I say yes, especially if it is the presence of magnetic fields from nearby parts. But it is getting more and more difficult to find nonmagnetic components new.
Nope..... no issue there.
Don't over-think things that are insignificant, it'll make you nuts.
And don't listen to those overly obsessed who nit-pick over such trivial subjects.
Wiseoldtech, good advice. If you were building a magnetometer worry, an audio amp, no.
Low output impedences, along with the high signal levels of output circuits are not affected by any sort of magnetic or human-hearable interferences.....
Unless, of course, you're an alien from some other planet.
Resistors, capacitors, diodes, rca cables, and usb plugs respond to magnets. But transistors do not. Perhaps it depends on when the components were made.
Define "sounds ugly"
Beyond preconception, blind belief, no measurable proof, etc.
As a side note, you must suffer horribly, anything you hear has already gone through dozens-hundreds of magnetic leads already.
Beyond preconception, blind belief, no measurable proof, etc.
As a side note, you must suffer horribly, anything you hear has already gone through dozens-hundreds of magnetic leads already.
I was curious about the hundreds of steel lead components that a signal passes thru, so I did a quick but of course non thorough test using a magnet on components I have. Sure enough, cheap electrolyte caps, some diodes, and wire wound and standard blog resisters have magnetic properties. Curiously, TI 5532 opamps do to, however none of my other collection did. I do know that copper is a better conductor than steel. I wonder what the quality of components exists in studio equipment. Just saying....
That brings me to the famous "wire coathanger" story...
Once upon a time, a guy had several of his friends come over for a blind test to listen to various speaker cables, and asked them which ones made the music sound best.
One set of cables was an expensive brand...
That set of cables failed - the listeners chose "the other cables".
Which were a pair of wire coathangers strung together.
An expert could explain what exactly is used to make component leads. Since the the leads have magnetic properties, I think iron is involved, not steel.
Old school components like TO-220 regulators sometimes are hard to solder because of corrosion. Modern components are tinned to reduce corrosion. Billions of electronic components are made this way. It is nothing to worry about.
https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/metallurgist
Iron is just one particular case of steel, so in practical use the words are interchangeable.
Chemically pure iron would be great to use there, because it would be softest, easiest to cut with nippers, easier to draw into wire, etc. but it´s relatively expensive, simply because it´s not much used.
Without chemical analysis, just by using it (cutting-bending it during assembly) I don´t think lead wire is pure iron by far, it´s too stiff for that.
I DO use different grade steels regularly, since I make my own speakers, best I can find is some modern equivalent of SAE1008, whose description matches what we find in components:
1. DESCRIPTION
Weldable steel wire in coils for thin drawing and cold rolling. Suitable for
production of threaded bars.
and whose composition is:
2. HEAT CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
------C---Mn---Si-----P-----S (all in %)
max 0.10 0.50 0.10 0.030 0.040
as you see, even the softest purest steel/iron commercially available is quite an alloy
And even so, my lathe operator HATES it; being so soft (compared to others) it produces endless very sharp edge "spirals" nasty to remove, which clog lathe easily .... ugh!
I care about its magnetic properties, because I use it to make speaker magnetic circuits (duh!) .... now, .... as a component leg? ... no big deal 🙂
Chemically pure iron would be great to use there, because it would be softest, easiest to cut with nippers, easier to draw into wire, etc. but it´s relatively expensive, simply because it´s not much used.
Without chemical analysis, just by using it (cutting-bending it during assembly) I don´t think lead wire is pure iron by far, it´s too stiff for that.
I DO use different grade steels regularly, since I make my own speakers, best I can find is some modern equivalent of SAE1008, whose description matches what we find in components:
1. DESCRIPTION
Weldable steel wire in coils for thin drawing and cold rolling. Suitable for
production of threaded bars.
and whose composition is:
2. HEAT CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
------C---Mn---Si-----P-----S (all in %)
max 0.10 0.50 0.10 0.030 0.040
as you see, even the softest purest steel/iron commercially available is quite an alloy
And even so, my lathe operator HATES it; being so soft (compared to others) it produces endless very sharp edge "spirals" nasty to remove, which clog lathe easily .... ugh!
I care about its magnetic properties, because I use it to make speaker magnetic circuits (duh!) .... now, .... as a component leg? ... no big deal 🙂
Generally acceptable except when dealing with 553x, 4562 and 497x0 family and perhaps just a very few others still laid unnoticed.
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I believe every change, whatever a small change, affects quality of the sound as improvement or as worsening.
So if I had the opportunity to easily choose between magnetic metal and copper I would choose copper.
Obviously if no choice exists then the issue does not arise.
However I think that the fun of DIY also passes through this kind of choices, but it should remain a pleasure not become a matter of principle. IMHO
When visual cues are removed, any 'Golden Ears' magically become Cloth Eared...
If I may I'd like to share my thoughts about it since I read that story differently. 🤔
I think I'm not a "golden ears", but I know I recognize the effect of some changes in my system.
What I've read in that story is that the change makes a difference and that difference affects the sound.
Since if there was no difference then the listeners cannot say they listen to a better sound with the wire of hangers instead of cables.
In my opinion the point is not that the cable has "lost" the challenge, in my view the point is that those listeners have heard a difference and gave a preference.
Whatever the "winner" is not interesting to me, instead I'm interested about the existing difference and that it was established by the fact it was detected and then preferred by listeners.
So it is no matter which kind of interconnection won the test, but I wonder what it would be said if the listeners had preferred the cable instead.
Maybe someone would have said that the test was piloted and that the listeners had detected a non-existing difference? 🙄
I believe you are wrong.
My belief is stronger and bigger than yours.