MMacLeod Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hi I'm getting a pair of RF-52s and an RC-52 and need some help choosing speaker wire. I think I'm going to get the wire online to save some money and there are many different types. I need about 50 feet, indoors, and it doesn't have to be pre-cut - spools are fine. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 The Knukonceptz Karma Kable is pretty good and not too expensive. As for size, most people recommend at least 14 gauge, but 12 gauge is a bit better and doesn't cost much more. It's one area where most people can afford not to compromise.http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=Karma%20SS%20Speaker%20Kable When you add in how much cable you'll need for your surrounds, you might be surprised. My system is 5.1 now, but when it was 7.1, I bought around 300 feet of cable. Of course, cheaper cable may be adequate for the surrounds, but don't go smaller to save money, since resistance adds up with length and surround runs tend to be the longest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InnerTuber Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I guess I use 12 guage and buy it wherever I stumble on it onsale - Rat Shack/Home Depot/Lowes/BBuy/ etc. If it turns green after a few years you can replace it and use the old stuff to rewire a lamp or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 If you go to Lowes you can get wrapped spools of Philips speaker wire. All the gauges are there in the lengths you want. It has a clear shield, looks good. I have used it a lot and had no degradation issues yet. Another thing I have done is buy bulk "low voltage outdoor lighting wire" meant for landscape lighting. It is 12 ga with a nice heavy and flexible black shield. If you compare it to the 12ga. speaker wire they sell in bulk that has a clear shield........it is the exact same wire when stripped back. But it costs about half as much. Not sure why. It has held up very nicely for me and hasn't degraded at all as I've stripped it back a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSP Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hi, I am not impressed with all the hype and BS around speaker wire and cables. I have used the copper stranded wire sold at home depot with fine results. I went for 14 ga on my last project, one could go 12 ga if your want to spend more. The basic laws of science are not altered by monsterous claims. As to the length of wire discussions, I defy anyone to show that a few feet of lenght one way or the other would impact sonic quality given that the speed of light remains constant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 i like knukoncepz, if you need to shave a few dollars you can try www.monoprice.com and get their 12awg wire. they have both the CL and non CL. i will be buying the nonCL and running it in tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 "I defy anyone to show that a few feet of lenght one way or the other would impact sonic quality given that the speed of light remains constant. " designer wire is manipulated in various ways to use the properties of inductance, resistance, and capacitance to intentionally alter the sound. we are not just talking about wire lenths. the insulators have capacitance values. the cores of the wires vary in the way wire is wrapped around either inductive or non inductive materials. terminating devices are often used on the ends to impact resistance. If we all sat around the table and applied these factors to a wire design...it would be easy to alter what you hear. the real question is what your preference is. straight shot wire is fine for most folks. some folks prefer other wire flavor combo's. My preference is Monster Sigma retro's for the HF sections and Monster M-2.2's for the LF section. same concept as justifying the car you own. some folks drive Audi's , some folks drive chevy's. each will get you to your destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo123 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Blue Jeans Cables on line has some good Belden cable for DIY. They also do terminated cables to length. Friendly folks and they answer emails. Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Parts Express #100-024. 50 ft. of #12 on a spool less than $30, they also sell any sort of terminal you may need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 If you go to Lowes you can get wrapped spools of Philips speaker wire. All the gauges are there in the lengths you want. It has a clear shield, looks good. I have used it a lot and had no degradation issues yet. Another thing I have done is buy bulk "low voltage outdoor lighting wire" meant for landscape lighting. It is 12 ga with a nice heavy and flexible black shield. If you compare it to the 12ga. speaker wire they sell in bulk that has a clear shield........it is the exact same wire when stripped back. But it costs about half as much. Not sure why. It has held up very nicely for me and hasn't degraded at all as I've stripped it back a few times. I've used the 12 ga low voltage outdoor lighting wire and found it quite satisfactory. Inexpensive, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 a few feet of lenght one way or the other would impact sonic quality given that the speed of light remains constant. I'm confused are you using a 12ga fiber optic cable? (speed of light) That's just out there....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill222 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I recommend monoprice.com and their "Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Copper Speaker Wire Cable", either 12 guage or 14 guage. I'm using 14 guage right now for my 50 foot runs to my rear surrounds (KG-5.5's) and for my mid-length runs to the surrounds in the middle of the room (CF-2s). I'm using 12 guage for the short runs to my CF-3's mains. (I know - that's crazy. The thicker 12 guage should be used in the longer runs, not the shorter, but that's how my wire lengths worked out at the time). Bottom line - all the speakers sound great using this monoprice speaker wire. Of course, I think the great sound is more a factor of the Klipsch speakers themselves, the amps driving them (older Aragons), and a Furman Elite 15 PF power conditioner. But I have not had any problems with the monprice wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSP Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 what's to be confused about... the speed of light is the speed at which electorns move through a copper wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Come on, does electricity really move at the same speed as the speed of light? Not that I don't know electrons move quickly, but why would it be the same speed? Fact or analogy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSP Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Well...I guess I am laboring under a different set of basic premises. Thepurpose of the speaker wire is to simply transmit the signal from the amp tothe speaker in the most unaltered and pure form. To do this, you cannotimprove upon basic stranded copper wire. If it is your desire to manipulate the signal you can use the tone controlson your amplifier; adjust your xo design in the speakers or add an EQ if you think that willimprove your sonic end product. Stray capacitance in speaker wire (undamaged), or resistance, (in lengthsused in home audio) is not measurable - at least not by a standard multimeter. I guess, again, I am laboring under the belief that if it is not measurableby scientific instrumentation, the likelihood of any perceived audible sonic difference isin the in the mind of the listener, not in the physical properties of the soundwaves emitted by the speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSP Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Electricity travels fast (186,000 miles per second). If you traveled that fast, you could travel around the world eight times in the time it takes to turn on a light! And if you had a lamp on the moon wired to a switch in your bedroom, it would take only 1.26 seconds after you flipped the switch for electricity to light the lamp 238,857 miles away! http://www.pge.com/microsite/safety_esw_ngsw/esw/science/basics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 [innerTuber]: "If it turns green after a few years you can replace it and use the old stuff to rewire a lamp or something." Turns green? Is that due to the Florida humidity? It rains a lot here in Oregon, and our old home in the San Francisco Bay Area had the dampness of the bay, but I've never had this happen. I remember reading in the '70s that Klipsch speakers were mildew resistant (unlike some others). A good thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSP Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Electricity travels fast (186,000 miles per second). If you traveled that fast, you could travel around the world eight times in the time it takes to turn on a light! And if you had a lamp on the moon wired to a switch in your bedroom, it would take only 1.26 seconds after you flipped the switch for electricity to light the lamp 238,857 miles away! http://www.pge.com/microsite/safety_esw_ngsw/esw/science/basics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted June 4, 2008 Moderators Share Posted June 4, 2008 Come on, does electricity really move at the same speed as the speed of light? Not that I don't know electrons move quickly, but why would it be the same speed? Fact or analogy? Not sure about the speed of electricity, but the electric bill does travel at the speed of light for sure ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Come on, does electricity really move at the same speed as the speed of light? Apperently, electricity flows much slower than lightspeed. http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/miscon/speed.html I think this is a matter of semantics - electrical energy flows at lightspeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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