Speaker Cables?

[Johan Liebert]

Other than impedance(material and gauge and length of cable) being the most important measure and maybe some shielding(not even sure if this is that important) and nice contacts(gold plated banana plugs, spades, speakon connects etc, is there any other thing that matters in speaker cables from a measurement perspective?

I sorta though that's all that mattered from a measurements perspective and then I read the Benchmark AHB2 thread where John Siau from Benchmark talked about Star-quad geometry and linked here.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...of-benchmark-ahb2-amp.7628/page-7#post-178989

It's been years since I last took fields and waves. The idea that the conductors parallel to each other carrying the same current/signal in the same direction is helpful since the magnetic fields created by them will be cancelled but I'm not sure what's the problem with the spacing between conductors.

I don't necessarily understand how a normal speaker cable may create a LR lowpass filter which rolls off the highs, if it does I guess is more exacerbated by the longer the cable length is.

That being said if I ever decide to get a Benchmark AHB2 or 2 their NL2 to Banana speaker cables aren't nuts to obtain or crazy overpriced.

 

[RayDunzl]

Other than impedance(material and gauge and length of cable) being the most important measure

Biwire 2AWG here... Just because I could...

 

[Wes]

a cable is an LCR ladder

it is possible to have a speaker with a low impedance "drop out" that effs up the amp depending on the speaker cable used (esp. an oddball audiophool cable)

long runs could pick up noise too

keep you speaker cables short, and cheap

 

[RayDunzl]

keep you speaker cables short, and cheap

5 feet and all from the scrap box here.

 

[Wes]

since you saved so many $$ on your cables, can you loan me an 'r' to fix the typo in my post?

 

[Johan Liebert]

I have some 12 feet 14 AWG copper Micca cables with gold plated Banana plugs connecting my Buchardt S400s and PS Audio Sprout 100.

If anything I'm pretty sure my integrated amp is the bottle neck in my setup.

What amp and speakers Ray?

 

[RayDunzl]

What amp and speakers Ray?

Krell FPB 350 mcx - mfg about 2005
Martin Logan reQuest electrostatic hybrid - 1998 model

 

[direstraitsfan98]

5 feet and all from the scrap box here.

Cable cheapskate!

 

[Chrispy]

Why would a speaker cable need shielding?

 

[Deleted member 9286]

If I needed to do 7 metre speaker cable runs, would this gauge be sufficient?

 

[Wombat]

Overkill for most home use. If the conductor is 4mm diameter you may have difficulty with it fitting connectors.

I tend to be suspicious re clear insulation. Low quality can turn the copper green(oxidation). Check with the seller.

 

[M00ndancer]

If I needed to do 7 metre speaker cable runs, would this gauge be sufficient?

2.5 mm would work too. Even 1.5 mm lamp cord would work perfectly.

 

[SIY]

As Wombat observed, clear vinyl insulation is generally not a good choice for longevity. The issue is chlorine and breakdown products from the plasticizers- this is far less of an issue with pigmented insulation, and pigmented PVC covered copper is generally quite stable over time. Sulfur corrosion was a problem with rubber insulation. A few companies have gotten clear PVC right, but I wouldn't recommend rolling the dice.

If you use 14 gauge insulated lamp cord, the total resistance will be about 0.1-0.2 ohm. If your speakers don't have a pathologically low impedance, this is more than good enough.

 

[Berwhale]

I purchased some Fisual S-Flex Bi-wire to rewire my fronts on my AVR (using spare presence/height channels to run the tweaters)...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JWQY5P4

The two core seems reasonable as well...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisual-S-Flex-Studio-Grade-Speaker-White/dp/B00JVSE5S0

I used Van Damme Blue cables previously, the Fisual stuff seems to be just as good and is a little cheaper and less conspicuous.

 

[Deleted member 9286]

Thanks all for the advice, much appreciated.

@Berwhale I’ll take a look at the Fisual stuff, thanks

 

[Koeitje]

If its not pure copper take 4mm2 instead of 2.5mm2.

 

[Speedskater]

• While it's doesn't happen very often, speaker cables can act as interference antennas (the interference sneaks in thru the feedback loop to the input stage). The RFI experts suggest using a twisted pair or StarQuad as a speaker cable. A shielded cable would as stop the interference, but a long shielded cable might cause other amplifier problems.
• If oxidation /corrosion happens after the connectors are permanently installed, it wound cause any audio frequency signal problems.
• For great measuring low budget speaker cable, for to the electrical department and get SouthWire brand Romex®. 3 conductor plus ground 14AWG. Wire it as a StarQuad. Yes, it's stiff and ugly!

 

[sejarzo]

https://www.markertek.com/product/4...-16awg-4-conductor-speaker-wire-gray-per-foot

http://www.nakamichiplugs.com/product/nakamichi-bfa-banana-plug-jack-24k-gold-plated-n0534e/

and be done with it, cheaply.

 

[cjm2077]

It's been years since I last took fields and waves. The idea that the conductors parallel to each other carrying the same current/signal in the same direction is helpful since the magnetic fields created by them will be cancelled but I'm not sure what's the problem with the spacing between conductors.

I don't necessarily understand how a normal speaker cable may create a LR lowpass filter which rolls off the highs, if it does I guess is more exacerbated by the longer the cable length is.

That being said if I ever decide to get a Benchmark AHB2 or 2 their NL2 to Banana speaker cables aren't nuts to obtain or crazy overpriced.

If you recall how an inductor works, it's based on the area inside the loop of wire (and the permeability of air in this case, or the permeability of the material inside the loop if there is a core). A speaker cable has a + and -, so when it is connected on each end to the speaker and power amp it forms a large loop. The tighter the wires are to each other, the smaller the loop area and therefore the smaller the inductance.

 

[kach22i]

I don't want to hi-jack the thread but have a quick question - on topic.

I have some high quality and very long (25 foot ish) speaker wires (Nordost), just hooked them up but have about 2/3rds the length still coiled up in hook and loop ties as the new run is much shorter.

Any danger in creating built up resistance coiled up like this?

I plan on replacing the speaker wires with something shorter and cheaper soon, just asking for the next two weeks of use.

Martin Logan - Aerius that goes down to 2-ohm paired with old Dynaco 120A amp until I refurbish my big tube amps.

I don't play loud, don't want to kill my little old amp.