Since this subject is reaching for splitting hairs, here's another point that is measured with a micrometer and cut with an axe.
Ten years ago, I user to be in a band, had a decent small recording studio, and I rented out my band's sound system to help pay for the cost of it all.
One little important detail made my sound system better than the other guys. (In truth, my competition used to come to some of the venues that I worked, and both marvel and wonder why my system sounded so so sweet as it did. They could not figure out what I did either. The secret was the cabling...) Most microphone and interconnect wire was just shielded multi core wire that could be bought off-the-shelf without a second thought. I went a very costly second step farther, and equipped my system with the exotic 'Mogami' brand cable.
This stuff was like gold per square foot. Price and quality. A single 20 ft mic cable for the cheap stuff was $15; Mogami was $30. Why did I go the distance with the exotic Mogami? The cable wouldn't lose sensitivity, output, or frequency response; all major recording studios use it for that very reason. The difference between cheap cable and the Mogami is dramatic. But no other sound company competitor knew or was willing to belly up to the bar and re-cable their system as I did. Point/score/win. I did some work with top music heavyweights, and they often thanked me for doing such a good job and and making it sound sooo sweet. The truth was, it was the cabling that put us there.
What does all of this have to do with a radio and its use? A lot. We use crummy mic cable and scramble to make our systems as efficient and top-end as possible. But have forgotten the cable. OK, some of us may use great coax to various degrees, but to use the best at the coax end AND the mic end hasn't even been touched. The secret to the Mogami cable is the QUALITY of the COPPER; lowest oxygen copper allows VERY little resistance, capacitance, or choking. Its VELOCITY FACTOR is very, very high.
Antennas can also be treated with the VERY same rules and benefit greatly from them as well. If the copper inside a A99 were to be replaced with this expensive but highly efficient copper; their performance would soar and people will wonder why. But they would hear and note a clear difference. Of course, calculating lengths and inner coils will require adjustments for the characteristic differences of the wire. It isn't cheap either; but would be a great touch and consideration for any mfr to rise above the rest. Be prepared to pay for the differnce though.
I still have some Mogami cable that I'm going to use for my Ham and CB base station, along with using a high-end mic. New wire tech will be affecting all electronics once they can produce enough low-oxygen copper to make it cheaper. Velocity factor wil no longer be a factor. It's too bad that Mogamire-cable doesn't make Ham/CB coax; it would be the best. Maybe they will - if they see some market in it.
High quality copper vs aluminum?
You bet it makes a difference!
Ten years ago, I user to be in a band, had a decent small recording studio, and I rented out my band's sound system to help pay for the cost of it all.
One little important detail made my sound system better than the other guys. (In truth, my competition used to come to some of the venues that I worked, and both marvel and wonder why my system sounded so so sweet as it did. They could not figure out what I did either. The secret was the cabling...) Most microphone and interconnect wire was just shielded multi core wire that could be bought off-the-shelf without a second thought. I went a very costly second step farther, and equipped my system with the exotic 'Mogami' brand cable.
This stuff was like gold per square foot. Price and quality. A single 20 ft mic cable for the cheap stuff was $15; Mogami was $30. Why did I go the distance with the exotic Mogami? The cable wouldn't lose sensitivity, output, or frequency response; all major recording studios use it for that very reason. The difference between cheap cable and the Mogami is dramatic. But no other sound company competitor knew or was willing to belly up to the bar and re-cable their system as I did. Point/score/win. I did some work with top music heavyweights, and they often thanked me for doing such a good job and and making it sound sooo sweet. The truth was, it was the cabling that put us there.
What does all of this have to do with a radio and its use? A lot. We use crummy mic cable and scramble to make our systems as efficient and top-end as possible. But have forgotten the cable. OK, some of us may use great coax to various degrees, but to use the best at the coax end AND the mic end hasn't even been touched. The secret to the Mogami cable is the QUALITY of the COPPER; lowest oxygen copper allows VERY little resistance, capacitance, or choking. Its VELOCITY FACTOR is very, very high.
Antennas can also be treated with the VERY same rules and benefit greatly from them as well. If the copper inside a A99 were to be replaced with this expensive but highly efficient copper; their performance would soar and people will wonder why. But they would hear and note a clear difference. Of course, calculating lengths and inner coils will require adjustments for the characteristic differences of the wire. It isn't cheap either; but would be a great touch and consideration for any mfr to rise above the rest. Be prepared to pay for the differnce though.
I still have some Mogami cable that I'm going to use for my Ham and CB base station, along with using a high-end mic. New wire tech will be affecting all electronics once they can produce enough low-oxygen copper to make it cheaper. Velocity factor wil no longer be a factor. It's too bad that Mogamire-cable doesn't make Ham/CB coax; it would be the best. Maybe they will - if they see some market in it.
High quality copper vs aluminum?
You bet it makes a difference!
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