RCA cable lengths? matching?

[InVeNtOr]

okay i have to ask. does it matter if your RCA cable lengths are different lengths? i am talking inches maybe 6" max between pairs. i am making all new rca cables and am terminating them to exact lengths so i don't have coils of wire behind my et center. so if you route the cables from the processor to the amp, the amp rca plugs are spread apart. so the main right speaker will have an rca less than 6" longer than the main left speaker.

i know there is people out there that have the same wire lenghts on all their speakers, so this is in that debatable area. i assue it wouldn't make a difference, but i haven't done any A/B tests regarding that.

again this is just something i have to ask and see if there is any stong opinions regarding it. i am pretty positive that all my wire lengths to all my speakers are different lengths, even when talking about the match pairs (Mains, rears, surrounds).

anyways, thanks for the input.

[russ69]

I've never heard any difference with unequal length wires but I always keep the lengths identical. That way I am assured that everything is as good as it can be but I can't prove any improvement.

Thanx, Russ

[Don Richard]

i am making all new rca cables and am terminating them to exact lengths so i don't have coils of wire behind my et center.

Good deal making your wires yourself - you can really clear up clutter when the wires are exact length. With that in mind, cut each cable to exact size for neatness and sleep well knowing the channel balance will not be affected.

[Thaddeus Smith]

increasing the gap of cable lengths inversely relates to a decreasing audio quality. I can't prove it, but it's true.

[tube fanatic]

A few inches difference is of no consequence unless you are using very high capacitance coax.

[InVeNtOr]

The capacitance is 13.

I went back and rerouted and rebroke out all RCA cables. Now all matching speakers (mains, surrounds, rears) all have same length cables.

[Mightyrajh]

The signal is travelling at the speed of light (nearly). I don't think even the most golden of ears is going to hear a difference in a few inches or even feet.

[WMcD]

We get this sort of question a few times a year.

Roughly, sound travels at 1000 feet per second. The electricity in wire travels somewhat under the speed of light -- which is roughly 1 million times faster than the speed of sound.

So, if you have one feed wire, one foot longer, this is like having that speaker 1 millionth of a foot farther distant.

It is true that very long RCA type feed wires can degrade sound. but the old rule of thumb was that up to 16 feet is okay.

The bottom line is that you shouldn't worry. Further, no one knows about what was done in the process of microphones and mixing of music. Maybe the cable from one microphone of a stereo pair to the mixing board was one foot longer. But which one? Horrors and confusion.

Wm McD

[InVeNtOr]

thanks for the input guys. i know the properties of electron flow, but had to ask anyway. i wanted to know if anyone had different lengths and could hear the difference. like i posted eariler, i did change the routing and they all match now (well within .25"). it was something i just had to ask.