[Vintage-Audio] Re Gold Plated Audio Cables

[Peter Markavage]

Generally there should be no voltage potential difference between the
chassis of each unit even with consumer grade two wire AC lines. However,
with many of these units, as soon as you plug it into an AC outlet, the
AC transformer, any components on the AC side, and any components up to
the ON/OFF switch could be drawing current constantly. Almost any piece
of equipment that comes with a remote, a portion of the equipment is
always energized even if you have the ON/OFF switch to OFF. So, if it's
on for 24/7, for X number of years, the potential for component breakdown
or leakage in those parts of the circuitry that are constantly drawing
current is probably good. You first have to isolate which piece of
equipment, if it is the equipment, is generating the static or causing
the distortion. Once that can be determined, then a stage by stage
monitoring would be required to determine which stage might be causing
the issue. Since it's intermittent, this most likely would cause
additional frustration, since you can check the stage at one point and,
all is good, but at some later time, it might start to exhibit problems.
There's no easy answer here.

Pete

On Wed, 7 Nov 2007 18:01:22 -0500 "Duane Fischer, W8DBF"
<dfischer at usol.com> writes:
> Pete, I wonder if there is some potential between the Sony ZA5 DAT 
> deck and 
> the Sony CDRW deck?
> 
> One thing I have learned is that any cassette tape one tries to 
> record 
> direct to a CDRW deck almost always fails. I spent 100 hours working 
> with 
> some historic cassette tapes from 1981-1983 and it was a nightmare! 
> There is 
> something about those analog cassette tapes, old or current, that 
> the CDRW 
> decks do not like. Hence, I am wondering if this periodic static 
> might also 
> be caused by something in the DAT tape. Who knows.
> 
> 
> 
> Duane Fischer, W8DBF/WPE8CXO
> dfischer at usol.com
> HHI: Halligan's Hallicrafters International
> http://www.w9wze.net
> HHRP: Historic Halligan Radio Project
> hhrp.w9wze.net