Quote:
Originally Posted by Electronpusher0
I recall hearing about a HiFi enthusiast who went to such lengths to reduce the effects of the cable to his speakers that he had channels dug out out his concrete floor and filled them with mercury.
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I suggested mercury some time back on this Forum, although I was thinking of polythene pipes as speaker cables, which were to be filled after routing and tacking in place. No connection with this chap, though it's pleasing to know my thoughts are on par with extreme audiophiles!
However, I had another idea which I thought I'd share with Forum members, concerning my attempts today at connecting the output of my amplifier (PCL82 single-ended, which I built years ago out of old TV parts. We know SE beats P-P hands down) to my speaker. I'd been worried that I might not have been getting the benefit of all that the PCL82 has to offer. I thought, replacing a few inches of cable might alleviate the 'deadness' of copper - it is such a dense metal after all - and I'd get a more vibrant sound with a lighter conductor. So, I replaced a short length of copper with 50mm sodium ingots.
Sodium is, of course, a light metal (less dense than water). It's also a good conductor. And, being pretty reactive, it should add a measure of immediacy to the sound. My specimens have been stored in liquid paraffin for a year at room temperature, so should be completely de-stressed. To make connections, I just screwed woodscrews into the metal. See photo.
The results are breathtaking! I'm listening to a 'songs from the shows' CD asI type. There's a sonic 'presence' no doubt caused by the fairly extreme electropositivity of sodium. It certainly has a positive effect! The willingness of sodium to lose its electrons is adding zest and sharpening the 'attack'.
Down side is that in air, the stuff oxidises fairly quickly. I'd need to keep the Na conductors immersed in oil for a permanent installation. But I wanted to share results with my Forum friends, free-of-charge.