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Bronze Member Username: James_the_godDoncaster, South Yorkshire England Post Number: 82 Registered: Jan-05 | I plan to bywire my speakers when i get them simply because the quality is better, but I dont know how. Could anybody tell me how. I've looked on richersounds and it shows wires with no plugs on the end? Please tell me this doens't mean I have to twist a load of things together and connect them to banana plugs (whatever they are) etc because I really dont have any experience with bi-wiring. Note I will be needing wires to connect my speakers to my amp, and wires to connect my amp to my pc. Also would anyone know an accurate likely cost of all these cables I'll need and which cables I will need to bi-wire my speakers to my amp and the connectors from my amp to my soundcard on my pc. It is the soundcard on my pc that I need to connect my amp to right? I think I will be needing 2 lots of 5/6 metre bi-wire cable. If I dont have the same length of wire going from the speaker to the amp then I'll get phasing right? What a mouthful, thanks in advance. |
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Silver Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 436 Registered: Sep-04 | Jelvis The wires connecting between your PC and amp are called interconnects. The wire connecting amp to speaker is called speaker cable. As I understand it, you're on a tight budget. Do not biwire. Given as the budget is tight, you'll be better off with a better cable than two runs of a worse cable. After all, when you biwire you double up on the wire's problems. You don't necessarily see all the benefits of biwiring therefore. A good neutral cable that works well with the NAD is Chord Co. Carnival. It retails for around £2.50/m. You should have it terminated with banana plugs (these are 4mm round pin plugs which give a very good connection). Good quality soldered gold anodised plugs are around £2 each. If the socket on the back of the NAD is nickel, go for the cheaper nickel plugs as it will sound a touch better (less metal changes in the system). If they're gold, go with gold. Provided the dealer will make up the cables for you, don't go with screw type plugs. They're not as good as soldered variants which make a better connection and don't allow the cable to oxidise as quickly as the screw types. Most dealers will charge for making up the cable (about £10). Try to get them to waive that as you're buying a system. You're in the UK. Richer does a range of Cambridge Audio interconnects which are inexpensive (around £10 - £15 starter price). A notch above this is IXOS cable (available from JohnLewis starting at around £25 - £30). A notch above that is Chord Co available from specialist retailers from £30 or so. If you're buying the system from someone like Richer, you should be able to get some discount on the cables. try to factor them into the deal and work a package price. Regards, Frank. |
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Bronze Member Username: James_the_godDoncaster, South Yorkshire England Post Number: 84 Registered: Jan-05 | Frank Thanks for your advice, Ill bookmark this page for the future. However you mentioned terminating the cable with banana plugs. Does this mean Ill have to solder them on my self or do the wires come with the plugs already on them in other words buy them and they are ready to use. If so, then I think I would rather take a trip to John Lewis or wherever and ask them to make some for me. I fear that the wiring will be bring me many problems, not the speakers or the amp. Thanks |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 214 Registered: Nov-04 | monster sells self-locking terminators. they go for $20 tho but are well built and use gold contacts. here is a link to the ones i bought off of jr.com they are pretty easy to use and the monster website even has a flash presentation to show you how to terminate the wires using them. http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3709757 there are also this kind of banana plugs that are much easier to use. http://www.soundcity.com/page.php?pg=product&id1=&id3=&mcat=&product_id=1775 you can also buy preterminated speaker wires. just some suggestions if you want to try and do it yourself. may be a bit harder and more stressful, but i find it to be a bit more rewarding knowing that i did them. |
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Bronze Member Username: James_the_godDoncaster, South Yorkshire England Post Number: 86 Registered: Jan-05 | Frank. You seem to know your stuff. I must ask you more specifically now. Which interconnects about 1-2 metres can i buy READY TO USE. Also if Im using my soundcard on my pc, does that mean the cable will be like this:http://www.hifi4less.com/QED_J2P_3_5mm_Jackplug___2_Phono.htm ..or will i require one of those strange audio interconnect plugs. I cant seem to find a 3.5mm cable that fits into my soundcard and the interconnect on the other end that fits into my amp or do i need phono connections? Secondly, is the speaker cable. You said not to bi-wire. This means I will have to use just 2 of the inputs on the speaker not all four right? Do all bookshelf speakers have plugs at the back that use them 4mm banana plugs. Again can you suggest some READY TO USE cables that fit from some bookshelf speakers to an amp preferably 5 or 6m long and are about £20? Thanks in advance |
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Silver Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 448 Registered: Sep-04 | James Interconnects are almost always bought ready to use. This means they are usually ready made with appropriate termination. Typically, they come in 0.5m and 1m lengths. Some makes (such as Bandridge) have 3m and 5m lengths ready made up too. However, there are all sorts of terminations out there, including the 3.5mm jack that you linked to above and used with all mobile applications (such as iPod). The most typical HiFi terminsation is the RCA plug (or phono plug). If your soundcard doesn't have a left and right output with RCA sockets, then it'll have a 3.5mm socket, usually marked 'Line' or 'Line out'. Many interconnects can be ordered, so a 3.5mm->2phono interconnect can be ordered but many interconnects of that configuration (such as the QED item above, or Chord Co's iChord, or Bandridge's PVAsomething or other) can be had off the shelf thanks to the burgeoning portable market. If you buy something like a NAD C320BEE or the Cambridge amp, they will take RCA (phono) connections, so the cable you linked above is exactly right for your application if the soundcard only has a 3.5mm jack. It's more usual to have speaker cables made up for you since the speakers very often live far from the amp, whereas it's more usual to place the amp near the CD player. That said, it is possible to find ready made-up speaker cables. Most of the time, amps are fitted with banana sockets, sometimes they're not (spring clips are common on really cheap amps, and BFA plugs are found on one or two makes but they're rare) so made-up runs are possible to find, but won't necessarily be the right length. You're correct that you would use just 2 connections of the speakers (if fitted with 4 - not all are). Most speakers have banana sockets, only really cheap ones and a very few really expensive ones don't. Difficult to say what you'll find in your area. Sorry. £20 isn't much to spend - try to keep to the 10% rule (cables cost 10% of your system) in order to get something reasonable. regards, Frank. |
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Bronze Member Username: James_the_godDoncaster, South Yorkshire England Post Number: 89 Registered: Jan-05 | Frank, thanks again. £20 i meant as in for just either the speaker cables or the internconnects so total cost would be around £40. I understand what you've said, however you mentioned left and right outputs. Currently I use 3.5mm plugs which are left and right (green and black) but its a little 'dodgy' and i think only one is really effective. Say when I get a new sound card, will I only have to use 1 of the 3.5mm ports and connect the phono plugs to the amp as in the link i placed earlier^^^. Alternitively if the soundcard DOES have the rca sockets then would i need rca to rca? Also thanks for clarifying that rca and phono are the same thing..i was getting very confused about that. p.s. i guess i will be needing about 1m of internconnect cable. |
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B-Dog Unregistered guest | I need instructions on how to install a Amp in my car. |
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B-Dog Unregistered guest | I need instructions on how to install a Amp in my car. |
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Gold Member Username: Rick_bNew York USA Post Number: 1074 Registered: Dec-03 | Go to the Car Audio section....... |
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New member Username: DawormMunroe falls, Ohio Post Number: 1 Registered: May-05 | How do i hook a 1600 watt power acouitic amp to a normal home cd player. please tell me everything need and all instructions to wire this setup. thanks daworm |
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bobbyg1967 Unregistered guest | power acoustic ? thats a car amp brand....isnt it ? |
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home-cinema Unregistered guest | We do a nice selection of bandridge high quality cables email me. www.hcsv.co.uk Richard@hcsv.co.uk |