Running speaker cables over carpet !!!!!!!!

[Ross_uk]

Hi,

I have just bought a pair of nordost Blue Heaven (rev.II) speaker cables & I have heard that running speaker cables along the floor can affect the saound....

Does any body know if this is true ?????
If so, what is best to run ut on ?????

Thanks
#
Ross

[jeskibuff]

Speaker cables sound the best when they're suspended from the ceiling in a serpentine 8-way hand-tied system. Ideally, the cables should bisect your room precisely at the midpoint between the ceiling and the floor and should NOT run in a straight line. Also, thoroughly coating each cable with 1/2" of Crisco or white lithium grease will provide optimal results.

[/wacko theories]

Seriously, unless your floor is powerful magnetically polarized iron or can induce some kind of electrical interference into your speaker cables, running them on the floor will sound just as good as suspending them inches (or feet) above it.

Just tell your friends that they're psychotic lunatics. Now that's good advice!

[Dick Hertz]

There's nothing wrong with letting your cables sit directly on the floor or carpet. One of the theories of the audio nut crowd is static electricity in the carpet will mess with your electrons and cause all sorts of evil mayhem with your speakers. Well, that's going to be pretty tough since the carpet mills have been putting carbon fibers in the nylon used to make carpets to control static FOR YEARS! But, if you're still not convinced, why not try tying helium-filled balloons to your speaker wire every couple of feet so it floats above the floor?

[squeegy200]

I tried the helium balloon tweek but it made my speakers sound like everyone was a clown.

[Woochifer]

The only time I've ever had issues with running the cables along the floor was when I lived in an old building (with old piping and outdated electrical) downhill from a transmission tower. In that case, I had the slack on my cables coiled up behind the cabinet. I had no idea what was behind the wall, but I had all kinds of interference coming through the speakers. By repositioning the cables off the floor and extending the slack so that it was not coiled up, the interference was eliminated.

You only need concern yourself with the positioning of the cables if you hear audible noise in your system, in which case the speaker cables snaking along the floor would one of the potential causal variables that you need to eliminate.

[Dick Hertz]

The first go 'round was with hydrogen. One of the balloons got too close to an FM antenna and it burstinto flame, crashing to the floor. Oh, the humanity!

[Geoffcin]

Hi,

I have just bought a pair of nordost Blue Heaven (rev.II) speaker cables & I have heard that running speaker cables along the floor can affect the saound....

Does any body know if this is true ?????
If so, what is best to run ut on ?????

Thanks
#
Ross

There is an argument that static can build up in a wire run across carpet, or any insulator for that matter. How much this would affect sound is debatable, but it's an easy thing to check. I would try using cheap styrofoam (I don't know what it's called in the UK) cups to suspend your cables off the floor. Listen to them. Then replace the wires directly on the floor. Listen again. If you can't hear any difference you can fill the cups with some Gin & Tonic and celebrate your conclusion!

Cheers!

[jeskibuff]

I would try using cheap styrofoam (I don't know what it's called in the UK) cups to suspend your cables off the floor. Listen to them. Then replace the wires directly on the floor. Listen again. If you can't hear any difference you can fill the cups with some Gin & Tonic and celebrate your conclusion!

STYROFOAM?

You have got to be kidding!

Using styrofoam on anything larger than 22 gauge wire will SEVERELY degrade the sound. It's not that the styrofoam would introduce unwanted electrons into the signal path or anything. It's just that it would insult wiring that cost anything over a nickel per foot and the wires would refuse to perform on that basis alone! Cables have dignity, too!

If you're running cable at anywhere under $1/foot, I would suggest run-of-the-mill glass tumblers. If $20/foot or less, champagne flutes would be the ideal choice. Anything above that and you'd better seek out something like Waterford Crystal! If you paid $100/foot or more for your cables then you also need to dash the goblets into a nearby fireplace after the test or be prepared to deal with the inevitable resulting crappy sound out of your speakers. And I'm sure you know this already, but avoid getting any Grey Poupon on the cables during placement of the goblets! Good cables don't like mustard of ANY variety!

I hope our advice has proven to be valuable to you!

[Dick Hertz]

Some people swear by glass lifters, some by cutoff pieces of cardboard tubing, some by esoteric wood. Frankly, it all sounds like just so much BS hype.

[MikeyBC]

Try using your wife's plants...running the cables through the branches to suspend them. The very weak electomagnetic field created by the wires may prove to be beneficial to the plants health, now that I think more of this I should apply for a government grant to test this theory.