Originally posted by hbiss:
It's true current flows over the surface... Thank you, Bill. Surface current is NOT isolated to RF.
Skin Effect is the phenomenon where AC signals will flow only along the outer skin of a conductor. The higher the frequency the more pronounced the effect.
At power line frequencies and audio frequencies skin effect is almost unmeasurable so don't even go there. This is the kind of nonsense Monster Cable (and others) use to suck people into spending $$$$ on gold plated oxygen free stranded audio cables.
Had a friend of mine that is working for Edison as a cable splicer, he told me that was a true statement in so far as the cables used on the high voltage transmission towers. Solid is too heavy and for this reason they are hollow and mostly Aluminum.
I've never heard of that. Aluminum yes. Like I said, at 60Hz it would make no difference. If they truly are using a hollow conductor it has to be for some other reason, possibly they are pumping a cooling fluid through it.
-Hal
I share your opinion of "high end" audio cables, but nobody else hear was talking about audio or making claims of skin effect at audio frequencies.
Skin effect also wouldn't be an issue at 60Hz, but a quick Google search does turn up information on high voltage power lines being hollow to reduce the weight. The large diameter of the cable reduces corona losses, but has nothing to do with skin effect.
