Super Lumina Speaker Cables (again)

Derek - I actually opened them up (curiosity got a better of me). As far as I can tell - absolutely nothing - looks like decoration to me. It doesn't appear to be ferrite - to light for that.

Many thanks Adam, that's good to know because it is going to require a quite lot of work to replace my NACA5 with the new cables which includes dismantling at least one equipment rack, removing a door from it's hinges and threading the cables through a channel cut into the very thick underlay below the carpet and then re-fitting the door, so the thought of all this hassle  again in the future if something was to go wrong would certainly put me off.

Derek - off topic a bit... I noticed you have RP10 with Apheta. I too started with that combo, but within a month one of the channels died. Diagnosis - faulty cartridge.
My dealer agreed to replace it with a brand new Aphelion for a small surcharge.
The difference? WOW!!!! Absolutely stunning.

Derek C posted:

Many thanks Adam, that's good to know because it is going to require a quite lot of work to replace my NACA5 with the new cables which includes dismantling at least one equipment rack, removing a door from it's hinges and threading the cables through a channel cut into the very thick underlay below the carpet and then re-fitting the door, so the thought of all this hassle  again in the future if something was to go wrong would certainly put me off.

For threading under a carpet - if the square bits don't fit you can take them off - a regular hex scredriver is all you need. 

As far as I know the only purpose the blocks serve is to identify directionality... which end of the cables go into the amp, and which goes into the speakers.

I think this was spoken about at the Bristol show this year. If I remember rightly we were told that there were components in those boxes, at least one end. The idea was that whichever cable length you want, it will sound the same. 7m pair will have the same cap and ind as a 3m pair. 

There is certainly nothing in the block at the speaker end - I know this because I had to remove it in order to poke the cable through the conduit that runs beneath the fireplace. I've always understood that there is some sort of resistor in the block at the amplifier end. If there was nothing in either block why put them on at all, other than as a way of justifying the price by making them look extra tecky?

If you get time [@mention:4804681823084713] whip off the block on the amp end and tell us what you find! 

Maybe there will only be something in there when the cables are over a certain length? 

There's a special quantum device inside.

Derek - off topic a bit... I noticed you have RP10 with Apheta. I too started with that combo, but within a month one of the channels died. Diagnosis - faulty cartridge.
My dealer agreed to replace it with a brand new Aphelion for a small surcharge.
The difference? WOW!!!! Absolutely stunning.

Adam - I haven't experienced any problems with the RP10/Apheta 2 which I've had since early 2015 but my intention once the stylus has had some more wear, is to replace it with the Aphelion and from your experience, it would appear to be a really worthwhile move.

Finkfan posted:

If you get time [@mention:4804681823084713] whip off the block on the amp end and tell us what you find! 

I find this, in a 3m cable...

Just a resistor across the shield? ..intriguing. I wonder what's different if anything in a 7m length? 

There is also a bit of shiny plastic inside the block, but only on the resistor side. 

HH - Thanks for going to the trouble of satisfying the curiosity of not only me but a number of others it would appear too! It's all rather intriguing.

You're very welcome. It's odd, though, that Adam found nothing inside his blocks. Perhaps the longer cables don't need resistors. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

There is also a bit of shiny plastic inside the block, but only on the resistor side. 

Perhaps Peter Belt is still working his magic...

HH - I might find out more tomorrow when my dealer arrives withe cables!

Those were the days. I remember sticking sellotape on my LP12 and listening for the difference. Who'd have thought back then that one day people would pay £300 per metre, or even more, for speaker wires?

Yes HH - It would have seemed totally ridiculous back then!

Ah, but £300 was worth a lot more back then...

Hungryhalibut posted:

You're very welcome. It's odd, though, that Adam found nothing inside his blocks. Perhaps the longer cables don't need resistors. 

I should clarify - I only took the speaker ends off, to poke them through a hole. How presumptious of me....
Once I get back home I will take the amp end apart....

I have 3 m cables.

Ah, that makes sense, as there is nothing in the block at the speaker end. It's the amp end with the resistor and the magical plastic. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Ah, that makes sense, as there is nothing in the block at the speaker end. It's the amp end with the resistor and the magical plastic. 

Indeed - apologies to all for creating unnecessary confusion.

Can we assume then that there is an optimum length of SL speaker cable where there are no electrical components in the little black boxes?