High quality & rugged speaker cable recommendation?

[OO1]

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[polizzio]

20 minutes ago, Tony Whitlow said:

Wire is wire. It just needs to pass current.


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Well i don't know about that, as an absolute statement. Wire may have been better in 1978, solid copper. With today's copper prices, I'm sure some of the low cost wire options may be an inferior product. Lower actual copper content or mixtures of other chemical elements.

 

Lots of guys post "it has to be oxygen free wire", but i posted approx 4 or 6 months ago a paper by a guy who manufactures and sells wire to aviation/aerospace contractors and he stated true oxygen free wire in unnecessary for audiophiles or audio applications.

 

One thing about speaker wire discussions here is many diverse opinions. Some very passionate too.

 

In the end, it is a personal decision as to what is necessary for our specific needs.

[Tony Whitlow]

polished strands and cryogenic treated  ,  that stuff is yeah - pretty good

Speaker wire manufacturers work hard to convince you that their special wire is special. It’s not. It doesn’t out perform ordinary zip cord. It’s pretty and gives you bragging rights on how much you paid for it. Paul Klipsch designed what I believe is the finest loudspeakers on earth.He used 18ga wire with the legendary Klipschorn. Good enough for him good enough for me.


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[OO1]

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[jimjimbo]

27 minutes ago, Tony Whitlow said:

Wire is wire. It just needs to pass current.


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I'll give you another quote from PWK....."Bullshit".

[Tony Whitlow]

I'll give you another quote from PWK....."Bullshit".

[emoji23]


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[Tony Whitlow]

[emoji23]


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Well, what does it do besides pass current?


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[hornsofplenty]

Thanks all!

[WMcD]

I was thinking that the wire maybe subject to scuffing and other physical damage.  Perhaps the wire used on outdoors low voltage lighting systems which is made for direct burial would help.  Other wires rated for direct burial too.

 

The other issue may be strain at the connection to the amp and speakers.  Short lengths of any sort could be brought to stoutly mounted professional Neutrick connectors as shown at Parts Express. I've ever used them but you see the issues.

 

WMcD

[glens]

SJO wire with Speakon connectors.

[Thaddeus Smith]

9 minutes ago, WMcD said:

I was thinking that the wire maybe subject to scuffing and other physical damage.  Perhaps the wire used on outdoors low voltage lighting systems which is made for direct burial would help.  Other wires rated for direct burial too.

 

WMcD

 

I've been using this for my LCR mains and subs for the last year. Easy to work with and it lays really flat once unspooled and settled.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-100-ft-12-2-Black-Stranded-CU-Low-Voltage-Landscape-Lighting-Wire-55213443/202316562

[LarryC]

The only "wire" I have experiencer with are (1) ESP power cards, (2) Basis speaker wire, and (3) Siltech top-line interconnects. .  I can totally vouch for all 3, through members of this forum tend to disbelieve all of that.  The ESP power cords are terrific on tube preamps, adding a "sparkle" that no one else seems to have.  Not so special on power amps, however.   

 

The Basis wire  takes tons of break-in (well over 200 hrs), has very nice spatial distribution and a very realistic sound.  Rarely sold since AJ Conti died, however.

 

I have a very expensive top-line Siltech interconnects between my preamp and OTL monoblocs. which it seems can't be beat.  Tops in sound quality and spatial rendition.

 

Caution:  these are very expensive, though not as outrageous as the most costly on the market.

 

Larry

 

 

\\\

[Rivernuggets]

On 12/26/2019 at 2:07 PM, jimjimbo said:

http://www.knukonceptz.com/home-theater/speaker-wire/kord-speaker-wire/

I've been very happy using this kind for a couple years now. Bends easily for it's size.

[Marvel]

1 hour ago, Rivernuggets said:

On 12/26/2019 at 3:07 PM, jimjimbo said:

http://www.knukonceptz.com/home-theater/speaker-wire/kord-speaker-wire/

I've been very happy using this kind for a couple years now. Bends easily for it's size.

 

I bought 100ft of this (12gauge)... very flexible, and worked great. Don't know how it would hold up but the spool was about $45 for the 100ft.

[polizzio]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said:

Two times 12 AWG in parallel , per polarity, will work OK, and 12+12+14 per polarity will do great.

 

See this , a post from this morning :

 

https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/187956-autoformer-volume-control/&do=findComment&comment=2441723

 

P.M. me if you have any further questions.

 

Jeff

 

 

Oh brother, here we go   I was reading a McIntosh owner's manual just a while ago (MA6600 Stereo integrated amp) pushing 200 wpc and Mac recommends 14 AWG for any run < 50 feet, 8 ohm load. 12 AWG using a 4 ohm speaker, < 50 feet. McIntosh Labs, the king of high quality American amplifiers since 1949, a legend around the world.  

 

Here is a link to the manual in pdf, in case anybody wishes to read it for themselves, on page nine: http://www.berners.ch/McIntosh/Downloads/MA6600_own_c.pdf

[Seadog]

Link to Roger Russell's speaker wire web page.  He is a former Director of Acoustic Research at McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

 

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#nominal

 

[glens]

Let's not lose sight of the original question.  It was asked for recommendations for rugged wire and connectors for use in repeated system relocation.  Nothing esoteric is necessary here.  Adequate-sized standard copper is entirely sufficient for any purpose. 

 

In this case, as I suggested earlier, "SJO" wire is made for temporary power supply installations for industry / construction sites.  It is flexible, has rugged insulation, and includes material which both maintains the wire assembly profile and provides protective strain relief.  You can lay it on concrete or rocks and walk on or drive over it.  It is readily available in many wire sizes and number of conductors.

 

"Speakon" connectors are somewhat akin to quality balanced signal connectors which lock securely together without tools and provide unmistakeable polarity along with strain relief.  They're designed for just such professional use as envisioned.

[polizzio]

1 hour ago, glens said:

Let's not lose sight of the original question.  It was asked for recommendations for rugged wire and connectors for use in repeated system relocation.  Nothing esoteric is necessary here.  Adequate-sized standard copper is entirely sufficient for any purpose. 

 

In this case, as I suggested earlier, "SJO" wire is made for temporary power supply installations for industry / construction sites.  It is flexible, has rugged insulation, and includes material which both maintains the wire assembly profile and provides protective strain relief.  You can lay it on concrete or rocks and walk on or drive over it.  It is readily available in many wire sizes and number of conductors.

 

"Speakon" connectors are somewhat akin to quality balanced signal connectors which lock securely together without tools and provide unmistakeable polarity along with strain relief.  They're designed for just such professional use as envisioned.

 

Oh yes, 12/2 SJO cable would be adequate for any single run under 50 foot length. But I was not aware Klipschorns came with Speakon terminals? 

[glens]

I'd surmise 12-2 would be well-sufficient for 100 ft runs, though since the pair is twisted that would effectively be a little bit longer-run worth of wire.  Neither are Mac amps equipped with the connectors but brackets holding them can quite readily be affixed to both amp and speakers.

 

The way things are headed in the thread, he might well be shortly hearing suggestions for cable suspension devices, and the need for setting up and operating the equipment well ahead of time to allow the cables to have sufficient "settling time" so they'll operate their best during the performance.

[polizzio]

20 minutes ago, glens said:

I'd surmise 12-2 would be well-sufficient for 100 ft runs, though since the pair is twisted that would effectively be a little bit longer-run worth of wire.  Neither are Mac amps equipped with the connectors but brackets holding them can quite readily be affixed to both amp and speakers.

 

The way things are headed in the thread, he might well be shortly hearing suggestions for cable suspension devices, and the need for setting up and operating the equipment well ahead of time to allow the cables to have sufficient "settling time" so they'll operate their best during the performance.

 

So neither his Mac 250 amp nor his Khorns are equipped with speakon teminations...........got it.