Some Basic Questions

[Julianna]

Greetings,

I must first say, I realise these are to some of you quite basic. But, since I do not know the answers, I must ask!

First, should the wires to a pair of speakers be the same length? If so, should the excess wire be looped in a circle or in a back-and-forth manner? Do the same rules apply to a stereo system as well as a surround-sound AV system?

Second, would there be a noticeable (to the average listener) change in performance by using two lengths of wire joined with wire-nuts rather than one continuous run of wire?

Third, would there be a significant difference in either of the above situations if the wire were 14 rather than 16 guage?

Thank you!

Julianna

[basite]

Hi,

First, should the wires to a pair of speakers be the same length? If so, should the excess wire be looped in a circle or in a back-and-forth manner? Do the same rules apply to a stereo system as well as a surround-sound AV system?

ideally, the wires should have the same lenght, but having one meter more at one side shouldn't make a huge difference, just try to keep the one wire at least half the lenght of the other. (ffe in het nederlands, gewoon zorgen dat de ene kant minstens de helft zo lang is als de andere) i.e. when you have 4 meters of wire on the one side, the other side should be at least 2 meters long, but preferably longer.
the quality of the cable matters more imo.

wires better don't touch eachother so don't loop them, this, however, won't make a noticable difference for most people.

these rules apply everywhere, but the cables for the rears may be longer then those for the fronts.

Second, would there be a noticeable (to the average listener) change in performance by using two lengths of wire joined with wire-nuts rather than one continuous run of wire?

this depends from the quality of the connection, and the quality of the cable. Generally, one continious run of wire would be the best...

Third, would there be a significant difference in either of the above situations if the wire were 14 rather than 16 guage?

depends on the quality of the cable, thickness is not important for smaller, not so powerful speakers, bigger speakers will perform better with thicker cables.

Hope this helped.

Greetings,
Bert.

[FLZapped]

Greetings,

I must first say, I realise these are to some of you quite basic. But, since I do not know the answers, I must ask!

First, should the wires to a pair of speakers be the same length? If so, should the excess wire be looped in a circle or in a back-and-forth manner? Do the same rules apply to a stereo system as well as a surround-sound AV system?

1 - They doin't have to be. Still, I wouldn't make them too much different.
2 - No, don't loop in a circle, that increase the wire inductance
3 - Pretty much.

Second, would there be a noticeable (to the average listener) change in performance by using two lengths of wire joined with wire-nuts rather than one continuous run of wire?

If properly done, no, but the raveges of time, the possibilyt of jerking the wire, all make this a less than ideal thing to do.

Third, would there be a significant difference in either of the above situations if the wire were 14 rather than 16 guage?

Loaded question! If only a couple meters, no, if a couple hundred meters, yes.

Julianna

So how has the winter been in the Netherlands this year? I have family in Lithuania and it has only snowed twice, melting each time.

-Bruce

[jneutron]

Julianna, Dont listen to FLZ...avert your eyes lest you be led down the dark side..

He has been known to blip coax incessantly...poor poor coax..

2 - No, don't loop in a circle, that increase the wire inductance

This requires a slight mod. If the wires are twins, like zip cord, looping the wire will not add inductance. If the wires are separate, this indeed can add to the L.

If you need to nut an extension, watch the phase.

Cheers, John

Hey Bruce, Happy New Year

[basite]

So how has the winter been in the Netherlands this year? I have family in Lithuania and it has only snowed twice, melting each time.

-Bruce

i'm from belgium (beneath the netherlands on the world map) and the winter here sux @ss, no snow, no ice, no nothing, just rain, and clouds, it hasn't even freezed here, today it was like 10°Celcius, this is autumn weather!


Greetings,
Bert.

[GMichael]

Our supplier in Lithuania complains to me every day that they have no snow. She's very upset.

[blackraven]

Same here in Minnesota. Usually we have 30" of snow on the ground here in the Twin Cities. But we have no snow on the ground with temps in the 30's-40's.

[Resident Loser]

Our supplier in Lithuania complains to me every day that they have no snow. She's very upset.

...other than my maternal grandparents and 86 ways to prepare deliciously dough-y filled dumplings, potatoes and sauerkraut, I didn't think much came from Lithuania...what do they supply?

jimHJJ(...jus' wunnerin'...)