Unequal Cable Lengths

[rockeratheart]

I was just thinking . .

I tend to lean on the "won't make an audible difference" side of this conversation. I haven't had a chance to mention this before but to take it one step further, what if you use an AVR for pre/pro and then a seperate power amp for one pair of logans or others. Or a bit more length to the amp that powers your center and rears than to the fronts? If you use DVD audio or just plain HT, won't the separate pathways each channel takes (some of them being different and through more components) then make a difference? I haven't heard anyone mention that before as a problem with timing. So I can't see electrons having a teeny bit shorter distance making much of a difference. Thoughts?

ben

 

[Brad225]

Many AVR do have sync adjustments to be sure the audio matches the video. Though it might not be from cable length.

The difference in length would have to be substantial to delay the sound you would hear.

For me, it would just bother me knowing that my cables for 2 channel music were different length. Just my obsession though.

 

[Bernard]

For me, it would just bother me knowing that my cables for 2 channel music were different length. Just my obsession though.

I hear you. If pushed to make a decision either way, I would keep them the same length, for the same reason as you. Come to think of it, why did I even start this thread?

 

[RichTeer]

I hear you. If pushed to make a decision either way, I would keep them the same length, for the same reason as you. Come to think of it, why did I even start this thread?

It beats watching sports on TV (although in my universe, that is a pretty low bar; IMHO, most things beat watching sports on TV)!

 

[rockeratheart]

I meant just audio

If my AVR gets an audio signal from a digital cable, then it is decoded and some is sent through inboard amplifiers for center and rears, and two go out a preamp output and into another input of a separate amp, then out to the speakers. That's a whole extra component. Whose to say there's not a difference, small but different nonetheless, with 3 channels being different from the other 2? Seems to me if we're talking about different lengths of cable for the front pair, won't there be a difference with how a center matches with a pair of fronts? I guess I'm saying no, but if there's an argument for an audible difference between fronts, then there certainly would be from center to fronts.

ben

 

[patlad]

Think about the science a bit. I'll use round figures but the principle is obvious.

Electrical signal travels at the speed of light, approx 300,000 kms per second. The difference in your cables is 6 metres for simple arithmetic. The signal therefore travels that distance in 1/50,000,000 of a second.

Sit back, relax and enjoy your music.

it's more like cm/hour... Even if the effect looks like the speed of light. Electricity is basically moving electrons inside the metal the wire is made of.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity

 

[User211]

I hear you. If pushed to make a decision either way, I would keep them the same length, for the same reason as you. Come to think of it, why did I even start this thread?

. Well responding to rubbish like this is better than watching bad television - just!

I completely agree with all the rationale/logic that the cable length should NOT make a difference. I just happen to think it does subjectively and I don't know why.

Amp designers are always on about the "shortest possible" signal path. Why would they? Because they know that the less h/w the signal has to travel through the better? I think so...

 

[Bernard]

. Well responding to rubbish like this is better than watching bad television - just!

Oh well, "rubbish" is less offensive (to my North American ears) than "garbage".

 

[JMAUSGP]

I got a cartridge dot from Marigo, it seems to work, at least it does not deteriorate the sound of my vinyl. Not sure who else got one but you guys know why you didn't get one....right! Just kidding, I have no idea why I got one and also I have no idea who else got one or why some didn't although it may be that Marigo can not ship dots out of the States because I know my company can not ship some of our stuff out of the states for security purposes and I am pretty sure magical dots fall under the same security restrictions.

 

[Bernard]

I got a cartridge dot from Marigo, it seems to work, at least it does not deteriorate the sound of my vinyl.

When you say it seems to work, what do you mean ? What does it do to the sound ?

it may be that Marigo can not ship dots out of the States because I know my company can not ship some of our stuff out of the states for security purposes and I am pretty sure magical dots fall under the same security restrictions.

Surely Homeland Security does not restrict shipping of the magical dots to Canada. Perhaps I will receive my dot after Obama is sworn in, if he changes things ?

 

[amey01]

I guess that explains why Bernard (Canada) and Justin (England) didn't get one. Seems weird that a sticky dot can't be shipped out from the US...

 

[SteveInNC]

it's more like cm/hour... Even if the effect looks like the speed of light. Electricity is basically moving electrons inside the metal the wire is made of.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity

The signal, e.g. - the information, travels at near lightspeed. Individual electrons travel comparatively slowly. Here is the classic thought experiment to demonstrate this:

Take a 100-meter tube. Call the end near you "A", and the far end "B". Fill the tube with white marbles until there is a solid line of marbles from one end to the other. Now push a black marble into end "A". Immediately, a white marble will pop out of end "B" - the signal has traversed the tube - even though you'll have to push marbles in "A" for quite awhile until the black marble travels the length of the wire to end "B". We care about propagation of the signal down the wire, not specific electrons.

To complicate things further, we're often dealing with alternating current, so "marbles" are being pushed in one end, then pushed back in the other end, so a given marble/electron may not ever travel to the other end of the signal path.

 

[User211]

Nordost publish "percentage speed of light" that the signal travels for their various cables.

Mind you, they think longer cables sound better

Then again, I use Nordost cables... go figure!

 

[JMAUSGP]

When I say it works, I am not sure of its properties, but the music does not sound any worse. I just installed it and played some music, I didn't hear any degradation, but as I was not sure what the dot was suppose to do, I haven't listened for it specifically. They did not come with much in the way of instructions. It just said "Apply the tuning dot to the front of the cartridge and that the tuning dot adds .02 grams to the cartridge tracking force." I actually don't remmber from the thread back last year, what the tuning dot for the cartridge was specifically suppose to do. So like I said, it doesn't hurt anything to my ears, but when you are dealing with Magic, maybe it has to be broken in. I certainly have not played with it enough to break it in.

As for Homeland Security, well we can't let anything magical fall in to enemy hands now can we. In fact, I am surprised that they let CLXs ship outside the US as nothing is more magical than a good pair of dialed in CLXs :music:

 

[Bernard]

As for Homeland Security, well we can't let anything magical fall in to enemy hands now can we. In fact, I am surprised that they let CLXs ship outside the US as nothing is more magical than a good pair of dialed in CLXs :music:

When did I become the enemy? With friends like you who needs enemas? :ROFL:

 

[RichTeer]

When did I become the enemy? With friends like you who needs enemas? :ROFL:

Well, to be fair, we (Canadians) did burn down their White House once... :devil:

 

[amey01]

Nordost publish "percentage speed of light" that the signal travels for their various cables.

Mind you, they think longer cables sound better

Then again, I use Nordost cables... go figure!

I think just about every cable manufacturer "thinks" longer cable sounds better - it is in their interest to think so and to propogate this myth........BS artists is what they are - if they are going to lie to their customers like that it would certainly make me think twice about buying their products.