I think I have my answer, thanks. My interpretation is the "make or break" comment applies in the context of the 0.0001% listeners.
Wires are in series, so if you have 0.5 ohms in the run and 1 ohm inside the box, you are still better off if you switch to 0.1 ohm cables. How much better off is a debate well over my little pea brain and ears. And of course the situation could be reversed (0.1 ohms in the box, 0.5 ohms in the run, so switching to 0.1 ohms is a much bigger improvement). Using percentages can really be used to obfuscate reality in some of the cable (and other) adverts. I imagine most of us remember the Monster Cable advert showing huge advantages on a plot with no dimensions. When the dimensions were revealed the differences were obviously (well, to me and my ilk) in the mud. To use an example outside this thread (trying not to dig myself in deeper), few of us would hear the difference between 0.001% THD and 0.002% THD even though the former is "100% better" than the latter. At some point going to bigger wires becomes insignificant.
I have no idea the actual impedance of these, or most any other, high-end cable. Resistance and inductance generally decreases with larger size while capacitance increases. The usual assumption is that for practical length runs in audiophile systems (rooms) L and C are out of the picture for speaker runs and only R matters. A quick reference for AWG (which is NOT a universal standard, but I am in the U.S.A. so it's the one I use) is at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge Here are a few numbers from that article (1 m-ohm = 0.001 ohm):
18 AWG = 0.0403" diameter, 6.4 m-ohms/ft
12 AWG = 0.0808" diameter, 1.6 m-ohms/ft (this is about 1/4 the area of the 18 AWG wire; resistance scales by area)
10 AWG = 0.1019" diameter, 1.0 m-ohms/ft
08 AWG = 0.1285" diameter, 0.63 m-ohms/ft
04 AWG = 0.2043" diameter, 0.25 m-ohms/ft
000 (3/0) AWG = 0.4096" diameter, 0.062 m-ohms/ft
- At some point the connections will start to be significant, sooner if they are not good (not tight and/or corroded).
- Adding two identical wires in parallel will cut the resistance in half. Putting four identical wires in parallel will reduce it to 1/4 the resistance of a single wire.
- Amplifier output impedances tend to be ~0.1 ohms or less at LF, rising a bit at HF, for SS amps. Tube amps may be 1 - 5 ohms or more, again rising at HF.
- Speaker impedances are complex and the resistance of the voice coil is often not a good indicator of its actual dynamic impedance. Because the drive is distributed saying "the voice coil is 8 ohms so a 4-ohm cable is fine" is not really valid. There is more than just loss at play in controlling the speaker's movement.
- Shielding is not generally used for speaker cables on the assumption that the amplifier's output impedance is low, signals are large, and bandwidth limited relative to RF so that shielding is not required. Long runs or high-noise environments may require shielding. How much EMI/RFI affects a given system I could not say without measuring. The sound of your neighbor's "10-4 good buddy!" coming out the speakers is an indication of an RFI problem but it may not be the speaker cable.
I've decided I have no idea what it all means. Ten feet of 12 AWG wire is less than 20 m-ohms and would seem to be enough for most systems. This thread is not about "most systems". Speakers with very low impedance dips coupled with very low output impedance amplifiers might benefit from lower cable resistance. Whether a pair of battery cables sounds better than a $40k speaker cable I cannot say. Of course I have my doubts, but I have not heard the $40k cables in your system. I have documented the study undertaken ages ago that showed where the line was drawn for various speaker cables but all that did was generate a plethora of posts about how much better cables are now and my old tests were invalid so I shan't repeat it here.
Having seen pictures of the rooms in which some of the reviewers evaluate things, it's hard to believe the room is not dominating their perceptions. However, the counter argument (and one I can agree with) is that they know their room and thus are qualified to comment upon differences among components and speakers. That does not mean what they like will sound good in your room. Most folk know that,or learn it young.
I still think a system so sensitive to cables is at best a sub-optimal design, but I am certainly not in the 0.0001% crowd. When I was younger I felt I could hear all sorts of differences, but testing and age seem to have beat that out of me. My first few DBT's were humbling, when I "knew" I could instantly pick out differences but alas... OTOH, a couple of years ago I walked into a room with a friend to demo some speakers and asked them to switch to a SS amp to match what my friend had. The salesman was astounded as there was no way to tell which amp was actually running the speakers and it only took me seconds to make my request. Some things are obvious even to we of the clay ears.
As for the cables under discussion, having never heard them I cannot say if they are worth the money. Given my bias and income I am unlikely to find out unless I happen to visit somebody using them and have the opportunity to compare them to other cables. From a technical standpoint I'd love to measure them and compare but life is short and it would be only for me anyway -- measurements will never convince a listener.
Sorry for the lengthy diversion, I shall do my best to post no more in this thread. It is clearly outside my experience. Thanks for the comments! - Don
