Speaker cable binding posts

[Jwg1749]

Any thoughts why capacitance should be reduced with the covers off? The contact area between speaker cable and terminal isn't changed, is it?

Matt

Hi Matt,

Capacitance arises due to 'skin effect', which sees the majority of current flows occurring around the surface of the binding post where they interact with the plastic of the screw covers (as well as the banana plugs). Since air has a far lower dielectric coefficient than any plastic, capacitance is reduced when the plastic is taken away.

Cheers
Mark

Cheers, Mark.
Are you sure you're not confusing skin effect (which is internal to the conductor) and the electromagnetic field surrounding the conductor? It's the electromagnetic field that carries the signal, and electromagnetic fields can pass through plastic, can't they?
Matt