YOUR Speaker Cables

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Originally Posted by LMB

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Make sure your left & right wires are the same lengths so info reaches at same time

LMB

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I takes a few picoseconds for the signal to travel the length of you speaker cable. The reasult of different lengths is a few millionsth of a degree of phase difference between the speakers even at the highest frequencies. This is vastly less significant than having one speaker a inch or so closer to your ears than the other.

Hi Bill,

I do hear a difference in the detail

Linda

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Originally Posted by LMB

Hi Bill,

I do hear a difference in the detail

Linda

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Here's a website for tweaks that you might find useful ...

http://www.machinadynamica.com/

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Ha Ha,

Have you even tried the acoustic zen?
I

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Originally Posted by LMB

Ha Ha,

Have you even tried the acoustic zen?
I

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I'd like to do so, however they'd be outside my price range.

As I mentioned above, I use Monster, (probably Canare-sourced), 4x14 ga. for bi-wiring, terminated with Parts Express banana plugs.

Triwired, the xos are at the amplifer. 2 X 9.5 Cardas for the woofer. Mid, 5 X 11.5 Cardas assembled as a quasi-ribbon; -+-+-. Tweeter, 5 X 23 Cardas silver, quasi-ribbon also. Cardas Rh lugs, and the patent (less expensive) binding posts.

Gauge should not be the primary consideration; as usual, it depends. My woofer (Scanspeak 25W) "likes" a low DC Resistance, so the series lowpass inductor is a big ol' laminated low DCR unit, and the speaker wires are also low DCR. Here, gauge/DCR are about all that matters due to the restricted frequency range.

The mid (Audio Technology/Skaaning 4) also rewards low DCR, but with the slow HF rolloff, higher frequencies (to 10kHz) were a consideration, hence the quasi-ribbon for lower inductance.

For the tweeter, clean HF characteristics were much more important than resistance.

Cardas cross, 1 meter XLR from Parasound halo A21 amp to B&K pre
Cardas cross, 1 meter RCA from B&K pre to ROKSAN Kandy CD
Cardas quadlink and twinlink speaker. 2 meters each

i am using Ultimate Silver Series. i got them on ebay for a good price. 2 twisted 12 gauge per side. and a real thick silicone shield. i have heard a major diference since upgrading.

[QUOTE=hermanv]It only matters how it sounds to you. CAT 5 is usually 4 pairs of 24 AWG of solid wire with no metallurgy specifications. 4 Pairs of 24AWG has the same DC resistance as 1 pair of 18AWG, probably fine for shorter runs. Like I said, if it sounds good to you then it is good by any definition that matters.

CAT 5 cable is a quasi controlled impedance cable (i.e. velocity of propagation is similar for all frequecies) of around 110-130 Ohms. Usually insulated with irradiated PVC (poly vinyl chloride) a Teflon insulated version can be found. Many articles on using this as a speaker cable recommend multiple cables terminated so as to maintain the advantages of twisted pair (in other words you can't run one CAT 5 for the positive and another for the negative). Two CAT 5 cables would be 15 AWG and four would be 12 AWG which is getting quite respectable.

I use only one single strand, not multiple strands.
But then again. I only have a 300 watt per channel amp.
I did have a pair of The Coffin subs using Peerless drivers and measured them using
a Bass Zone test cd with Radio Shack Mega cables and then switched to one single strand of a pulled apart CAT-5 cable and remeasured.
No difference. 10hz is 10hz.
With either wire I could only get 10hz to 85dbs.

4 sections of 8ft DIY Canare 4s11 Starquad wire with a combination of spades, banana plugs and bare wire termination, feeding a pair of AR9's in a bi-amp configuration.

Monster Cable Z4's 15'. I got them on the NET for a good price-$150pr.. My Magnepans sound good with them but I would like to compare them to some other brands. They seem well made and are about as thick as garden hose.

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Originally Posted by blackraven

Monster Cable Z4's 15'. I got them on the NET for a good price-$150pr.. My Magnepans sound good with them but I would like to compare them to some other brands. They seem well made and are about as thick as garden hose.

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Are there certain Banana plugs that wont fit 1.6QR?

JRA

I havent found a problem with different banana plugs fitting them. You can buy a spade plug adapter from magnepan if you would rather use spades.

The interesting thing is, how good is the cable INSIDE your speakers? Many speaker manufacturers scrimp in this area and so the resultant sound is only as good as the weakest link. I have rewired the whole lot from the amp terminals to the drivers themselves with mil spec silver plated copper with polytetrofluroethelene/PTFE/Teflon insulation.
I have rewired my speakers internally as well as externally and also put my crossovers externally in their own box. The cable from the amp to the crossover and from the crossover to the speakers is 3 pair, i.e. tri-wired to the crossover and then again tri-wired(obviously) to the speakers with 2 x 10awg stranded for the woofer, 2 x 12awg stranded for the mid and 2 x 20awg soild core for the tweeter.
Internally, the speakers themselves are wired with the same cable to each driver, i.e. 10awg stranded to the woofer, 12awg stranded to the mid and 20awg solid to the tweeter.
How does it sound? Awesome. Better dynamics, clarity, bass extension and instrument and vocal placement as if a veil had been lifted.

1/ How big?
2x 13 gauge

2/ What brand?
Kimber 4VS

3/ What lenght?
4x 2Meters

4/ what type? Floor standing or bookshelf type?
Advents
well, a single pair is considered to be a heavily oversized bookshelf type, if you start stacking however... :)

In-speaker wire is Kimber 4TC which was expensive, but well worth it...

btw, the kimber's are a very big improvement over my previous (and thicker) cables...

Keep them spinning
Bert.