Cables FAQ
How Important are Cables in a System?
Audio cables are often referred to as accessories. However, an audio system cannot make sound without cables installed which implies that they are essential components. And much like the other components in the system, cables must be chosen with the same research that one would perform in choosing an amplifier, a speaker or a turntable. Characteristics such as coloration, distortion and other anomalies must be minimized in order for the system to perform at its optimum. Too often, audiophiles and music lovers treat these essential components as after thoughts and end up compromising the performance of their carefully chosen audio gear.
How do I know if Audience cables will work well in my system?
Audience audio cables are widely known and awarded for being natural and non-colored, maintaining a high degree of faithfulness to true musical characteristics in every way. Because of this natural musical window afforded by Audience cables, they are the most widely applicable cables. Quoting from reviewer Doug Blackburn, in his 2003 review in SoundStage.com "The Audience Au24 interconnects and speaker cables are commendably neutral and natural, and they help you forget about chasing the pot o’ gold at the end of the audiophile rainbow".
What are "e" enhanced and "SE" cables?
Proprietary technologies to improve performance of Audience cables has been developed over the years. The "e" enhanced upgrade was introduced in November of 2007 and "SE" special edition as of January of 2013. Generally speaking, these upgrade technologies simply remove veils, thus allowing you to be ever closer to the musical truth. The opportunity to upgrade existing Audience cables is described under the Product Upgrades section.
Why are Audience cables so thin?
Simply put, audio signal is most accurately delivered by conductors of lower mass. Unfortunately, many water hose size cables are marketed today under the "bigger is better" banner and nothing could be further from the truth. To illustrate the detrimental effects of heavy gauge audio cables, Audience has made a short video demonstration of the very pertinent science of an invisible, yet very powerful force, known as eddy current resistance. The written explanation, with references, is also on this website: eddy current.
Is it better to use single wire or bi-wire speaker cables?
This is a very controversial question. Generally speaking, Audience asserts that simpler is almost always better. In the case of single vs. bi-wire speaker cables, we believe that one signal path from the amplifier to speakers is better than two. In many cases we have provided customers with both single speaker wires and bi-wire to make their own comparisons. Almost invariably, those customers found that the single wire approach, in conjunction with equal quality jumpers, was best. Some reoccurring exceptions were specifically from users of Vanderstein and Von Schweikert loudspeakers.
For bi-wired speakers what is the best approach to using jumpers?
On bi-wired loudspeakers, it is important to use a jumper of equal quality as the primary speaker cables, because the characteristic sound of jumpers tends to be imparted back into the full sound spectrum.
Is stranded or solid core wire best for audio cables?
Stranded wire is flexible whereas solid core is not and will tear when flexed. Some people make the point that these tears heal; however, where healing takes place there are still new crystal boundaries formed as scarring build up.
Small diameter strands do not have the same frequency limitation as larger solid core due to skin effect, which reduces the effective diameter and increases the effective resistance of the wire at high frequency. Therefore, typically, small stranded wire has better sonic attributes at the higher frequencies.
Thin wire has lower eddy current resistance, therefore it is more coherent compared to thicker wire, much like the effect of inductance. Think of a magnetic field being introduced into a flat conductive surface. When the magnetic field is in motion, like an audio signal moving through conductive wire, it produces an electrical current in the conductive surface, which in turn produces a counter magnetic field that impedes the motion of the originating magnetic field. If the surface is broken up in smaller pieces, the magnetic field has only a small conductive path and therefore the eddy current resistance is greatly reduced. Skin effect/eddy currents are going to occur either way; however, at smaller diameters they occur at higher frequencies therefore have less affect in the audible band.
Audience Audio Cables
Audio cables are often referred to as accessories. However, an audio system cannot make sound without cables installed which implies that they are essential components. And much like the other components in the system, cables must be chosen with the same research that one would perform in choosing an amplifier, a speaker or a turntable. Characteristics such as coloration, distortion and other anomalies must be minimized in order for the system to perform at its optimum. Too often, audiophiles and music lovers treat these essential components as after thoughts and end up compromising the performance of their carefully chosen audio gear.
The idea of cables as components is a controversial subject. There are many who think that "wire is wire" and don't accept that cables can either optimize or compromise the performance of an audio system. Traditional tests for difference in cable reveal very little if any electrical differences between brands. However, the human ear/brain is a far more sensitive and discriminating test apparatus and deciphers differences in cable brands rather easily. This ability can be developed much like wine tasting. As you become more experienced, differences, shadings and nuance become more readily noticeable.
Audience Conductor and Au24 cable products are the end result of years of research into what matters most in an audio system...true fidelity to the signal without artificial embellishments or unwarranted voicing. Audience cables are not off the shelf items that have been adapted for use in an audio system, they are products that have been designed to actually preserve the audio signal in the least damaging fashion possible. "Neutral" or "natural" are the terms we hear most often when end users describe their performance.
Finally, Audience cables do not sport the most impressive looking connectors or overly large outer jacketing. More often than not, the connectors that look best sound bad and can actually degrade performance. Fanciful jacketing is an added cost passed on to the end user and often obscures what lies inside. While simple yet elegant in appearance, Audience cables are designed to reach the highest level of performance.
