chickey Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 Hey folks, Im toying with the idea of upgrading my speaker cables for my front speakers. The cables Im interested in come in 10 or 15 foot lengths. My right front speaker is only a couple of feet from my amp, so 10 feet is fine, but the left front just makes it using a 10 foot length. My dilemma: Do I go with the longer length, which gives me added flexibility in the future?? (all of us here seem addicted to moving and changing out our equipment from time to time) OR Do I stick with the shorter length, which prevents me from having to coil the extra length behind the speakers? The price difference is pretty modest, so it comes down to performance and flexibility as opposed to cost. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help. Colin (aka Chickey) ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Dee Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 take both cables the same length, because of the delay, caused by the differnt length...... ------------------ Sauerkraut rulez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickey Posted January 22, 2002 Author Share Posted January 22, 2002 Don Dee, Thanks for the quick response, much appreciated. The cable I'm interested in is only sold in pairs of either the 10 of 15 foot length, so they'll definitely be the same length. Now it's just the choice of which length...shorther or longer...for the pair. Thanks again, Colin ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 colin, get the longer for investment for future. & don't coil 'em, bunch them where necessary. ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Dee Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 ok, then take the longer cable and after a while ( if everything stands correc, btw. it NEVER stands correct ), u can shorten the cables by urself.......should be no prob........best thing in cables is solid core.......but hard to handle it is very stiff ------------------ Sauerkraut rulez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 I'm the sometimes standard bearer of the cheap wire crowd. There is no technical reason to believe there is a delay effect worth taking into consideration. If you have targeted a type of wire you like, it makes sense to buy what you think will give you flexibility in the future. I'd say buy two lengths longer than you need right now, as long as it does not offend your pocketbook. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 Just so you know. Sound at sea level atmosphere travels at about 1000 feet per second. Electromagnetic effects (radio or light) travel at 1000 feet per microsecond in a vacuum. That is 1 one millionth of a second. All wire pairs have a velocity factor. This is the fraction by which the electrical signal is slower than light speed in a vacuum. I'd have to check, but generally it is not going to go too much below 0.1. But for purposes of discussion, suppose it goes down to 0.01 of lightspeed. That still means the signal in 10 foot piece of wire is going to come out the other end in 1 microsecond. If sound travels 1 foot in 1 millisecond, the equivanent "offset" of a speaker would be 1/1000 of a foot. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 Chickey, I second what Gill siad. The electrical wavelength at audio is thousands of feet long in a cable. That makes the physical length totally meaningless! I am using mismatched length cables myself. My flank speakers are 18 feet apart. That means one cable is 18 feet longer then the other since my amp is off to the right of both speakers. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 Besides, I would personally cringe at the thought of cutting into a pair of pre-terminated cables (i.e.- MIT Terminators). That is if that's what you are looking at, or something similar. If not, go for the random lengths. It would be like watching a movie in realtime that was shot 200 frames per second versus 250. Unless the two comparing values being measured are faaarrrrr different in their relationship you won't notice the difference. ------------------ Tom KLF-20 Mahogany (Hotwired) McIntosh C33 Preamp McIntosh MVP-841 CD/DVD Rotel RB-1080 Amp Yamaha PF-800 Turntable/ Sure V15 Type V Cartridge Ortofon VMS-30 mkII Cartridge Stanton P888SS Cartridge Yamaha K-1020 Cassette (getting an overhaul) dbx 1231 EQ H.H. Scott 830z Analyzer Monster Interlink 400mk II Monster Interlink 300mk II Monster Video 2 (DVD to TV) Monster Power HTS-5000 MIT Terminator 2 Bi-Wire Speaker cables Studio Tech U-48RW Cabinet Vibrapods Enough empty boxes for a fire hazard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 I've always matched the length of the Left and right speaker cables for one reason, DC resistance. I'm currently using braided CAT-5 for speaker cables to the front 3. I could not detect a difference between it and OLD Monster cable on the La Scalas. I heard a difference on the KLF-C7, but I'm hard pressed to describe that difference; cleaner mids and highs, maybe. I know the theory behind the CAT-5 and many of the other cables. Trouble is it's only theory and there is no evidence that it's not just marketing, instead. Buy large, cheap wire. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted January 22, 2002 Share Posted January 22, 2002 Is CAT-5 like ethernet 10BaseT(thick wire)?? Thanks, Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickey Posted January 23, 2002 Author Share Posted January 23, 2002 Folks, Thanks all for the great replies. I think I will opt for the longer length. I was most concerned with avoiding potential noise that the extra length might pick up, but I'll just have to be careful how I position the cables behind the speakers and equipment. Boa gave me some good counsel on how to avoid induced noise. Gil/Al - I too am in the camp of using science to debunk a lot of the claims promoted by the wire guys. The mathematical derivation you did brought a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing. BTW - if you haven't already read it, pick up "The Physics of Star Trek." It's a quick read and a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy using some basic math, physics and quantum mechanics to contrast fiction with reality. Perhaps there's a sequel in the offing having to do with high end audio claims. Thanks again, Colin ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 23, 2002 Share Posted January 23, 2002 mace, Yep! It's Cat-5 network cable with teflon insulation (plenum rated). Twist 2 runs of 4 pair, braid 3 of the twisted runs, seperate the solids from the dashed conductors and you have about 11 gage equivalent. It's an attractive rope that's about 1 1/4 inch in diameter. The twisting and braiding of twisted pairs is supposed to cancel inductance and the teflon insulation is supposed to have such a high dielectric coefficient that capacitance is small. The result is a low R, low L, low C wire that is supposed to sound great. It's pretty cheap and doesn't seem to hurt anything. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted January 23, 2002 Share Posted January 23, 2002 quote: Originally posted by mace: Is CAT-5 like ethernet 10BaseT(thick wire)?? Thanks, Mace yes ------------------ -justin I am an amateur, if it is professional; ProMedia help you want email Amy or call her @ 1-888-554-5665 or for an RA# 1-888-554-5665 Klipsch Home Audio help you want, email support@klipsch.com or call @ 1-800-KLIPSCH RA# Fax Number=317-860-9140 / Parts Department Fax Number=317-860-9150 ProMedia 5.1 Placement Help s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 Colin- As it seems you have made a decision, I'll agree with your decision. I have my Forte IIs about 7-8' from the receiver, so I got 10' pair from AQ. But if I end up getting a big screen TV, then I may have hosed myself if I have to move the components to one side. Go with the 15' and you'll appreciate it. As a side note, I have about a 30' run to one of my rear speakers (can't go under the floor with the wires, so I had to follow the wall) and the other is a 45' run (leaving a bit extra in case of mounting on the walls) and I can't hear any difference between the two due to the difference in length. I'd say, "go long" and you won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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