Belden 1311A, their best speaker cables part of the "Brilliance Broadcast" series. L=.15uH/ft, C=22.3 pF/ft, DC=3.23

JPS Labs Superconductor + which is what I use. L= .06uH/ft , C=20 pF/ft, DC=1.16

Nordost Tyr, one of their better cables. L=.11 uH/ft, C=11 pF/ft, DC=1.17

Generic Zip cord, the old standard and presumed by some to be of the highest performance. L=.191 uH/ft, C=18 pF/ft, DC=3.32

While I don't assert this is the only qualitative factor, there are differences in cable performance and certain aspects can be easily quantified when you understand what to look for. DC characterizes the degree to which the cable stores energy and smears the signal in the time domain. That is where you'll find differences in focus and loss of information.

rw

[3LB]

For anyone who is really interested in speaker wire performance, there are three metrics - inductance, capacitance and resistance which can characterize part of their performance envelope. While some engineers like Roger Russell only focus on resistance, smarter engineers understand that the other two also play significant roles with the interaction between an amplifier and the speaker's crossover network or transformer interface, especially inductance for most speakers and both for electrostats like mine. Several years ago, our resident nuclear scientist John Escallier (aka JNeutron) taught me there is a relationship between the two former metrics which is called Dielectric Constant. Here is where the formula can be found.

A "perfect" cable would have a DC of 1. Let's compare a couple different cables and see where they fit:

Belden 1311A, their best speaker cables part of the "Brilliance Broadcast" series. L=.15uH/ft, C=22.3 pF/ft, DC=3.23

JPS Labs Superconductor + which is what I use. L= .06uH/ft , C=20 pF/ft, DC=1.16

Nordost Tyr, one of their better cables. L=.11 uH/ft, C=11 pF/ft, DC=1.17

Generic Zip cord, the old standard and presumed by some to be of the highest performance. L=.191 uH/ft, C=18 pF/ft, DC=3.32

While I don't assert this is the only qualitative factor, there are differences in cable performance and certain aspects can be easily quantified when you understand what to look for. DC characterizes the degree to which the cable stores energy and smears the signal in the time domain. That is where you'll find differences in focus and loss of information.

rw

what about Cat5 cable?

[E-Stat]

what about Cat5 cable?

Good question. The datasheet for Belden 1583a does not list inductance. Chris VenHaus has a braided DIY design using CAT5 which trades low inductance for high capacitance like Goertz cable - which increases the DC. Such is relatively easy to do. The trick is keeping both values low simultaneously while still maintaining low R.

rw