new loudspeaker cable

[greyhound]

i got realy tired by the continues discussion on loudspeaker cables. me too has spend severel hunderds of euros on speakercable. so i took on an experiment and connected my speakers with simple 50ct a meter installation wire. its about 6 mm2 and consists of 7 bare wires of about 0,75mm2 massife copper. the normal 6mm2 is way to stiff to handle.

results are great. it doesnt sound better than expensive cable but it doesnt sound worse either. in fact its better than van den hull magnum cable of 30 euro's p/m. everything sounds just normal and neutral.

what kind of cable do you guys use. and has anyone experimented with coax cable. it seems aircom makes a good coax cable for radio transmission. you just use the centre of the cable. and the rest makes a nice shielded mantel

[scott fitlin]

I use West Penn 2 conductor + ground, with foil shield, and Switchcraft and Neutrik connectors, works just fine for me. Matter of fact, I, several years ago, tried a few different expensive cables, some I didnt hear a difference, and some I did, but didnt like it.

I agree, my inexpensive wire seems pretty neutral, and does only what it is supposed to! Get the signal from one place to another.

I save my money for things I know do make a difference! The speakers and electronics.

[00Robin]

on all the paper work for my 604's through the 755's the sheet advises lamp cord. And those are the exact words!! Honest. "simply split a small length of lampcord for the connection and then use as much as needed to split for the next"......???? Okay then.
But I did the Phoenix gold phase back when,had a "friend" steal it all,then I just used spools of a good sized thickness. Uh,I did not find any "lampcord" available. Maybe we are all really missing out here and should get alot of "lampcord".

[Allanvh5150]

For 30 years or so, I have been using normal 1.5mm twin flex for my cables. If I am using a high powered amplifier I might use 2.5mm. It is very inexpensive compared to some brands of speaker cable and is a bit more upmarket than lampcord but the results on the pocket are very similar.

[Thom]

what kind of cable do you guys use. and has anyone experimented with coax cable. it seems aircom makes a good coax cable for radio transmission. you just use the centre of the cable. and the rest makes a nice shielded mantel

Generally coax is only called for if the signal is going to be amplified or in the case of radio transmission for a specific impedance.

[Zilch]

Life's too short to mess with trying to run speakers on coax.

It's a defined-purpose cable, and speakers aren't on the list.

Yeah, it's "Wire," but there are other issues....

[doodlebug]

I've been using heavy duty extension cords with the AC connectors cut off - 10 gauge in my case. Found them at a contractor's sale at a local building supply house.

There was some buzz some time back about Home Depot's cords but that was one of those 'internet frenzy' things, I suppose.

Still, for the cost per foot, I can't find a more reasonable cost speaker connector in most any length I'd need and its really flexible, too.

Cheers,

David

[jblwolf]

Too bad SOUNDKING brand is no longer making 10ga/12ga/14ga speakerwire,I have used this brand for over 20+ years,Ive run 50 feet per channel,the 12ga-it had 320 strands/oxfree softbody cable,it really made a differents(to me)and after all those years it still in great shape,I also picked up monster cable brand at around the same time(14ga)and within 5 years it started discoloring(wire)/casing started to get sticky/hard.
From the crossovers to the speakers I use 16ga standard 10 strand machine wire.the 3 different systems I use(JBL)have been wired this way for over 20 years with no problems ever.

[sourceoneaudio]

This is what I use. Killer stuff. NO: 10 wire

"Dayton Audio's SKRL speaker wire is designed to complement any high-end audio system. Oxygen free copper (OFC) is configured in a rope-lay configuration to minimize skin effect which causes high frequency roll-off. Clear, flexible PVC insulation withstands abuse and is rated up to 140°F (60°C). Convenient foot and positive polarity markings facilitate ease of use. Construction: 413 strands x 36 AWG per conductor. "

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=100-028

[Thom]

I've been using heavy duty extension cords with the AC connectors cut off - 10 gauge in my case. Found them at a contractor's sale at a local building supply house.

There was some buzz some time back about Home Depot's cords but that was one of those 'internet frenzy' things, I suppose.

Still, for the cost per foot, I can't find a more reasonable cost speaker connector in most any length I'd need and its really flexible, too.

Cheers,

David

Cutting the AC connectors off is a good idea. More than one tragic incident has occurred when they have been left on.

[Titanium Dome]

Cutting the AC connectors off is a good idea. More than one tragic incident has occurred when they have been left on.

I always thought leaving the AC plugs on would allow you to connect them direct to the source, i.e., the power grid. :shock:

[greyhound]

well great to see that the jbl crowd is down to earth when cables are discussed. people over here are paying ridiculous amounts on cable and im talking 200 euro for 1 meter (thats about 4 foot? )
And the magazines are going along with it. seriously there was an article in some audio mag. that was about listening to audio furniture

Yes its all true

[Titanium Dome]

Well, I actually use some 12 Ga Oxygen-free stranded Copper wire that costs me about 50 cents a foot at Signal Electronics in Torrance. It works as well as the Zilch Miracle Cable, and I don't have to "f" around with separating and joining the ends.

There is a kind of elegance to Zilch's wire, though, and I do use it on a secondary system.

As I've written elsewhere, I could spend less, as I've got a 1000 ft. roll of 16 Ga that I use for a lot of my systems. However, with the main Performance Series, it's a combo of need and desire. I need high quality, supple wire. I desire wire that looks like it's special, so people will go, "Wow! Look at that wire!" It's kind of like alloy wheels on my car; I don't really need them for the car to perform at its peak, but they sure do look cool.

If I'm not going to be a cheap bastard on my car, I'm certainly not going to buy cheap-looking wire for my surround system, which cost a lot more than the car.

[MJC]

I did an experiment last winter, I got a small roll(30') of Monster XP, not their most expensive, as the BS was that the magnetic flux tube improved sound. It made the highs sound harsh.
Then I got some cl rated wire(60') from Blue Jeans cable, for a lot less per foot. That wire is better than any other I've ever tried and I had enough to do the LCR in the HT and a stereo pair in another room.
So more expensive doesn't = better.

[SEAWOLF97]

I just got home from Asia where, among other things, I bought a couple of dozen gold plated banana plugs. Yesterday was the big swap out/install. My speakers have bananas for the internal wire to driver connection. Did all the binding post connections and the amps connections...

result ? I have a standard volume setting for very early morning listening. The volume was noticeably louder. I THINK the highs are a little sharper and detailed ( I say THINK , as this is rather subjective )...I did turn the vol down and decreased the treb slightly to get back to old config.

Thinking the connectors make as much difference as the wire.