Clay270 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Thanks to folks on this forum I have selected and started receiving some of my components...So far I purchased: F3's (which arrive next tuesday), a Sub-10, and C3, all driven by a Yamaha RX 363...(still searching for S3's...argh, might end up going with the B3's soon). In any rate, is there a recommendation for speaker wire which should be used (for each speaker type)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerolW Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Welcome. I've always used zip cord. At one time someone gave me a new roll of Monster cables. I heard no difference. I finally returned the cables to the factory because the outer casing became sticky and gooey. They sent me a new roll but I've never used it. jerol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 If you're on a budget, generic 14 gauge wire should be fine. It will sound better than 18 gauge zip cord, the stuff typically used for lamps and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Would someone please tell me what is up with this 1,000,000 dollar a foot super copper alloy speaker wire that i see on audiogon and other places?? The klipsh tech peole tell me that it is all hype. Supposedly a coat hanger wire won a blind listening test over several grades of high end stuff. I am using 12 ga coated speaker wire from lowes and it seems fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Maybe you'd need a million-dollar system before anyone could hear the difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I've never heard a difference in speaker wires with Klipsch speakers. In one old, good, test with someone else's speakers (i forget the brand and model), considerable differences were heard ONLY when the listeners KNEW what wire was being used, When they were blind to which wire was being used, they could not hear the difference between any of the high tech wires themselves (including Monster Cable & several other name brands), nor could they hear the diference between any of those wires and 16 gauge zip cord. I don;t remember the cord length, but I think it was about 20 feet. The "blind" listeners COULD hear ONE difference, however: Very thin Radio Shack "speaker wire" of the kind used to easily thread through attics and walls did sound reliably different --just "different" -- the listeners could not decide if it was better or worse! For reasons beyond understanding, I did buy some medium tech wire for my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 You can check out some prices for used wire at Welcome To USEDCABLE.COM. Be ready for sticker shock on some of those wires! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 Would someone please tell me what is up with this 1,000,000 dollar a foot super copper alloy speaker wire that i see on audiogon and other places?? The klipsh tech peole tell me that it is all hype. Supposedly a coat hanger wire won a blind listening test over several grades of high end stuff. I am using 12 ga coated speaker wire from lowes and it seems fine http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239 try this speaker wire might wanna look at my post on it http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/110376.aspx?PageIndex=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay270 Posted December 14, 2008 Author Share Posted December 14, 2008 Thanks for the input... Another question (i'm a novice)...Will I use the same wire for my Sub-10 as I will for al other speakers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 Do you believe in ghosts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Roland Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 I presently use 12 gauge stranded copper wire from The Home Depot. I think it costs about $0.60/foot. It sounds great to me. I have never tried any of the high-cost "audiophile" cables, yet I remain highly skeptical about whether they make any difference. I believe Peter Walker of Quad once remarked that the best speaker cables were those that reached from the amp to the speakers. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 you should use an rca coaxial subwoofer cable to the sub 10 if you have a subwoofer out on you receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Great feedback A must read for anyone buying speaker wire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Registrar Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 It is called "mental masturbation"! There is a great deal of that on Audiogon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Don't take this the wrong way but 14 gauge zip cord will work fine on your system. That's all I used for 25 years. However I'll have to disagree with the majority here and say speaker wire can be an important tuning tool for a high end system. I don't think this is a popular opinion here but all speaker wire has it's own sonic signature. Now, I can't say speaker cable A is "better" than speaker cable B, but I can say that cable A sounds different than cable B. Kinda like a Maggie 20.1 vs. a Klipschorn, both good but different sound. Keep an open mind until you have tried a few different cables on a number of systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Maybe an alternative way of putting it into context: Buy quality wire, not necessarily expensive... but of some certfied quality, of a good gauge (14 gauge or thicker), twisted strands, good insulation and stick with that wire in all speaker connections. Cheap wire is cheap and for a good reason...., and regardless of any advertised OFHC content, etc. the "purveyors" of really cheap wire are betting that you will not be able to test for impurities, cracked or broken strands, crappy insulation, etc. I would suspect that the really cheap stuff is bought in bulk from manufacturers who have spools of factory "seconds" that contain alloys that were less than spec, etc. And imported wire? After the melamine affair.... who knows what you are getting. It would not surprise me in the least that 90% of complaints about speaker wire quality are related to the source and method of manufacture. If it's not "ETP" certified (and USA made wire is very reliable in this regard), then yah pays your dues and take yer chances. $0.02[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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