• 06-24-2004, 12:07 PM
    hyperdude
    A quetion about cable lengths.
    How long can you run the average speaker cable, or any cable for that matter, before it begins to affect performance?

    Also can I just use a regular video cable? (Yellow as opposed to red and white, although they're all the same right?)

    Merci.
  • 06-25-2004, 08:12 AM
    Monstrous Mike
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hyperdude
    How long can you run the average speaker cable, or any cable for that matter, before it begins to affect performance?

    Also can I just use a regular video cable? (Yellow as opposed to red and white, although they're all the same right?)

    Merci.
    Your question cannot be answered as stated since the answer would depend on the type of cable, the amplifier output impedence and the speaker input impedence.

    I have run 14 gauge speaker wire from Home Depot a distance of about 80 feet from a Pioneer basic receiver to a pair of Paradigm Atoms and they sound fine.

    Video cables are not quite the same as analog audio cables (for the same brand same model. that is). They are better since they have higher requirements for the signals they carry.
  • 06-25-2004, 10:51 AM
    woodman
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hyperdude
    How long can you run the average speaker cable, or any cable for that matter, before it begins to affect performance?

    Also can I just use a regular video cable? (Yellow as opposed to red and white, although they're all the same right?)

    Merci.
    Hey Dude:
    In answer to your first question ... a cable, whether carrying audio or video signals, will begin to affect performance after a few feet. But that's taking "nitpicking" to an outrageous extreme because it would take the most sensitive, sophisticated test equipment known to man to detect. It is also not what you're really asking - which is, how long can you run speaker cable before the effect of the length begins to make a noticeable difference in performance. That, in turn, depends on many factors as Mike pointed out in his reply - with one of the main factors being the gauge of the wire involved. I have run both 14ga. and 16ga. wire for as much as 100ft. without serious degradation of the signal being experienced.

    As to your second query ... what do you mean: "can I just use a regular video cable?" For what?

    Also, as Mike pointed out, video cables are NOT the same as audio cables in that a cable meant to carry video signals has more stringent requirements than one intended for audio use. The bandwidth for audio is only 20Hz-20KHz ... a very undemanding criteria. Video bandwidth on the other hand, extends out to at least 6MHz (for baseband video signals) and to hundreds of Megahertz for OTA or "cableTV" television signals.
  • 06-25-2004, 10:02 PM
    mtrycraft
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hyperdude
    (Yellow as opposed to red and white, although they're all the same right?)

    Merci.
    The yellow cable in the bundle is not the same as the red and white cable.