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OFC PURE POWER
SPEAKER CABLES
We
have pleasure in introducing our new OFC Power Line speaker
cable. Both the Power Line and our existing OFC Pure Power are now
also available terminated with WBT insulated 4mm connectors.
Why another new speaker cable? The reasons are explained below.
The difference between our existing OFC Pure Power
cable and the new OFC Power Line cable is as follows:
OFC Pure Power
4 conductors, each containing 56 strands of 0.30mm
diameter, so each conductor is about 4mm², with a nominal D.C.
Resistance of 4.3 Ohms/Km.
OFC Power Line
4 conductors, each containing 50 strands of 0.25mm
diameter, so each conductor is about 2.5mm², with a nominal D.C.
Resistance of 6.8 Ohms/Km.
Picture:
Ringmat OFC Power Line Speaker Cable
In all other respects, the design of the two cables
is the same.
So
while the Pure Power cable measures like a dream, has tremendous
power handling capability and reproduces better in many ways,
especially in the bass, certain amplifier designs look for more
resistance in the load presented to them and may therefore react
more dynamically with the Power Line cable than with the Pure Power
cable. For this reason the Power Line cable might also, in some
circumstances, be suitable as a bi-wire cable.
- OFC PURE POWER SPEAKER CABLE
RINGMAT OFC PURE POWER
is a sizeable
speaker cable with an outer diameter of 13mm. It is very flexible
and the interior mould of the outer jacket hugs 4 substantial
conductors in position around a central filler. Although the cable
can be used to bi-wire to 2 pairs of terminals, it is designed for
use as a single run cable from one pair of terminals to another
pair, with the ‘opposite’ conductors paired. It also sounds very
much better that way. The design of the cable is such that it has
very low capacitance and very low resistance, resulting in
exceptional tonal performance and a transparent and accurate sound
reproduction. The sense of power and space is awesome, and yet
resolution and fine nuances are exquisitely presented.
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Inside the cable jacket the ridges that hold the
conductors in position are talc lined, enabling the cores to adjust
position as the cable is wound and handled, avoiding permanent
twists and knots. This also helps reduce vibration internally and
further enhances the sound.
Conductor sheaths
are colour coded. Accordingly, cores north and south (blue) should
be joined together as, say, positive, and cores east and west
(black) joined together as, say, negative.
The cable is directional. Normally, signal direction
is the same as the print on the cable, but the manufacturers cannot
warrant it. We shall check it out each time there is a production
run.
The Pure Power Speaker Cable is available in 3m or 5m
stereo pairs, terminated with 4mm connectors. Other lengths,
terminated or unterminated, are also available, on request. See our
price list.
For some systems, it may be sufficient that the full
56 strands of the speaker cable are used as provided when
unterminated. When used in this manner, the cable has the
additional merit of smoothing over deficiencies in many systems.
However, when the number of strands has been reduced to 49, the
clarity and other aspects of sound quality are transformed. When
the cable is provided terminated, this reduction in the number of
strands has already been done. The following guidance is therefore
given for when the cable is provided unterminated. It also
gives purchasers of terminated cable an appreciation of how this
has been done should the cable ever need to be terminated at
some other point. |
Picture:
Ringmat Pure Power Speaker Cable
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The insulation of the cable is quite easy to cut with
a sharp blade, rather like Cheddar cheese, and full guidance is
either given at point of sale or, where the sale is not direct
through Ringmat Developments, subsequently on request.
For some systems, it may be sufficient that the full
56 strands of the speaker cable are used as provided when
unterminated. When used in this manner, the cable has the
additional merit of smoothing over deficiencies in many systems.
However, when the number of strands has been reduced to 49, the
clarity and other aspects of sound quality are transformed. When
the cable is provided terminated, this reduction in the number of
strands has already been done. The following guidance is therefore
given for when the cable is provided unterminated. It also gives
purchasers of terminated cable an appreciation of how this has been
done should the cable ever need to be terminated at some other
point. The insulation of the cable is quite easy to cut with a
sharp blade, rather like Cheddar cheese, and full guidance is either
given at point of sale or, where the sale is not direct through
Ringmat Developments, subsequently on request.
The termination at the end of each conductor should
not be soldered to any connector or plug. Use of solder not only
destroys the benefit of removing the 7 strands, it also limits the
overall performance of the cable.
Where the speaker terminal sockets are sufficiently
substantial to take the paired conductors, it is obviously better to
connect in this way rather than use connector plugs. However, the
thickness of the paired conductors is often too great for direct
insertion into most speaker cable sockets. It is then necessary to
use plug connectors to clamp onto the bare wire cores and for the
pins of the connectors to be inserted into the speaker cable
sockets.
Picture:
Ringmat large diameter 4mm stackable banana plugs
The design of the plug connectors used with the Pure
Power Cable is very important, which is why we have chosen to use UK
made 4mm pin plugs when the Cable is provided terminated. All other
plugs we have tried have degraded the sound. The connectors we use
are not insulated. Therefore, it is important to ensure at all
times that they do not touch one another or other conductive objects
whilst connected to an amplifier which has not settled after being
turned off, or has not been muted in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Terminal plates – ugh! It has become the practice of
some speaker manufacturers to provide pretty gold coloured plates to
connect same polarity speaker sockets where making provision for
single wiring of bi or tri-wirable speakers. These plates destroy
the sound and should be replaced with speaker wire similar to that
used for carrying the signal from the amplifier to the speaker
(assuming this cable is found to be satisfactory). Whilst this is a
general point, in practice, of course, we would expect our Pure
Power Speaker Cable to be used.
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Essential Guidance for Users
In general, it is usual to connect the positive (red)
conductors/connectors to the red speaker cable sockets at both ends
and the negative (black) conductors/connectors to the black speaker
cable sockets. However, there are two reasons why this may not be
the best way.
1. Some
speakers have certain of their drive units out of absolute phase to
the other drive units. We find this arrangement damages the sound,
and so where separate terminal sockets are provided at the rear of
the speakers for each drive unit, it may be desirable, in respect of
those drive units out of polarity with the others, to reverse the
connections. In such cases, connect the positive (red)
conductors/connectors to the black speaker cable sockets and the
negative (black) conductors/connectors to the red speaker cable
sockets. Treat both speakers the same.
2. To
accurately reproduce recorded sound, the absolute phase of the
signal to the speakers should be the same as that used for the
recording or embedded in the software (record, disc, tape, etc.)
The absolute phase of the recording can either be at 0° or 180°, and
can vary between tracks and at edits. The same problem exists with
broadcast sound. To obtain most pleasure from your music, it may be
necessary to invert the phase of the signal to your speakers to
match that used for the recording, in which case reverse the
polarity of the connections for each pair of terminals at the back
of both speakers. Before you do so, however, first ensure that the
(power) amplifier is switched off and allowed to settle, or its
output muted, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
How do you know which is the correct absolute phase to use? The
only way to find out is to listen, both with and without the
absolute phase being inverted. Stick with that which is the more
musical and where the detail of the image is the most defined and
focused. We have interesting developments to report on this
subject, which we shall publish in due course.
Remember, when listening after a change of cables or
of any equipment, allow some time before the transfer of the signal,
and therefore the sound, settles down. It should start to improve
after half an hour and will be better after two hours, but will
improve still further after a few days. The same applies each time
the system is switched on, though the time taken will usually be
less when no changes have been made, depending upon how long the
equipment has been left turned off.
Another
aspect affecting the sound when changing cables or equipment is the
change in the ‘loading’ of the system. Not enough is yet known
about this ‘loading’ factor, but it appears to have a great deal to
do with the timing of the signal and the timing of sound
reflections. Inevitably, this affects the timing of the music,
which can suddenly seem to go flat after a change in the system.
These tiny changes in the timing of sound reflections can also give
rise to what might otherwise be thought to be distortion, and can be
found throughout the frequency range. It is, however, possible to
accommodate most of these changes in timing by adjusting the
distance the speakers are placed from the rear wall and the extent
to which the speakers are ‘toed-in’.
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