Posted by Al Sekela on December 21, 2002 at 08:36:07:
In Reply to: ESL Speakers as RF Antennas ?.. Cables make a difference? posted by Will Robertson on December 20, 2002 at 17:39:29:
Yes, one could use an electrostatic speaker stator as a radio antenna, and you're correct that the operating voltages are nine orders of magnitude larger than what the speakers could collect in even strong RF environments.
The problem with RFI is that the signal levels at the inputs to our equipment chains are so small that the RF level becomes comparable to the details in the music. The RF is mixed down to make audible artifacts when it encounters a nonlinear circuit element, such as a tube, a transistor, or even an oxidized contact.
Worse yet, some audio components can generate RFI in their normal operation through poor design. This possible source is so close to the other components that it can be a severe problem even if you live in a generally RF-quiet area. Other home appliances and the new compact fluorescent light bulbs are other possible sources of local, and therefore strong, RFI.
My problem with RFI in Phoenix manifested itself clearly on Patricia Barber's _Cafe Blue_, where the sibilants and cymbals sounded like frying bacon. Her CDs are so well recorded, that any sense of distortion in her sibilants is a likely sign of RFI in your system.