Oh, don't be crabby. It's a lot of fine conductors woven around a
fibrous insulating core, and it's not very solderable. So it might as
well be tinsel.
So, what's the absolutely correct name for this construction?
In North America, cables are described by their application class, UL
Style number and construction.
As the wire that interests the OP is likely of Asian design and
origin, it may be described somewhat differently.
Stranding count, gauge, serving style, core and jacket material would
likely be required to fully describe flexible cable for consumer audio
applications.
It's an interesting thought, though; just what off-beat permutations
and combinations of events would be required for a Japanese
manufacturer to label something with a North-American colloquialism
associated with decorating material or dressmaking. Metalic threads
were not unknown in centuries past, so they'd likely have their own
terms for round or flattened varieties.
Last 'tinsel' wire I saw was in mono earplug leads, a la 1965. Biggest
problem was normal conductor surface contamination from outgassing
insulation, with age, and the further contaminating effects of burning
core material at soldering temperatures.
RL
