Annotated Cable Bibliography

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Annotated Cable Bibliography
Hardcopy Books & magazines:
Duncan, Ben & Harrison, Andrew; The Great Cable Test (part 1), Hi-Fi News and Record Review, July 1999, p.30-33, Vol. 44, #7
Duncan, Ben & Harrison, Andrew; The Great Cable Test (part 2), Hi-Fi News and Record Review, August 1999, p.32-41, Vol. 44, #8
Duncan, Ben & Harrison, Andrew; The Great Cable Test (part 2), Hi-Fi News and Record Review, September 1999, p.40-53, Vol. 44, #9
Comments:
The above three part article is a landmark series, as Duncan and Harrison show that Speaker Cables have a dynamic phase shift with a change in signal level. Phase shift is nothing new, and many have supposed that phase shifts might be a portion of the reason cables sound different from one another. However, the measurement results given in these articles is noteworthy because it shows that speaker cables are definitely non-linear components. A given loudspeaker cable's total amount of phase shift changes as the signal level changes. This means that FM is present, and an effect sonically akin to digital jitter is occuring within speaker cables.
The fact that this is occuring in speaker cables means that it also must occur, albeit at a reduced level, in interconnects as well.
The article also contains listening tests of all the cables tested using the new measurements, which also include a high resolution transient test measurement, using the leading edge of a square wave.

Morrison, Ralph: Grounding and Shielding Techniques for Instrumentation, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons
Comments: The definitive tome on grounding and shielding.
Heyser, Richard C.; "A View Through DIfferent WIndows", Audio magazine 1998
Comments: A great example of how measurements are limited to a one dimension aspect.
Lloyd, Jim and Overhauser, David; "Electromigration wreaks havoc on IC design.", EDN magazine (Electroninc Desing News), march 25, 1998, p. 145-148
Comment: Electromigration is the mass transportation of a metal resulting from the momentum transfer between conducting electrons and diffusing metal atoms, and exists where ever current flows through metal wires. This provides another scientific and physical basis for cable conductor break-in effects.
Wangsness, Ronald K.; "Electromagnetic Fields", John Wiley & Sons
Publisher
Comment: For those who REALLY want to go into it deeply.
Duncan, Ben; "Loudspeaker cables, Case Proven", Proc. The Institute of Acoustics, UK, Nov '95.
Also published in Studio Sound & Broadcast Engineering (UK); and Stereophile (USA) - both Dec 95.
Skoff, Roger; "Wires, Insulators, Conductors,& Audio Signals", Stereophile Sept. 1995, p.96

Duncan, Ben; "Modelling cable", Electronics World (UK), Feb 96.
Duncan, ben; "Measuring speaker cable differences", Electronics World (UK), June/July '96.
Hawksford, Malcolm Omar; "The Essex Echo", Hi-Fi News, Aug '85; Aug & Oct '86 & Feb '87. Reprinted in Stereophile.
Duncan, Ben; Black Box (column), Hi-Fi News & Record Review (UK), June & July '96.
McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Physics, often available at local Libraries.
Comment: This is an excellent physics reference and contains information on many of the more esoteric physics aspects of cables, as well as the basics.
C&M Corporation Wire & Cable Enginering Design Guide, c1988
Belden Cable Company Master Catalog
"Cable Design: Theory vs. Empirical Reality, 1998" AudioQuest
Hayward, James H.; "Making The Connection: A Closer Look At The Role Of Interconnect Cables", Audio Ideas Guide, Summer/Fall 1994
Hayward, James H.; "Making The Connection, Part Deux: A Closer Look At The Role Of Loudspeaker Cables", Audio Ideas Guide, Winter 1995
Comment: The Hayward articels are a great example of just looking at the LCR parameters, and ignoring everything else. Limited analysis often leads to limited solutions.
Marsh, Richard N.; "Dielectric Absorption In Capacitors", Audio Amatuer, #4, 1980
Otala, Matti & Huttenen, P.; "Peak Current Requirements Of Commercial Loudspeaker Systems"
Lipshitz, Stanley P. & Vanderkooey, J.; "Computing Peak Currents Into Loudspeakers", AES preprint #2411, 81st Convention, 1986
Jung, Walt & Marsh, Richard N.; "Picking Capacitors", Audio, Feb./Mar. 1980
Johnson, Howard W., PhD. & Martin, Graham, PhD.;"High-Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic", Prentice Hall

Web References
Pease, Richard A.; "Understand capacitor soakage to optimize analog systems." http://www.nsc.com/rap/Application/0,1570,28,00.html
Jung, Walt & Marsh, Richard N.; "Picking Capacitors", http://www.capacitors.com/pickcap/pickcap.htm
Goudreau, Pete; "JPS Labs Superconductor Interconnects: A Technical Discussion", SoundStage, http://www.soundstage.com/articles/pete01.htm
Cardas, George; "Cable Resonance is Easy to Measure",
http://www.cardas.com/insights/measureresonance.html
Bond, Matthew; "The Science of Cable Design",
http://www.sonic.net/soundscape/cable_ar.html
(Parts 1-3 of this series appear in Stereophile Vol. 19, Numbers 1, 3 & 5.)
Magnan, Jim; Whitepaper on skin effect and time smear:
http://www.magnan.com/buffs.shtml
Conductor technology and info ala Van Den Hull:
http://www.vandenhul.com/artpap/hybrid.htm
http://www.vandenhul.com/artpap/brickwal.htm
Whitepapers from Tara labs:
http://www.taralabs.com/papers/index.htm
Q&A on cables from Straightwire:
http://www.straightwire.com/qa.html
Sullivan, Charles R.; "Optimal Choice for Number of Strands
in a Litz-Wire Transformer Winding", Paper presented at the PESC '97, Technical Program, Plenary Session 1, Monday, June 23, 1997, St. Louis MO
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sullivan/litzwire/litz.html
Comments: Has sections on skin effect, proximmity effect, etc.
More on Litz wire
http://www.wiretron.com/litz.html
http://www.soundstage.com/maxdb/maxdb011999.htm
On cable resonances.
Copper Crystal Structure microphotos
http://microstructure.copper.org/coppers.htm
http://www.harmonictech.com/techgraph.htm
Belden Cable Company
Cable Part Number Search
http://www.belden.com/products/Catalog/trade1.htm
Tech article about Cable Impedance
http://www.belden.com/products/ciocahalf.htm
Recommendations for Home Theater and High-End Audio by Belden/Steve Lampen (note: these recommendations are more casual than my own, and do not take materials issues as seriously)
http://www.belden.com/products/rhtheatp.htm
Belden Distributor Locator
http://www.belden.com/distributors/DISTLOC1.HTM
Blind tests of Speaker Cables, Home Theater mag.
http://www.sonic.net/soundscape/wire_rev.html
Web site with lots of info on capacitors.
http://www.faradnet.com/
E-book on Electrolytic capacitors, includes basics of capacitors.
http://www.faradnet.com/deeley/book_toc.htm
http://www.faradnet.com/deeley/chapt_01.htm

Risch, Jon M.; Assorted Posts and Web Pages, 1997-2000
The DIY note that started it all
http://members.xoom.com/Jon_Risch/i1.htm
for the companion note to the interconnect note, the one on DIY speaker cables
http://members.xoom.com/Jon_Risch/s1.htm
Cable FAQ's
http://www.AudioAsylum.com/audio/tweaks/messages/1582.html
Cable inductance, and how it is controlled
about, and:http://www.AudioAsylum.com/audio/cables/messages/17.html
Cable Esoterica
http://www.AudioAsylum.com/audio/cables/messages/2341.html
Everyone Should Get Good Cables:
http://www.audioreview.com/techtalks/tweaks/messages/74992.html
A discussion of ABX/DBT issues:
http://www.audioreview.com/techtalks/tweaks/messages/58706.html
Covers some of the relevant EMF aspects of audio cables
http://www.audioreview.com/techtalks/speakers/messages/30382.html
Advanced shielding concepts:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/4450.html
I will be pulling together all of my posted information into one central site, with revised and updated content, look for it by the end of Summer 2000.

Chris Van Haus's DIY Speaker Cable recipe:
http://members.xoom.com/cvenhaus/diycatfivecables.html
Insulation Properties
http://www.alphawire.com/pages.363.htm
http://www.alphawire.com/pages.364.htm
Wire Gauges
http://www.alphawire.com/pages.370.htm
http://www.alphawire.com/pages.372.htm
http://www.alphawire.com/pages.373.htm
Jon Risch

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Topic - Annotated Cable Bibliography - Jon Risch 13:29:31 07/03/00 (4)

Another web source to add to Jon's list - rick s 15:23:12 07/05/00 (1)

Oh yeah, a great, big, thanks to Jon too. - rick s 16:34:09 07/05/00 (0)

An exhaustive & welcome resource ... - TG 16:28:51 07/03/00 (1)

Re: An exhaustive & welcome resource ... - Jon Risch 08:17:07 07/05/00 (0)

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