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Bronze Member Username: Culp4684Post Number: 25 Registered: Aug-04 | I see this question has been posted in another category, but never answered. I recently purchased a Marantz 7400 along with a set of BA VR2's and and a CC VRC. The receiver sits about two feet away from the right speaker and about six feet from the left. If I use good quality 12 gauge wire, does it matter if I make the cables to the speakers different lengths? None of the cables should be longer than eight feet or so. |
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Silver Member Username: MyrantzPost Number: 598 Registered: Aug-04 | Robert Here's a discussion on the subject when I asked the same question: https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/13415.html |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1418 Registered: Dec-03 | It doesn't really matter unless your talking about 20feet and 2feet. when you start getting up their in length you add some charecteristics into the wire and if one has those and the other doesn't you may hear a slight difference. I generally try to keep mine relatively close in length. "within a couple feet" |
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Bronze Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 26 Registered: Sep-04 | I disagree with Kegger. I find that different lengths do make a difference. If the cable lengths you mention mean that you'd have 4 ft and 8ft lengths you will find that the result is slightly phasey. It's not something you can easily put your finger on, but it's recognisably there. Better to put the same money into two equal lengths of inferior cable in my view. Regards, Frank. |
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Bronze Member Username: BillybalouPost Number: 17 Registered: May-04 | Here is a link that might interest you: Speaker Wire Guide |
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Bronze Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 30 Registered: Sep-04 | Billy, there are so many things wrong in that set of articles I don't know where to begin! Regards, Frank. |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1452 Registered: Dec-03 | Billy Balou excelent article , sounds like what i've believed all along. as long as your speaker wire is adaquite in diamiter it shouldn't matter what you use or whether one is a little longer then the other! great article! |
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Bronze Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 33 Registered: Sep-04 | Heh heh, obviously sceptics anonymous. Not only do different speaker cables sound different, the difference they make is consistent irrespective of speaker choice - which is in direct contradiction to what's said in the article, with which I have several issues but here's a few. The author uses a comparator. The 2 problems with this are: 1. The comparator changes the characteristic of the sound thereby influencing the results, usually to the lowest common denominator which is the comparator itself! 2. The comparator has to be hooked up to an amp somehow so other cables must be used. These other cables will have an effect since they do not necessarily have the same characteristics as the cables being tested. What the author is actually hearing is the product of the unknown cable and the comparator. This is not a valid test therefore. The only valid test is a blind test where a single amplifier and speaker combination is used with several pairs of speaker cable of the same length and terminated in the same way. Provided this is a blind test, then there should be no placebo effect. The diameter of the cable is only one of several parameters to be considered in cable design. The author goes on about the resistance which is probably the least important of all the parameters. Impedance is much more important as it has a severe effect on the components to which the cable is attached. In drastic situations a high capacitance cable such as DNM, Goertz or Townshend Isolda can cause amplifiers to become unstable. Pretty effective for something that isn't meant to have much effect. The author goes on about the length of wire in the speaker driver cores. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the speaker cable! The pseaker cable is not an extension of those cores except in the rare circumstance where the speaker has no crossover. The speaker cable is more significant in terms of its effect on the amplifier. Typically, speaker cable lengths over 30 feet in length start to cause problems to amplifiers, simply because their impedance becomes high enough, particularly in a certain frequency range. That article is trying to blind you with science, but there's actually very little science in there. Keep your eyes - and ears - open to the possibility that cables make a difference. If a dealer wants to sell you a particular cable, get him to prove the point through demonstration, but don't discount the difference until you've heard it for yourself. Regards, Frank. |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1457 Registered: Dec-03 | frank I have no problem with you believing what you do. many feel the same as yourself. I happen to feel quite the opposite and have done many tests to see if it made any difference for me. I have found none, so that is what i believe regardless of what someone else rights or feels. so I purchase descent quality cabling for my systems. I do not buy into the hype "in my oppinion" of overely priced salon cables! I have tested for myself and this is my conclusion. so when someone asks for oppinions this is my answer. good day to you sir! |
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Bronze Member Username: Culp4684Post Number: 38 Registered: Aug-04 | Frank- Thank you for your response. But, with all due respect, I would give more credence to your opinion if you hadn't let on in another thread that you actually sell hi-fi products. It has always been my experience that anyone that sells cable is of course going to extrapolate on why they should buy that procuct. So I'm afraid I must take your view with a grain of salt. |
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Bronze Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 39 Registered: Sep-04 | Kegger, I guess what got my goat is the fact that you said the article was excellent. I have no problem with you forming an opinion on what you've heard. I have a problem with the inaccurate testing in the article, which is used to convince those who have not heard the differences for themselves. The arguments are convincing, so these others who have not heard the difference would be tempted not to investigate the options due to this wholly inaccurate and misleading document. Now don't get me wrong - I appreciate that there are loads of looney tunes cables out there (Nordost and Cardas being but prime examples), but please don't tar the whole cable industry with the same brush. Robert, yes I work for a HiFi shop on Saturdays. It's been a hobby of mine for some years now and it helps me get kit cheaper than normal retail. By all means take my recommendations with a (large) grain of salt, but please don't discount what your dealer will tell you simply because he's a dealer, the good ones really do a lot of homework before selling to customers. I would be more open about this - perhaps I could update my profile somehow to reflect my semi-retail roots. During the week I'm a software support team leader, by the way. Regards, Frank. |
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Anonymous | Anyone beside Frank know anything about Capacitance and Inductance? If you did you'd know why speaker cable has to be of equal lengths. |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1483 Registered: Dec-03 | uh yah i do! I build speakers. and as long as the cables aren't drastically different in size you will never hear it! |
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Anonymous | Perhaps you could define drastic? 1ft over 20ft will make little or no difference. 1ft over 4ft and you'll begin to get phase issues. If you build speakers you should know how important it is to keep things in phase. |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1485 Registered: Dec-03 | in case it was missed this was my original post! "It doesn't really matter unless your talking about 20feet and 2feet. when you start getting up their in length you add some charecteristics into the wire and if one has those and the other doesn't you may hear a slight difference. I generally try to keep mine relatively close in length. "within a couple feet" " |
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Anonymous | Kegger, It was the fact that you endorsed Billy's 'Speaker wire Guide' post that made me question your understanding. |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1486 Registered: Dec-03 | allrighty i'm cool! what I basically agreed on with the article is the diamiter of wire. I feel that has more to do with it than anything. that is my own personal experience. |
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Anonymous | Ah, I see, I therefore respectfully withdraw. I don't wish to be drawn into another 'which is best' wire debate. Good talking with ya! |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1487 Registered: Dec-03 | Anonymous: agreed I am not up for another cable war! seen to many of those. |