Why!? Please Tell Me Why!

[Ralf11]

This might help:

http://www.dummies.com/education/science/science-electronics/electronics-basics-fundamentals-of-electricity/

 

But it will involve actual signal flow in the neuro-thingies which may not be typical for you.

 

You may also need to cross the Wheatstone Bridge to get where you want to go

[Ralf11]

actually, I think jabbr hit on the crux of the bisquit - signal transmission vs. current flow; or information transmission vs. some "carrier"

 

I bet this is a pretty common misunderstanding, and not just in audio

[Ralf11]

6 hours ago, jabbr said:

Beating this horse because as @Ralf11 suggests, I also suspect it illustrates a wider problem than @GUTB understanding of signal transmission, and apropos to this thread because pseudo scientific marketing is used to promote ridiculous audiophile products -- I mean if you want to spend $100,000 on cables because you like their appearance, then fine, but don't because you've been sucked in by marketing prose.

 

A "signal" is information. A signal is directional, information "moves" from one place to another. There is a source of information and a destination and the signal carries the information.

 

There is a field of "information theory" which deals with signals. Indeed the source of the signal expends energy in its transmission, and so in this sense there can be considered an "energy flow" or "entropy gradient" that goes from the source of the signal to the destination. This flow is not directly a flow of electricity, or electrons.

 

An "electrical signal" uses time varying voltages and currents to carry information. There is a difference: an electrical signal uses current flow, they aren't the same. Indeed in a balanced signal their is no net current flow because current in one direction is matched by the opposite current. Nonetheless the source expends energy and the signal is indeed directional.

 

Now of course there are crystalline, semiconductor, doping, junction and other physical properties that do indeed affect directional current flow in electrical circuits, and it is possible that a cable could incorporate such elements but these properties are eminently measurable -- the characteristic curve of any transistor, or diode etc. etc. and short of that some marketing speak which discusses cable directionality based on some special crystalline structure is designed to make to think the cable is "special". There are very good reasons to use balanced signal transmission and now we would need to carefully think about the implications of cable strand asymmetry on balanced cables ... hmmm haven't heard about that, why?

 

Good post - also see the Mansr addendum just below it

 

yes, I was thinking of information theory when I posted before

 

Benchmark has a good Appl. Note just out on the benefits of Balanced cables - and why Star-Quad configurations are best.

[Ralf11]

10 minutes ago, GUTB said:

This thread is a good example of “truth by popularity”. Everyone knows that audio signals are directional. The source generates the signals and something receives them. Speakers are a load on the amp. It’s easily understood and no one seriously debates any of that. The debate isn’t with the facts, it’s with me because it’s a social requirement for me to be defeated. I could say the sky is blue and extreme pedantry would be deployed to argue with me. Truth by popularity is why I don’t engage at length because it’s pointless, unless called out by my fans (I have a duty to my fans).

 

 

 

Everyone knows that you don't know. 

 

Several people have tried to help educate you on this thread and elsewhere, but it will require some effort on your part.  You will have to read books.  As Shannon might have put it you will have to expend ENERGY (which has an associated INFORMATION aspect) in order to acquire INFORMATION.

 

"You'd get right to work if you had any sense

You know the one thing we need is a left-hand monkey wrench"

[Ralf11]

7 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

There should be a Turing test instead of Captcha to join social sites....

 

 

Post of the MONTH!

[Ralf11]

what we really need is A Mathematical Theory of Communication

[Ralf11]

https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.02685

[Ralf11]

depends on your energy level

[Ralf11]

no optical in '79 eh?

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, Nordkapp said:

I am going to assume sarcasm here.

 

 

fantastic also means bizarre 

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, fas42 said:

When replay snaps into shape...

 

I used to have an old Garrard record player that did that

[Ralf11]

I think he meant to write "engineers" and instead wrote "trolls"

 

If you are lost in a universe you don't understand then you are likely to doubt that others do understand things.  So why rely on science and engineering??  Such hard work!

[Ralf11]

53 minutes ago, Albrecht said:

Nope....

 

No cable, - designed well or not has a sound. But different cables effect the sound of the system. It has nothing to do with competence or incompetence, - but design goals....

 

affect

 

and like he said, if it does, then something is wrong

[Ralf11]

many expensive cable manufacturers are propagandist liars bamboozling people with products that will not effect any changes in a high end audio system

 

 

Learn the difference between affect and effect - it will help people believe you know what you are talking about

[Ralf11]

Well, we should mention that:

 

1.  a USB cable can transmit EM noise or create a ground loop

2. speaker cables can affect sound when used with coneheads (which present a complex impedance)

3. Interconnects can pick up RFI/noise - the simple solution is to use a Balanced cable (and if your equipment only provides for RCA connections, then consider that the manf. is not serious about SQ, no matter how much they charge).  Also, Benchmark recently noted that Star-Quad helps even more.

 

Other than the above, just buy fanciest, most expensive Phaatie-est cables and enjoy the warm euphonic glow of confirmation bias at its best 

[Ralf11]

Coneheads are speakers with cones and small motors in them; also, people who listen to those type speakers

 

I don't use USB either - bad for my liver

[Ralf11]

yes, you just cross the cables in the opposite way and the crossover distortion vanishes !