The Physics of Electricity

06-24-11: Almarg
Johnnyb53, while your well written post is, IMO, completely correct from a qualitative standpoint (i.e., if quantitative considerations are ignored), as I've mentioned in response to similar posts you've made in the past it is incorrect and misleading quantitatively.

Qualitative was the nature of the OP's original question. He was unaware of the qualitative functional difference between a refrigerator power cord and interconnects between a preamp and amplifier. You don't have to agree with how important the difference is, but the purpose and functions of the two kinds of wires is fundamentally different.

As for calling me "incorrect," that's rather presumptuous for what is a matter of opinion supported by research on both sides. Some very bright lights in audio base their designs on ultrawide bandwidth, including Soulution, Symphonic Line, Odyssey Audio, Spectral Audio, Kimber Cable, Zu Audio, and many others. If you disagree with them, write a letter and set them straight.

Test reports that chart frequency response and square wave response show that risetime is visibly slower on amps that start rolling off at about 20KHz. For example:

-1dB @ 20KHz, visibly very rounded risetime

wide bandwidth, fast (nearly vertical) risetime

06-24-11: Johnnyb53
Some very bright lights in audio base their designs on ultrawide bandwidth ...

In the case of electronic components having ultrawide bandwidth, such as the Spectral products, that means a few MHz, not anything remotely approaching 1GHz. And the basic rationale for that wide bandwidth is, presumably, to avoid undesirable sonic effects that are within the bandwidth of our hearing, which is far less than 1MHz.

If a cable having a bandwidth in the GHz range sounds different than a cable having a lower bandwidth, then given the bandwidth limitations of the speakers, the source material, the source component, the other electronics in the system, and our hearing, the reason for that sonic difference is not the cable's GHz bandwidth.

Test reports that chart frequency response and square wave response show that risetime is visibly slower on amps that start rolling off at about 20KHz.

Yes, of course. I never said anything to the contrary. As I know you realize, bandwidth and risetime have an inverse relationship. Therefore a frequency rolloff that begins too close to the audible frequency range will result in risetimes that are visibly slow when viewed on a time scale that is meaningful with respect to the bandwidth and risetime of our hearing mechanisms.

Regards,
-- Al

So it would seem, but here is some food for thought. Audio is all about signal transfer. Is it cost-effective to spend crazy money on components and then lose signal speed and coherency to budget wires between the components? Could it be more cost-effective to get spend less on the components and then get better cables so that more signal arrives intact at your speakers?

The percentage of money to spend on cables in relation to the cost of the components is ANOTHER whole can of worms suddenly opened!!

I am really in the camp of spending only about 10% of the total budget on all cables. (A little more or less is not going to hurt)
Once you are spending crazy money (more than 25% of your total expenditure on wire, THAT is when it is crazy out of wack. IMO.
My stuff has wire costs nearly exactly 10% of total electronics/speaker cost. With the power conditioning adding an additional 5%.
Again I have to say the best use for the money is basic electronics.
Another point is buy cables which will last. I have cables I use that I have had 25 years! (hand made Mark Levinson wires.. recently refinished with Vampire 'Tiffany' style RCAs) and some at least ten year old Kimber KCAG which I bought used back before they became really expensive.
My latest wire purchases have been Kimber Hero.
And buying flavor of the month cables? Ahh I am a solid buy stuff that has been approved of for a long time as a best bet, Like Kimber 8TC Hero, Cardas.. (I hate AQ, and Monster for my own reasons, so not those, But also Nordost is good.
Though my cheapskate heart was moved by Pangea power cables when they came out. A good deal, gradually getting more expensive as they cut the discount..

06-24-11: Almarg
As I know you realize, bandwidth and risetime have an inverse relationship. Therefore a frequency rolloff that begins too close to the audible frequency range will result in risetimes that are visibly slow when viewed on a time scale that is meaningful with respect to the bandwidth and risetime of our hearing mechanisms.

The risetimes are visibly slower even when the component bandwidth stretches out to 100 Khz. Each component with such a bandwidth slows down the incoming signal by that much more.

I have four cables and three components between my turntable and my speakers, for 7 in all. Each component slows down the signal a little bit. By having > 1GHz bandwidth on the cables, I minimize the slowing of the rise times as the signal is passed from the source to the speakers. You may decide that 1 GHz is overkill, but it shouldn't hurt, and the cables (KImber Hero and Zu Wylde) are pretty affordable. The Kimber Heroes are rated out to 8 GHz and I got them at a pawn shop for $50/pair.