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Simple question, simply put. Sorry if this has been posted before. I did search but came up with nothing, so...Do cables (and/or speaker wire) "wear out" over time? I know the external jackets of some of the older IC's we have are stiffening up a bit over the years, but are the internals of the cables affected? Is there an accepted time limit at which cables should be replaced, or will they simply *work* as-is with no drop in sound quality until they break or are replaced?
Follow Ups:
.....it's an issue.....particularly with the considerable sheilding of high end cable. i suppose that if you left cable outside in weather and UV radiation that things would 'eventually' deterioriate to some degree.Nordost does recommend using the Nordost Break-in Device (CBID1) once a year for 2 days to optimize performance. i have one and use it for my Valhalla.....and it does help.
Kidding... But can you imagine?
Of course, don't you know that running all those electrons through wires wears them out? :-)
.
methinks the change was more likely a matter of change of one's reference.
I think a well built cable with good insulation should last a lifetime if no more if you handle it properly with no excessive stress on the jacket. You may have to change the connectors every 30 years or so as these parts exposed to the air can be difficult to clean after many many years.I have a 16 years old Cardas IC that i don't use anymore but it still looks and sounds like new.
Agreed....a well made cable should last a lifetime.
The short answer to your question is that it varies. Obviously some aging such as fading of colors, etc. will not affect performance. However, there are a number of factors that will affect performance.Performance related aging:
1. Conductor and/or connector corrosion from exposure to air
2. Work hardening with eventual breakage of conductors and/or connectors
3. Insulation reaction with (and subsequent corrosion of) conductors
4. Solder embrittlement (from residual flux, etc.) and eventual failure
5. Physical misalignment of cable components in cables that are loosely woven.
6. Changes in insulation mechanical properties that result in altered mechanical properties of a cable (for example stiffening of PVC insulation will occur over time that will affect a speaker cable's resonance characteristics)
7. Mechanical damage to a cable that changes its electrical properties (for example the crushing of foamed insualtion materials)
8. etc., etc.The aging process will differ dramatically between different cables. Teflon is a very stable insulation material that will not change much over time, but PVC (depending on the grade) will change substantially in its flexibility in the first few days after manufacture, then again over the first year, and further in the years to follow. Uninsulated copper or silver will both have significant corrosion in air after a matter of months (though silver will of course take longer than copper). Solder joints on the other hand may take 20 years to fail, or may last indefinitely. On the other hand, an unstressed cold weld joint that is fully insulated should last indefinitely if it is not stressed.
The only way to know how long a cable should last is to evaluate its individual components and construction techniques. A teflon insulated silver cable with gold plated connectors that is assembled with skill and molested a minimal amount should easily last 20 years or more. A poor grade PVC on copper cable will often be corroded before it even makes it out of the retail store.
I would guess that the average "Audiophiles" never have cables long enough to have them wear out on him/her.But it would be interesting to see how cables far over 5-10 years
......that have lasted over 9 years now. I still use them and they still sound as good as the day I bought them.I did however, send them back to the factory about 5 years ago to get the ICON connectors installed which offered greater connecting flexibilty.
I also bought a used pair of MIT 750 +'s which I figure are over 10 years old. Had to send them back to MIT as the original connectors were falling off. Had them install the ICON connectors and they still sound great although to be fair, the MIT Biwire cables are much more refined and a set of AudioQuest Volcano DBS speaker cables smoke them but this has to do with progress in speaker cable design, not cable deterioration.
Cheers,
Kenster - I was thinking of upgrading cables for my B&W 8o2N & rotel 1090. Did you consider the newer MIT cables S1-S3, or do you think the audioquest dbs stuff is just better. Thanks for any ideas. Paul
I had not auditioned the MIT Shotgun S1-S3 cables as there are no dealers in my area. Thought about the AV1's though.I had replaced my IC's with the AudioQuest DBS line and was mighty impressed with the results. Had the chance to buy a used pair of the Volcano DBS speaker cables. Took them home for a week and was impressed to the point of purchasing :-)
Since U have B&W speakers and are thinking about upgrading your cables, U may want to consider the B&W SPEC series of active cables from Synergistic Research.
I've included their link if U want to peruse.
Cheers,
~kenster
Thanks for the reply. Those have caught my eye in various print ads. ah...the power of marketing. Since real cable dealers in my area are a good six hours away, i would have to mail order. I would probably pick up the audioquest or mit discounted used, but since the synergistic stuff is new, i would have to pay full retail. Do you think the B&W spec cables would be worth full retail? Thanks Paul
"I would probably pick up the audioquest or mit discounted used, but since the synergistic stuff is new, i would have to pay full retail. Do you think the B&W spec cables would be worth full retail?"Check out the used set of Synergistic Research #6 B&W SPEC at the link provided. U can even try them out before U buy.
Cheers,
~kenster
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