What distinguishes VOVOX® sound conductors from other cables?
How is it possible to explain the effect of directionality of VOVOX sound conductors?
How does one choose between shielded or non-shielded cables?
How big is the difference in sound quality between ‘protect’ and ‘direct’ sound conductors?
As of which minimal cable length do differences between the different cables become audible?
How big is the influence of the cable’s length on sound quality?
How can I recognize if a VOVOX® sound conductor is a ‘direct’ or ‘protect’-version?
How should VOVOX® sound conductors be treated to make sure they will reach their maximum lifetime?
How can I recognize the correct alignment of the sound conductors?
Can VOVOX® sound conductors also be used on stage?
What distinguishes VOVOX® sound conductors from other cables?
a) The concept
VOVOX® sound conductors’ design and production are based mainly on material science and not electrical engineering.
b) The goal
VOVOX aims for a pristine signal transmission which does not lose information during the process. This goal can not be achieved by taking measures that influence the sound for specific applications, e.g. by offering a special cable type for a certain instrument or musical style. The results of such measures only appear to be an improvement, since they will never help reach the goal of an unaltered signal transmission. All measures taken by VOVOX have one purpose only: To remove hurdles on the way to achieving a flawless signal flow.
c) The technical realization
VOVOX® sound conductors differ in various aspects from conventional cables. While some of these differences are obvious, others are hidden and will remain the company’s business secrets.
- Solid core conductors: Conductors made of solid wires of silver plated, oxygen-free copper
- High purity, high tech plastics
- no plasticizers
- no PVC
- no colour pigments
- Use of an additional conductor for ground, having the same high quality as the signal conductors
- Unusually large spacing between the conductors.
How does one explain the fact that many of the effects observed in VOVOX® sound conductors contradict some electrical engineering theories?
VOVOX® sound conductors are developed and produced with a material scientific background. This point of view differs from the one used in electrical engineering and provides new insights. The formulas of electrical engineering are true, yet they disregard some phenomena due to their being based on an idealized idea of matter. The insights of VOVOX do not contradict, but rather complement, electrical engineering.
How is it possible to explain the effect of directionality of VOVOX sound conductors?
In general, metals are crystals. Therefore, they exhibit different properties and values when measured in different directions.
VOVOX sound conductors are based on solid core conductors, which means they are made of single wires and not of many small stranded wires. The production of stranded wires consists of many processing steps, resulting in a large probability that not all filaments will have the same direction. Directional properties thus cancel each other out. In the case of VOVOX sound conductors this will not happen.
How does one choose between shielded or non-shielded cables?
Many VOVOX® sound conductors are available in a non-shielded 'direct' version and in a shielded 'protect' version. The shielding prevents humming and buzzing sounds, but causes a small loss of sound quality.
There are situations in which it's mandatory to use shielded cables. On the other hand, especially with balanced cables, there are very few cases in which sound disturbances are observed, even without shielding. 'Direct' sound conductors can offer even better results in these cases.
Generally speaking, we suggest using 'protect' sound conductors for applications in which interference would otherwise cause problems (listed below). In all other cases, the non-shielded 'direct' versions should be favored.
- when interference will necessarily lead to an uncontrollable situation, e.g. for live concerts or live recordings
- in the case of unbalanced cables longer than 1.5 m (5 ft)
- for phono record players
- for amplified music instruments with pick-ups
How big is the difference in sound quality between ‘protect’ and ‘direct’ sound conductors?
All VOVOX sound conductors facilitate a very open, direct and rich sound. Should one rate the sound transmission properties of VOVOX®link direct S at 100 points and that of a balanced standard cable at 0 points, VOVOX®link protect S would be rated at about 80 points on this scale.
As of which minimal cable length do differences between the different cables become audible
Differences are often audible even in the case of very short cables. This is especially true in the case of a short cable interconnecting two active audio components.
How big is the influence of the cable’s length on sound quality?
Though this question seems to be simple, it is quite complicated to give an answer that is correct in all cases. Here is some general information:
- In the case of speaker cables (passive speakers), the influence of length on the sound is quite large. The longer the cable, the bigger the loss of sound quality.
- In the case of unbalanced cables and sources with high impedance like electric guitars, the influence of length is also quite noticeable.
- In the case of unbalanced cables and sources with low impedance the influence is smaller, but still significant.
- In the case of balanced cables, the influence of length is relatively small
Does it make sense to replace one cable with a VOVOX® sound conductor in a chain of standard cables if all other cables have not been replaced?
The sound quality achieved is the sum of the different parts making up the audio chain. Regarding a chain of cables, it would be wrong to think that the cables with the poorest quality will represent a “sound bottleneck” limiting all other cables. In fact, all parts contribute to the final result to a certain degree. Consequently, it’s possible to achieve a gradual improvement with each replaced cable in a chain.
How can I recognize if a VOVOX® sound conductor is a ‘direct’ or ‘protect’-version?
- The non-shielded ‘direct’ sound conductors are covered with a black netting.
- The cover netting of the shielded ‘protect’ sound conductors contains a thin grey thread.
- The VOVOX®drive speaker cable is clearly marked
with a white thread in the cover netting.
How should VOVOX® sound conductors be treated to make sure they will reach their maximum lifetime?
Do not fold or knot the cable
Try to avoid a very small bending radius
It is not recommended to coil the cable around one’s elbow (as electricians sometimes do): This may ruin the cable over time. In addition, this does not allow an orderly coil as the cable becomes twisted and will attempt to free itself from this position.
How can I recognize the correct alignment of the sound conductors?
The correct alignment is marked with the VOVOX® label. Please connect the end of the sound conductor marked with the VOVOX® label to the signal receiver.
Can VOVOX® sound conductors also be used on stage?
VOVOX®link protect A instrument cables are used by many professionals not only in the recording studio, but also live on stage. They are suited for this application without restriction.
The balanced VOVOX®link protect S and VOVOX®link direct S are stiffer than other cables. They are mainly used for recordings. Nevertheless, there are artists who prefer using the VOVOX®link protect S also on stage.