Every component matters!Also, speaker cable differes from interconnects is that they not only need to carry the wide frequency of signals, they also need to carry the current and power to drive the speakers.
Every component, be it an interconnect connector, soldering, cable, pre-amp, amp, source, speaker cable, speakers, listeninig area, and even the power and power cord that drives these equipment makes differences.
"There is a textbook equation which describes the reduction in current and power density at any depth from the surface of an electrical conductor. For copper the equation is: 6.61 divided by the square root of the frequency (Hz) equals the depth in mm at which the current density will be 1/e. Since 1/e is 37%, this equation tells us the depth at which the current density has been reduced by 63%. For 20,000Hz, current density is only 37% at a depth of 0.0467 mm, which is the center of a 0.934 mm (18 awg) conductor. Conventional use of the above formula falsely assumes that it is acceptable to have a 63% reduction in current flow and an 86% reduction in power density at the center of a conductor. However, this formula does not by itself describe at what depth audible distortion begins. Listening (empirical evidence) shows that audible distortion begins at somewhat lesser depths.
There is a solution to skin-effect-using a single strand of metal which is just small enough to push skin-effect induced audible distortion out of the audio range. Simple evaluation of multiple sizes reveals that audible skin-effect induced anomalies begin with a strand (or conductor) larger than 0.8 mm. " Quoted from AudioQuest
Uses a network and shielding techniques to filter out noise and
correct balance. "Cables are important because they are the longest
parts of a system and therefore act as efficient antennas that pick up
and/or radiate noise."
"... One simple, but often overlooked, method of minimizing noise in a system is to limit the system bandwidth to that required by the signal. Use of a circuit bandwidth greater than that required by the signal allows additional noise frequencies to enter the circuit." HENRY W. OTT, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, AT&T Bell LaboratoriesTransparent's networks are designed to help the cable transfer lower audio frequencies more accurately and efficiently and reject noise. They are also designed to compensate for the length of the cable so that all cables in a system regardless of their lengths deliver a predictable level of performance. Transparent Network Technology insures that your components will be able to provide the rich, smooth, and musical sound that they were designed to deliver. More complete technical details can be found on their website at http://www.transparentcable.com/design/destech_techtalk.html
Alumiloy(R) wires.
"The wire used in our designs is a proprietary, non-ferromagnetic, solid core blended alloy wire, Alumiloy. Alumiloy cleanly transfers audio frequencies and up better than any other conductor available. Extensive measurements and testing have proven that this proprietary alloy material has superior qualities to copper, silver, gold, or any combination of these materials, in terms of bandwidth, dynamic range, and neutrality. JPS rewrote the book and created a unique conductor to allow for maximum clarity without the veiling even the purest silver and copper conductors have in the mids and highs, and a faster bass region with greater impact than anything you have ever heard. We are the only cable manufacturer in the world who works with their own patent-pending conductor materials" Quoted from jps labs website
 Figure 2a (top) shows uniform current distribution at DC. Figure 2b (bottom) shows the effect of current bunching and skin effects at 20kHz. |
MIT believes in removing the noise from both externally induced as well as the
signal inside of cable bouncing back and forth. Since energy does not
dissapear, it has to turn into something, and that interfere with deliverying
clean music signal. For more details of the theory, see their white paper.