Speaker cable advice

[ryanosaur]

I was wondering how long it would take to see Roger Russell get dropped!

Where ofc comes into play now is that there is really no premium on it. I can’t say when I last saw non ofc speaker wire that was still copper. In the end it’s not like we are talking about quantum tunneled single crystal extruded one way battery pack cables. Ofc is simply today speaker-wire copper.

I concur with dodging any copper-clad product. Steel and aluminum are cr@ppy conductors. The use case for those simply isn’t in home audio. *shrugs
It’s not that they don’t or won’t work, but why?!! when copper is still affordable?

 

[mhardy6647]

I make my own speaker cables, too. Usually I get enough electronics at work, but that job is so trivial it's almost fun.

Heck, even making interconnects is fun, if one is in a suitable frame of mind.
Speaker cables are (indeed) pretty trivial, depending on what, if any, terminations are required.
I am fine with stripping back insulation (e.g., on "zip cord" style wiring) and just twisting the strands neatly... and tinning to keep them together.
This thread does bring one question to mind for ASR: How do y'all feel about tinning?

Oh, and another 'vote' for all copper cabling vs. "CCA".

all opinions offered "as is" and FWIW. No warranty.

 

[Jason Shep]

Big thanks everyone, it looks like 14awg/2.5mm is what I’ll use & definitely not any cca junk!

 

[fpitas]

Heck, even making interconnects is fun, if one is in a suitable frame of mind.
Speaker cables are pretty trivial, depending on what, if any, terminations are required.
I am fine with stripping back insulation (e.g., on "zip cord" style wiring) and just twisting the strands neatly... and tinning to keep them together.
This thread does bring one question to mind for ASR: How do y'all feel about tinning?

Oh, and another 'vote' for all copper cabling vs. "CCA".

all opinions offered "as is" and FWIW. No warranty.

I use ring tongue terminals, crimped and soldered, with posts that accept them at the speakers. I also use a copper crush washer, since the posts allow wrenching. Obsessive? Yep I use spades at the amp end, for the amps whose posts don't accept a ring.

If I *had* to slip a wire into a regular binding post I'd worry a bit about tinning, but mostly about the connection loosening in time.

 

[fieldcar]

Obsessive? Yep

I'd say it isn't obsessive. I had freely spinning banana plugs from amazon basics. I couldn't figure out why I had occasional distortion that occurred alongside bass.

Don't buy these or anything like it. All of the other styles are superior, but I like locking connectors and the neat ones that have a single spring out the side of the banana pin.

 

[Chrispy]

I was wondering how long it would take to see Roger Russell get dropped!

Where ofc comes into play now is that there is really no premium on it. I can’t say when I last saw non ofc speaker wire that was still copper. In the end it’s not like we are talking about quantum tunneled single crystal extruded one way battery pack cables. Ofc is simply today speaker-wire copper.

I concur with dodging any copper-clad product. Steel and aluminum are cr@ppy conductors. The use case for those simply isn’t in home audio. *shrugs
It’s not that they don’t or won’t work, but why?!! when copper is still affordable?

Then again ETP copper is just fine, too. OFC is nice but not particularly needed. If you do get CCA then bump up the gauge/thickness to account for the difference, but I'd also just generally avoid CCA in the first place....

 

[fpitas]

I'd say it isn't obsessive. I had freely spinning banana plugs from amazon basics. I couldn't figure out why I had occasional distortion that occurred alongside bass.

Don't buy these or anything like it. All of the other styles are superior, but I like locking connectors and the neat ones that have a single spring out the side of the banana pin.

If I wanted quick disconnects these days I'd use Speakons. I'm pretty allergic to bananas. Even the Pomona plugs at work show variation if they're moved at all.

 

[fineMen]

Big thanks everyone, it looks like 14awg/2.5mm is what I’ll use & definitely not any cca junk!

Ohm, don't disregard CCAW. The copper cladding isn't to fool people. It only assures that the individual strands have some ever-changing fresh contact within the cable so that they may not be that sensible to bending (once in a long while). Aluminium itself can't do that, because its surface oxidizes in milli-seconds to non-conducting material otherwise known as sapphire (sounds more brilliant).

We'll need aluminium, solid or as CCAW for the next gen/ power grid heavily (pun not intended). But that's a totally different field of considerations.

 

[Timcognito]

10 Gauge

https://www.amazon.com/Copper-American-Gauge-Wire/dp/B074S12G91/ref=pd_ybh_a_sccl_60/145-3444198-3355466?pd_rd_w=cFA18&content-id=amzn1.sym.67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_p=67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_r=1Y68SQACV76B3C8GPXJ2&pd_rd_wg=QORq2&pd_rd_r=aff3d090-85d4-4375-8be0-69ff672f7e49&pd_rd_i=B074S12G91&psc=1

 

[fpitas]

10 Gauge

https://www.amazon.com/Copper-American-Gauge-Wire/dp/B074S12G91/ref=pd_ybh_a_sccl_60/145-3444198-3355466?pd_rd_w=cFA18&content-id=amzn1.sym.67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_p=67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_r=1Y68SQACV76B3C8GPXJ2&pd_rd_wg=QORq2&pd_rd_r=aff3d090-85d4-4375-8be0-69ff672f7e49&pd_rd_i=B074S12G91&psc=1

But those red and black colors will make everything sound Canadian

 

[ryanosaur]

red and black colors will make everything sound Canadian

You mean "aboot" and "agān"?
But their colors are red and white... not black... and I'm not even from Canuckistan!

 

[Doodski]

You mean "aboot" and "agān"?
But their colors are red and white... not black... and I'm not even from Canuckistan!

Black like our hearts and red like our hot bloody blood...lol.

 

[RayDunzl]

10 Gauge

https://www.amazon.com/Copper-American-Gauge-Wire/dp/B074S12G91/ref=pd_ybh_a_sccl_60/145-3444198-3355466?pd_rd_w=cFA18&content-id=amzn1.sym.67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_p=67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_r=1Y68SQACV76B3C8GPXJ2&pd_rd_wg=QORq2&pd_rd_r=aff3d090-85d4-4375-8be0-69ff672f7e49&pd_rd_i=B074S12G91&psc=1

2AWG here.

Biwired just for more fun.

Because I could.

All from the telephony junk box.

 

[Timcognito]

2AWG here.

Biwired just for more fun.

Because I could.

All from the telephony junk box.

Off the chart

 

[Chrispy]

I was wondering how long it would take to see Roger Russell get dropped!

Where ofc comes into play now is that there is really no premium on it. I can’t say when I last saw non ofc speaker wire that was still copper. In the end it’s not like we are talking about quantum tunneled single crystal extruded one way battery pack cables. Ofc is simply today speaker-wire copper.

I concur with dodging any copper-clad product. Steel and aluminum are cr@ppy conductors. The use case for those simply isn’t in home audio. *shrugs
It’s not that they don’t or won’t work, but why?!! when copper is still affordable?

What, you've never seen basic zip cord?

 

[3125b]

has anybody shown that copper clad aluminum is sonically worse?

It isn´t, however the conductivity of aluminium is lower than copper, so to achive equal resistance you´d need to buy one size up (4mm² instead of 2,5mm² for example). At that point it isn´t really cheaper anymore and you´d just end up with an unnecessarily thick and stiff wire.

 

[Vacceo]

Is it copper? Does it have the required length and gauge? If both are yes, that´s the cable you need.

 

[Jim Shaw]

I have used this with total satisfaction for over 15 years and four upgrades in speakers. I don't even use banana plugs because I rarely make speaker changes. I have a 50-foot run to the farthest speaker, so I bought 100 feet. You should get along with a 50' spool. In my case, I'm connecting a 150-watt per channel amp and a speaker set measured at 5.0 ohms minimum. Works fine.

Audio techs I know working in recording studios and similarly powered reinforcement only choose heavier-duty/heavier jacketed cables for durability and flexibility, not audio quality. For more than a 50' run, I might change to maybe some 10 AWG wires.

If I wanted to make a better investment, I'd take the price of foo-foo cables, subtract the $30, buy these, and use the difference for lottery tickets. You're more likely to win for the price.

 

[ryanosaur]

I have used this with total satisfaction for over 15 years and four upgrades in speakers. I don't even use banana plugs because I rarely make speaker changes. I have a 50-foot run to the farthest speaker, so I bought 100 feet. You should get along with a 50' spool. In my case, I'm connecting a 150-watt per channel amp and a speaker set measured at 5.0 ohms minimum. Works fine.

Audio techs I know working in recording studios and similarly powered reinforcement only choose heavier-duty/heavier jacketed cables for durability and flexibility, not audio quality. For more than a 50' run, I might change to maybe some 10 AWG wires.

If I wanted to make a better investment, I'd take the price of foo-foo cables, subtract the $30, buy these, and use the difference for lottery tickets. You're more likely to win for the price.
View attachment 241874

When I set up my room, that's exactly what I bought... 2 100' spools of the Monoprice Choice 12AWG.

I've noticed in some places, some of it may be oxidizing. My installation is only 4 yrs old. A little disappointing if that's the case. I'm going to be doing some retooling soon and will check the wiring and decide if I change it out or not. *shrugs

 

[ryanosaur]

What, you've never seen basic zip cord?

Of course I have... where'd you get that silly notion from? Technically, that's what is snaking all around my room!