# What is the Monster "Magnetic FluxTube"?



## 3602

RT..
 They don't even say what it does on their site. I only know of a "magnetic flux pipe" in astrophysics. What...do we pass some 88 volts through it and get mind-blowing sound quality from the future?
 Did anyone ever cut open a Monster cable and saw what this is? Any photos there?


----------



## Steve Eddy

It appears to just be a wire construction where the conductors are wrapped around an insulating center core or tube. 







 se


----------



## 3602

More senseless Monster marketing..thanks anyway.


----------



## spacemanspliff

Flux capacitor ftw!

 Where monster is going, there are no roads!


----------



## Uncle Erik

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *3602* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_More senseless Monster marketing..thanks anyway._

 

If this were proposed by a more "respectable" cable manufacturer, some people here would be defending it to the bitter end.


----------



## 3602

But which one? Pear cable? Nordost? STEALTH?


----------



## Mad Max

That's a lot of supposed technologies cramped into some toothpick-thin cable. Heck, not even toothpick-thin. It does shape the sound of the Turbine though. I plugged them into my RE0's extension cord and the sound signature got seriously messed up, almost sounded like a different phone, which was strange and unexpected. I plug my FX300 or PL30 into the same cord and they get slightly louder with better bass. It's wierd.

 That and marketing by Monster. =\


----------



## Drblank

It claims it reduces distortion and increased dynamic range.   I wish companies, regardless of price level would post useful and meaningful graphs and measurements to prove their claims, unfortunately they don't have to.

 Has anyone actually requested measurements from the factory?


----------



## Mad Max

It's just a fluffed-up version of late 1800s marketing of those first twisted-pair cables.  It is an overblown way to present the ubiquitous magnet wire cable used in almost every headphone currently produced.  A bundle of unextraordinary copper strands, each coated with enamel, then spiraled around a cotton core to help reduce microphonics a bit (or so I assume that is what the cotton is for).  Each conductor is then assembled in regular ol' twisted pair geometry.
Edit: I'm still laughing at reading my own post from five years ago.


----------



## Drblank

I just saw this video posted by another cable mfg explaining what might be what this Magnetic FluxTube is all about.
  
 Here's the video, decide for yourself.
  
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkYqfiOVOVY


----------



## Drblank

The magnetic flux tube isn't cotton.  I was just at the store buying some cable and the sales rep was explaining this new Monster cable with Magnetic FluxTube.  It was new to me, so that's why I'm trying to look up what it's all about.  I didn't buy any.  Plus, they don't list the gauge of this type of wire, which is a little odd..  I bought something else because I was specifically buying 12 gauge wire.


----------



## Speedskater

In the above 4 1/2 minute video, the first 3 1/2 minutes are correct, while the last 1 minute as relating to cable is total nonsense.  The first part is about how a loudspeaker works.  Also any other system that has a moving magnet past a a conductor or a moving conductor past a magnet. Do you have moving magnets in your audio cables?


----------



## Drblank

No, but the Monster cable has a magnet inside. They are just showing about the eddy current existing.  I know it's not that easy to show because it's something that is invisible to us just like electricity is.  I would be much more convinced of it's ability to do something if they showed the cable without the Magnetic FluxTube inside vs exact same cable with. If they could show a noise level comparison that was lower or some other useful measurement to prove it's effectiveness, then that would convince me a little more.
  
 Then there is the "listening" to different cables and seeing if there is any noticeable difference.  I guess that's what most people would probably do since the average consumer isn't going to break out expensive test equipment to measure a cable that probably costs less than the test equipment itself, let alone having to go through training to understand what measurements to take, how to perform the measurements and then understanding the results.  The average consumer isn't going to do that. Some geeks with test equipment might, so if the mfg doesn't release any, then maybe someone with equipment and time on their hands will do that.


----------



## Drblank

No, but the Monster cable has a magnet inside. They are just showing about the eddy current existing.  I know it's not that easy to show because it's something that is invisible to us just like electricity is.  I would be much more convinced of it's ability to do something if they showed the cable without the Magnetic FluxTube inside vs exact same cable with. If they could show a noise level comparison that was lower or some other useful measurement to prove it's effectiveness, then that would convince me a little more.
  
 Then there is the "listening" to different cables and seeing if there is any noticeable difference.  I guess that's what most people would probably do since the average consumer isn't going to break out expensive test equipment to measure a cable that probably costs less than the test equipment itself, let alone having to go through training to understand what measurements to take, how to perform the measurements and then understanding the results.  The average consumer isn't going to do that. Some geeks with test equipment might, so if the mfg doesn't release any, then maybe someone with equipment and time on their hands will do that.
  
 The other thing that I raised is that this video isn't from Monster, it was from another cable mfg that does more high end cables.  I don't know if it's the exact same thing, but it appears to.
  
 Here's my philosophy on things like this.  If the company doesn't have any compelling measurements and there's not reviews of the product, and I'm still not convinced, I with them either decide to try my own listening tests or I will just simply cast it off as something I'm not convinced of.  I don't really go much past that unless the company is blatantly making some false claims and not even TRYING to discuss what the product actually does.  It's unfortunate the audio industry is like that, but it is. Unfortunately, there aren't enough rules on publishing measurements, etc.


----------



## Mad Max

drblank said:


> The magnetic flux tube isn't cotton...


 
  
 Yes it is, take a Monster cable built in the manner that they describe and cut it open.


----------



## Drblank

Oh really??  Are you sure you opened up the right stuff?  They have other cables that don't have the magnetic flux tube that was packaged similarly.  Do you have a photo of it?
  
 I know some cables do have cotton, but others have some form of plastic, etc..  I didn't look closely at the store since I didn't buy it.
  
 That sucks if it is cotton, I don't know how one can turn cotton into a magnetic strip.
  
 I have to go back to the store in a couple of days, I'll check it out.


----------



## Drblank

The sales guy at the store told me that there was some magnetic strip running inside the cable and he tried to give me the pushy salesperson rap and I just said "Huh".
  
 I just told him all I needed was 12gauge zip wire type speaker cable for this application and that's all I needed.  This was at Fry's Electronics.  I guess if you pay people $8 an hour, you are going to get an $8 an hour response.


----------



## Mad Max

Yes, an interconnect and I have also reterminated Turbine Pros which advertise the same in their cable construction.
  
 Okay, I'm sorry that I was being asinine just to slam Monster, but I did not exaggerate.  Their cables with the supposed "magnetic flux tube" are just ordinary enameled copper cables with a cotton core; many stock cables are built that way, I tell you from experience.  I have never heard of cables with any kind of flexible magnetic material going through it.
  
 For all I know, however, there could be some slight electrical benefit to the cotton core as it is a dielectric (when dry), much like PVC, polyethylene, teflon, and polypropylene.


----------



## Speedskater

They could never sell a cable with any magnetic materials let alone an actual magnet to golden eared audiophiles.


----------

