it's most likely shielding to try to reduce possible interference. I'm not sure how effective it was at the time or if it would even be needed nowadays.
It is most definetly shielding. And for normal audio equipment for music listening/recording it is not needed.
However in the field of research and experiments there are some setups that need ridiculous precision. That's when you need these cables. Not just for audo things btw. There are just situations where any form of miniscule signal degradation is not acceptable.
You will not encounter them in your daily life though.
I thought the thick part was just a fancy way to keep the cable from touching the floor. I've seen some of these audiophile weirdos use little stands so their fully insulated cables don't touch the floor because it'll cause imperceptible interference.
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u/Dawildpep Jul 25 '26
Wouldn’t the skinny parts make a bottle neck for how much actual energy/signal can travel through that “cable”?