Pure oxygen free wire?

Gearhead61 · 04-21-2006, 11:08 AM

I have read that pure oxygen free wire is less than optimal because of the oxidation that can occur once a current is passed through the wire. Over time, this oxidation will cause greater resistance and hinder the flow of electrons through the wire. However, on JL Audio's website, they offer wire for amp and speaker connections using 99.99% oxygen free wire. Is there a reason for this? Is the thing about oxidation true? I have read before that tinned wire is better because it will resist oxidation. Any of you audio gurus have any insight into this?

3onDubs · 04-21-2006, 11:28 AM

I don't believe that there is an audio guru out there that has kept the same system in their car over an extended period of time to know this first hand....lol....but they might be talking about long term effects.

EDIT: I do recall hearing the same thing about tinned wire though

god_of_cpu · 04-21-2006, 11:36 AM

Yes, the reason is JL likes to make money. In my experience, as long as your wire is big enough to flow enough power, thats all that really matters, but I'm sure if you dig deep enough and you can prove it does and it doesn't. This is the kind of scientific fact thats more of an opinion then anything else. Yes, the wire is different, does that difference ever effect the audio though particularly for the average consumer...

nkotch · 04-21-2006, 11:45 AM

A lot of the big "Oxygen Free" fuss is marketing from what I've read and been told. When making wire companies already use copper with low oxygen content and I really doubt you could hear a difference between a cable that was supposedly 99.99% Oxygen free and one that is 99% or so oxygen free.

After working in high end home theater/audio I never buy any of the big name "High End" cables.... just way too much $$ for not much benefit. I'd say definitely upgrade from those stock thin interconnects with cheap connectors, but save some money and don't buy $80 audio cables.

nkotch · 04-21-2006, 11:47 AM

god_of_cpu: haha, beat me to it.

Also read an interesting article, author was talking about how you only really see the "oxygen free" labels at the consumer level, and not in professional circles or an Oxygen free or silver plated versions of the copper tracings on circuit boards.

Blue ZX3 · 04-21-2006, 12:12 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by nkotch

Oxygen free or silver plated versions of the copper tracings on circuit boards.

No, thats next in the marketing line hype....

Gearhead61 · 04-21-2006, 01:26 PM

Alright thanks guys! This is where I read it, if it adds to the discussion further:
http://www.bcae1.com/ (go to the 'Wire' page)

Quote:

Oxygen Free Copper:
< RANT >
As you have probably noticed, wire designated as OFC wire usually has a clear insulation and the wire is bright and shiny underneath the transparent insulator. Well... It is nice and shiny for a while but after a short time (actually from the time it is drawn), it starts to oxidize (unless the wire is kept in an oxygen free atmosphere). When copper oxidizes, it becomes a less effective conductor. This means that, in time, the wire's current carrying capabilities will become significantly reduced. The problem is made worse by having many very small conductors. This creates even more surface area which makes the oxidation process even more efficient. In my opinion, if you are designing a system of any type for long term use, I think the better choice is a 'tinned' copper wire. In this type of wire, the copper is plated with tin (maybe a lead/tin alloy) or similar conductor which will not oxidize as quickly and never as completely as the bare copper. As a side note, this has nothing to do with the copper being 'oxygen free'. It has everything to do with the fact that the wire is unprotected (untinned) and is finely stranded. I used OFC wire in this example because most OFC has many fine unprotected strands.
< /RANT >

rsd212 · 04-21-2006, 06:00 PM

While we're in here, can someone explain to me how fancy oxygen-free gold/silver-plated cables are supposed to help on digital systems? Keep seeing companies advertising expensive cable to maintain integrity in digital audio streams...

furball69 · 04-22-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by god_of_cpu

Yes, the reason is JL likes to make money.

Apparently Monster cable likes to make money too!

http://www.wildwestelectronics.net/moncabsigret7.html

$4500.00 for maybe 20 bucks worth of copper.

There's a market for these because once a person gets so rich, the ratio of brains to money gets skewed.

nkotch · 04-24-2006, 04:34 PM

Holy crap..... I can confidently say even if I was extremely wealthy I would never spend that much money on cabels, especially those.

Cartman_Sr · 04-25-2006, 01:21 PM

I think OFC cable makes some difference, but mostly when you're passing DC through it, not so much for speaker wires (which don't carry a DC signal). So it would be good for your power wires. I use wire from knukonceptz.com because it's great quality, made in the USA, and relatively cheap too. And I'm in Canada.

fonseca · 04-25-2006, 01:49 PM

I always buy and recommend the OFC wire, simply because the stuff that's marketed as such tends to have much finer strands and a higher strand count as well. That does make a difference, and it also means a more flexible cable that's easier to route.

Monster is the biggest scam going in the A/V world, no one should ever buy any of their products. Retailers like Best Buy, Circuit City and Radio Shack are in collusion with them because the profit margin on their product is ridiculously high, not because it's better quality. And it's so easy to sucker someone who just spend thousands on components to spend a few hundred on "better" cables to get the most out of their new setup. You can get alternative brands that are just as durable and function the same for much less.

The only area where expensive cables can be justified is when it comes to analog interconnects. But I'm willing to bet that my DIY silver interconnects sound as good as any of the high end stuff, and they cost me $20, not $200+.