Long speaker wire run to the garage... Help please [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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Stockstinks
12-14-2008, 11:23 AM
Hello,
I ran some speaker cables from my home receiver (Yamaha 100wpc) to the garage so I can enjoy my 100 disk cd player in a random mode.

My problem is my speaker tweeters don't sound right.(These sound good normally.)

Here is what I have.....

The speaker cables are 10 or maybe even 8 gage BUT I think it might be over a 100 ft run

My Speakers are 6.75" Polk CAR SPEAKERS. I did this for the 4 OHM rating.

I am guessing that with speaker wire ran this long it might have helped to use HIGHER OHM speakers????

Why do the highs sound poor?

Please help if you can.
Todd.

Stockstinks
12-15-2008, 04:19 PM
This must be kind of an odd question.
I thought some of you would have a opinion or even the right answer.

Anyone??

nightflier
12-15-2008, 04:47 PM
100 feet isn't that far, especially for 8 gauge wire. Have you tried other speakers?

Stockstinks
12-15-2008, 05:21 PM
I think the wire might be closer to 10 or maybe 12 gauge
The Monster cable that I used isn't marked.

I have tried another pair of 4 ohm speakers and they sounded bad also. The Polk's are new.

When I hooked up my Energy rc10's to it they sounded awesome. These are 8 ohm speakers that a borrowed from my bedroom. (I really like my RC10's)

Do you think the long cable run and the 4 ohm speakers are doing it??

Kevio
12-16-2008, 10:56 PM
Have you done the experiment of bringing the Polks inside and connecting them with short cables and seeing how they sound like that?

It is true that you are going to hear more of the cable with lower impedance speakers than with higher impedance ones. But this is not the first place I'd look for trouble. 100 ft on 10 or 12 gauge is not unreasonable and the difference between 4 and 8 ohms is not that huge. Try the above experiment first.

hermanv
12-16-2008, 11:06 PM
I am not a monster cable fan. Here is a cable I've used that I think is very good value and sounds good.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104178

emesbee
12-16-2008, 11:12 PM
It could just be that they sound different in the garage due to the characteristics of the room being different. You are probably used to the way they sound in a different room. I agree with Kevio, try bringing them inside, then do a comparative test by first connecting them with the short cables, then the long ones, leave everything else the same and play the same music. See if they sound different then. If so, then the cables are probably making a difference. If they sound the same, then the difference is probably due to the room characteristics.

hermanv
12-16-2008, 11:45 PM
It could just be that they sound different in the garage due to the characteristics of the room being different. You are probably used to the way they sound in a different room. I agree with Kevio, try bringing them inside, then do a comparative test by first connecting them with the short cables, then the long ones, leave everything else the same and play the same music. See if they sound different then. If so, then the cables are probably making a difference. If they sound the same, then the difference is probably due to the room characteristics.Yep, emesbee is right, concrete floor and metal cars will sound different than carpet especially in the treble.

GMichael
12-17-2008, 06:22 AM
I get to be the "me too" guy again. Seems like the speaker wire you have now is fine. More likely, it's the room.

blackraven
12-17-2008, 11:35 AM
Get some 10g wire from www.bluejeancables.com. It's cheap and excellent cable. But your problem is that you are using car speakers for sound. Car speakers are made for an enclosed space and will sound like crap in an open area. Believe me, I had some expensive Proton car speakers years ago that I enclosed in a speaker box and they sounded like crap. But installed in the car they were fantastic.

You would be better off buying a cheap pair of bookshelf speakers from BB or CC. They have a few speakers for $50pr that would be perfect for a garage.

Stockstinks
12-17-2008, 04:31 PM
THANK YOU ALL for the feedback.

I will hook them up in the house and let you all know what I find out.

I have a real nice pair of ADS L400e Bookshelf''s that I think Would have been a better choice for my garage / shop.

Hindsight is always 20/20. I am going to cover the holes that I made in the walls for the Polk's with the ADS's

Todd.

hermanv
12-18-2008, 12:51 PM
Previously you didn't mention "holes in the wall". The space between studs makes a chamber too big for a 6.75" speaker. Couple this with drywall and you almost certainly had a midbass hump. This would also contribute to a bad sound.

Stockstinks
12-27-2008, 08:43 AM
PROBLEM FIXED!!!

Hi everyone, I solved my problem by replacing the 4 ohm Polks with some 8 ohm ADS's

The ADS's are mounted in boxes. That might have helped also.

The highs sound much smoother now.

Thanks.