LAN cable is the strongest speaker cable

This time it's about speaker cables.

[LAN speaker cable]

When researching speaker cables on the Internet, you come across some rather dubious stories, such as LAN cables having better sound.

I tried it right away.

The sound is definitely improved compared to all the speaker cables I've used up until now, including the Belden 8470.

I looked into it and found a wonderful collection of resources.

"Try using a LAN cable as a speaker cable"

"Using LAN cables as speaker cables: technical explanation"

"Using LAN cables as speaker cables; Technical explanation part 2"

"It's just a wire, but it's still a wire"

[Effect of LAN cable on sound quality]

Taking these points into consideration, organizing your LAN cables will give you the following benefits:
①The insulator is made of ideal polyethylene, which has a constant capacitance even at low frequencies and little loss in the low frequencies.
②There are 4 pairs of 2 twisted pairs, for a total of 8 insulated wires. The skin effect, which causes high-pitched sounds to become thinner, is affected by the wire diameter of 0.9 mm at 20,000 Hz, and the wire diameter of a single LAN cable is 24 AWG and 0.5 mm, which is thin enough that there is no need to consider the skin effect.
3) The finely twisted twisted pair structure provides sufficient shielding even without a metal shield. Moreover, single-wire Category 6 cables have a cross-shaped separator in the center to prevent interference between the four pairs, a consideration that rivals that of high-end audio cables.
4) The benefits of parallel wiring can be easily enjoyed (see below).

A simple way to distinguish between insulating materials PE and PVC is that if it floats on water, it's PE, if it sinks, it's PVC. All three types of speaker cables I had on hand sank in water. This means that the sound quality of the LAN cable is better than that of the average speaker cable.

Also, if you read "UL Standard Electric Wires and Cables," you will learn that the polyethylene used in LAN cables has better sound quality than the flame-retardant polyethylene used in audio cables. The quoted statement by a cable engineer is probably the first to mention the use of LAN cables as audio cables.

[Four pairs or one pair?]

I think the biggest advantage of using LAN cables as speaker cables is that they can be easily wired in parallel.

The reasons why using all four pairs in parallel has more advantages than using only one pair separately are quoted from the above website: 1) The conductor resistance (R) is reduced to 1/4. ⇒Improved sound output in the low frequency range.
②Inductance (L) also becomes 1/4.
③The capacitance (C) is increased by 4 times. ④The characteristic impedance (Zo) is reduced to 1/4. ⇒It approaches the impedance of the speaker system, the transmission characteristics in the high frequency range are improved, and you can expect an improvement in resolution.

The effect on hearing is obvious; using only one pair makes the sound thin.

[Solid wire or stranded wire?]

A solid wire has a lower conductor resistance and a smoother conductor surface, so no matter how you look at it, a solid wire should produce a better sound.

However, when comparing the two at lengths of around 2m, there was almost no difference. Generally, solid-wire LAN cables are used for lengths of 10m or more, but even when used as an audio cable, the difference between solid-wire and twisted-wire cables is so slight that it is difficult to perceive it if the cable is short.

There is also a reason why the cable has seven strands. Six strands are arranged in a perfect circle around the central strand, creating an ideal shape that contributes to excellent performance. LAN cables are really well made, even down to the smallest details.

【others】

In my personal opinion, the influence of conductor resistance dominates, and other influences are not so important. This is why thicker and shorter wires are generally considered better, but the skin effect becomes more pronounced as the wire gets thicker. Therefore, I think it is ideal to use a parallel circuit with a wire diameter that is not affected by the skin effect to reduce resistance.

There are ultra-high-end audio cables that use high-quality materials, but this is merely a matter of image and there is little difference in the physical properties, let alone the length of the speaker cable.

Ideally, a single-wire Category 6 LAN would be best, but the cable would be thick, stiff, and difficult to handle.
If the length is less than 10m, I think a twisted wire LAN cable will suffice.
Also, although Category 7 cables are shielded, they will be counterproductive if they are not grounded. Do not use them as speaker cables.
Also, make sure each twisted pair is + and -.

LAN cables that are too thin, like the one in the photo, have too much conductor resistance and the sound becomes thin. The conductor wires are also very thin, so they break easily and are difficult to process. Even in the case of twisted wires, I think it is better to have a wire diameter of about AWG28.

It is not easy to find an audio cable that has been designed with such meticulous consideration given to noise prevention, wide bandwidth, and high resolution characteristics, from the selection of insulation material to the number of twisted wires and twist pitch.
It is perfect for carpet speakers that pursue high fidelity to the original sound. It costs about 100 yen per meter.
We can confidently say that LAN cables are the best speaker cables in terms of cost performance.