Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Speaker Cable Advice Needed Please

I'm down to Axiom and BJC. Seems that oxygen free copper(OFC)in Axiom's product may account for the difference in price. Axiom's team must believe it has some value (corrosion resistance?). I trust them. For science/engineer types out there, what say you?

I'm virtually certain that OFC is used in Blue Jeans cables as well.

I'm pretty sure Blue Jeans is OFC as well and you're correct, it is to help it not oxidize.

Doing a quick scan of the thinking around OFC reveals that besides the corrosion issue (wonder how long it takes non-OFC speaker wire in a dry home to turn green?!), OFC's greater purity -- lacks iron for instance -- should result in less resistance. I don't know how much any of this makes a difference. I do trust that Axiom wouldn't market snake oil!

I have noted Axiom's speaker wire is one of the most pliable cord I have ever seen, certainly no snake oil here. I have extra little bits that I have set up for use with my multimeter and as jumper wires for testing circuits at work.

I suspect you're overthinking this.

True

as long as you're having fun. We've all been there.

Blu, no copper wire of the sort used in audio is entirely oxygen free. A minute quantity of oxygen is added in the manufacturing process to chemically bind with impurities and improve the properties of the wire. All the copper wire used in audio applications is better than 99.9% pure. Certain copper used in high temperature hydrogen-rich operating conditions has no oxygen added since it would combine with the hydrogen to form water in a rather undesirable explosive manner, destroying the connection.

Oxygen and moisture in the air, not bound up in the wire, can lead to corrosion. The "oxygen-free" language is fairly standard in today's audio terminology and can be disregarded when buying.

Another place to check out for budget high quality cable is Parts Express. I'll put a link to their speaker cable listing right here. The Dayton cable sounds like it's highly recommended and the price for a 6 ft pair of 14 gauge spaded cable is less than $35, $50 for 10 ft. The RCA cable looks great too. I'm giving this cable a buy myself soon to check out.