DIY RCA cables - pure silver vs silver coated copper

[walpurgis]

No you can't quote just butter, different blends, makes and thickness have differing effects. Now margarine ......there's a test

Lard is more musical with valve gear though.

[Stryder5]

The plastic insulation doesn't keep out RFI, merely stops the conductors from touching each other or anything else. Actually, no, that's not quite true - it determines the capacitance between conductors too. It also has other properties which may or may not be important in any particular application. For example, some insulators will cope with higher temperatures than others. Some insulators are more flexible than others.
Anyway, the insulation doesn't keep out RFI.

Plastic is a generic term for many polymers, and certainly can be made to reject rfi.

[RothwellAudio]

Plastic is a generic term for many polymers, and certainly can be made to reject rfi.

Interesting. How does an insulator reject RF?

[Stryder5]

Interesting. How does an insulator reject RF?

Carbon loading, carbon fibre, metallic loading.......just a few.

[Reffc]

My understanding is that plastics can be made to reject RFI by the use of a metal spray solution or carbon applied to the plastic substrate. I have't come across pure polymers able to reject RFI, so like you, would be interested in learning more on this...

[Stryder5]

My understanding is that plastics can be made to reject RFI by the use of a metal spray solution or carbon applied to the plastic substrate. I have't come across pure polymers able to reject RFI, so like you, would be interested in learning more on this...

I don't know where "pure polymer" came from and is it an oxymoron. My comments were around "plastic".

[Lawrence001]

This is all very interesting but doesn't really answer my question - maybe there isn't a simple answer. Can i put it another way? I like these cables in my headphones so when I saw them going cheap I bought a few to make some cables with (but keeping 2-3m with the mini coax end for shorter headphone cables). Will they be any good or am I doomed to failure? Any chance they will make good speaker cables alternatively?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=271903509936


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[Lawrence001]

Oops

[RothwellAudio]

Carbon loading, carbon fibre, metallic loading.......just a few.

Yes, but it isn't an insulator then. Conductive plastics are sometimes used in mic cables for screening, but they aren't being used as insulators in that application and require an additional insulating layer.
My original comment stands - the insulation on interconnects doesn't screen them from RFI.

This is all very interesting but doesn't really answer my question - maybe there isn't a simple answer. Can i put it another way? I like these cables in my headphones so when I saw them going cheap I bought a few to make some cables with (but keeping 2-3m with the mini coax end for shorter headphone cables). Will they be any good or am I doomed to failure? Any chance they will make good speaker cables alternatively?

They look a bit thin (and short) for speaker cables, but they would work.

[Stryder5]

[QUOTE=RothwellAudio;820921]Yes, but it isn't an insulator then. Conductive plastics are sometimes used in mic cables for screening, but they aren't being used as insulators in that application and require an additional insulating layer.
My original comment stands - the insulation on interconnects doesn't screen them from RFI.

Doesn't stand, hybrid cables with multiple layers, nowhere did I say single layer cables, and it was you that mentioned insulator, I didn't .

Don't twist word to your own definition.

My comments stand