Even the existing ribbon designs are far too thick to significantly reduce the problem. The conclusion that skin effect is of preeminent importance in audio cables is based on lengthy experimentation with different conductors. The second most important problem parameter has been found to be dielectric absorption, primarily with interconnect cables. Distortion introduced by the dielectric absorption in most plastic insulation materials is also a form of time smearing of the signal waveform which points again to the great sensitivity of the ear to time-related distortions. Many other commonly used parameters in audio cable design have been found to be either relatively unimportant or not applicable at audio frequencies.
Examples are extreme conductor metal purity and characteristic impedance.
The physics of skin effect phase shift in wires have been well known for many years. A change in driving voltage causes a corresponding change in the electric field which is propagated almost instantaneously from source to load in the space around the conductor. The skin effect is physically caused by the frequency dependent attenuation and slowing down of the induced signal current as it penetrates into and propagates through the conductor. The voltage generated at the load termination of the cable at an amplifier input, for example, is what actually controls the amplifier. This voltage is proportional to the total instantaneous signal current passed by the cable into the load.