Speaker cables

Do please post your verdict when you've had a chance to listen with the Spatia cables connected.  As you might have noticed from my comments (a few years back!), I've been a bit 'agnostic' when it comes to speaker cables.  Since then I've moved house and had to set up the hi-fi in a smaller room.  Not so good!  So it's a timely mention of speaker cables again: I'm wondering if the investment might bring back the sort of sound quality I got used to...

Yesterday I finaly recevied a pair of Spatial speaker cables for testing. They are now connected to my Boenicke W8 speakers. So far I really like what I hear. 

The need for low capacitance speaker cables came about through the success of a major brand in amplifiers, and the many which followed in their footsteps. These amp manufacturers had decided that output inductors were plain wrong. That by removing them it would "improve" the sound.

It then occurred to them that their amplifiers were blowing because the speaker cable capacitance was "too high". Because these amplifiers had sold in the many thousands there was a ready market for low capacitance speaker cable. All what was needed was some clever marketing, and the press obliged.

Output inductors as well as zobel networks (a capacitor and a resistor in series across the output prior to the output inductor) had served the purpose of isolating amplifiers from output capacitance historically. They were used to preserve phase (and gain) margins to prevent oscillation or a lesser form of instability known as "ringing". These operated far above the audible spectrum, but still it was thought (and with some it still is) that the speakers should be "given" much higher frequencies because we will hear the difference.

Yes, we do hear the difference between a stable amplifier and one that rings. I doubt that much power will be developed in any dynamic tweeter because like all wound components they have inductance such that their impedance increases considerably with frequency. So we are not hearing more - we are hearing the difference between stability and instability - and instability is marketable.

One thing I have noted is that an unstable circuit wears out electrolytic capacitors - shortens their life - and I have also noticed that such amplifiers require "re-capping".

One more thing regarding an earlier comment: wide spacing of speaker cable conductors, whilst reducing capacitance considerably, increases inductance. Therefore the removal of the output inductor from the amplifier is simply being replaced by cable inductance. It is "kicked down the road".

The thing about proper education is it destroys myths/false beliefs. That's if you can find a proper education.