Speaker cable advice

[Jim Shaw]

The spittal flies and the "you didn't pay enough to be a proper audiophile" rule slides between material science and superstition.
You gotta admit it's fun to watch. Just stay off trajectory enough to avoid the spittal... and splotches of mud and feces.

 

[Bren Derlin]

Monoprice in-wall wire is fantastic. Just order a big spool - throw some banana plugs on the ends if needed. Right angle banana plugs are great for the back of the AVR, stand mount speakers, and on-wall speakers.

 

[Chrispy]

The spittal flies and the "you didn't pay enough to be a proper audiophile" rule slides between material science and superstition.
You gotta admit it's fun to watch. Just stay off trajectory enough to avoid the spittal... and splotches of mud and feces.

TMI

 

[fpitas]

Monoprice in-wall wire is fantastic. Just order a big spool - throw some banana plugs on the ends if needed. Right angle banana plugs are great for the back of the AVR, stand mount speakers, and on-wall speakers.

Yep, that's the stuff I use.

 

[buz]

Are 2.5mm2 (roughly 13-14 AWG) good enough for a ~10m run to Kef R3 (carrying at most 100ish W)? Those would be easier to fit than 4mm2 (12AWG)...

 

[GIEGAR]

Are 2.5mm2 (roughly 13-14 AWG) good enough for a ~10m run to Kef R3 (carrying at most 100ish W)? Those would be easier to fit than 4mm2 (12AWG)...

See the links in post #19.

 

[Bob from Florida]

Here is a link to damping factor at Benchmark.

Audio Myth - "Damping Factor Isn't Much of a Factor"

Myth - "Damping Factor Isn't Much of a Factor" Myth - "A Damping Factor of 10 is High Enough" Myth - "All Amplifiers Have a High-Enough Damping Factor" Where did these Myths Originate? These myths seem to trace back to a well-known paper (PDF) written by Dick Pierce. His analysis shows that a...

benchmarkmedia.com

If you know the minimum and max impedances of your loudspeakers plus the damping factor of your amp, the spreadsheet can show you how speaker wire gauge makes a difference in your system. The short answer is larger wire is generally better, assuming the amplifier output impedance is low.

 

[buz]

Ended up getting 4mm2, peace of mind and all that

 

[fpitas]

Ended up getting 4mm2, peace of mind and all that

Probably a good move.

 

[egellings]

So zipcord cannot be ofc, by definition?

Zip cord manufactures see no reason to do that, and so do not bother with such nonsense.

 

[ryanosaur]

Zip cord manufactures see no reason to do that, and so do not bother with such nonsense.

Well, to be fair, the definition of zipcord as best I understand it is two (or more) conductors held together by an insulating jacket which can easily be pulled apart.
Monoprice Choice Speaker cable is zipcord. It is also OFC.
*shrugs

 

[egellings]

Standard zip cord was intended for connecting appliances to electrical outlets. It works for speaker cable and other low voltage applications as well and is adequate for those jobs. As far as OFC goes, it's overrated, and I doubt that, all other things being equal, listeners would be able to hear the difference between OFC and non-OFC wire in a blinded controlled listening test.

 

[fpitas]

Standard zip cord was intended for connecting appliances to electrical outlets. It works for speaker cable and other low voltage applications as well and is adequate for those jobs. As far as OFC goes, it's overrated, and I doubt that, all other things being equal, listeners would be able to hear the difference between OFC and non-OFC wire in a blinded controlled listening test.

Well, of course not. Anyone using zip cord must have the crudest of systems. No way it has the resolution to hear a really good cable.

/

 

[egellings]

You'd need to do the supervised blinded listening test to show that. With zip cord, the gauge needs to be adequate for the job. Those tiny zip cords used in cheap all-in-one systems have enough DCR to possibly make an audible difference. Of course, interpretation of listeners' identical eardrum vibrations (all listening to the same sound) will differ between people, and differences have been reported in blinded cable tests even when the cable was not changed out with a different capable one. Beliefs about sound affect perception of it. Ya just can't get away from that; I don't care if you have Lloyd's or Levinson.

 

[Inner Space]

... I doubt that, all other things being equal, listeners would be able to hear the difference between OFC and non-OFC wire in a blinded controlled listening test.

You could bet your mortgage on it. The highest grade so-called OFC has about 0.0005% oxygen in it, and the standard bulk-buy wire used everywhere has about 0.03%. Both achieve a minimum IACS conductivity rating north of 101%. To distinguish between the two by ear alone would be supernatural.

The only difference would come if the wire got hot enough to melt and sputter. The higher grade would allow marginally fewer side reactions because of marginally less oxygen release. But you wouldn't be totally concerned about that, because your house would be burning down at the time.

 

[ryanosaur]

Standard zip cord was intended for connecting appliances to electrical outlets. It works for speaker cable and other low voltage applications as well and is adequate for those jobs. As far as OFC goes, it's overrated, and I doubt that, all other things being equal, listeners would be able to hear the difference between OFC and non-OFC wire in a blinded controlled listening test.

I agree with you about OFC. To me, OFC isn't so much a selling point. Its simply fairly standard to find it these days in Speaker Cable, and it isn't expensive. Beyond that, I don't really know why we are continuing this micro-thread of a conversation unless you still take exception to my quip above, to friend @Chrispy , regarding zip cord and ofc.

???

 

[egellings]

I agree; OFC used in home audio is a big nothingburger.

 

[Speedskater]

The only thing that might matter is:
The total end-to-end resistance of the cable in respect to the impedance curve of the loudspeaker.

 

[fpitas]

The only thing that might matter is:
The total end-to-end resistance of the cable in respect to the impedance curve of the loudspeaker.

Yes, that's why it pays to err on the side of "too big" for your speaker cable. It just doesn't cost much more.

 

[Speedskater]

The only thing that might matter is:
The total end-to-end resistance of the cable in respect to the impedance curve of the loudspeaker.

The cable can be short & thin or long & fat.
It can be made out of, gold, silver, OFC copper, copper or Copper Clad Aluminum.
All that might matter is the total resistance.