12 ft pair of thick speakers cables?? Can they be cut downt to a 6 ft pair??

shadorne wrote,

"Cable reflection can be ignored at audio frequencies (very low) and at these short lengths. The wavelengths are so long compared to the physical dimensions that reflections can be considered instantaneous at both ends and do not alter the electrical signal delivered or the output of the amplifier in any way.

Reflection and consequently impedance matching becomes important for high frequencies like your cable TV or over great distances like power transmission lines."

Hmmmmm.... So, you're saying we can ignore RFI/EMI too because those frequencies are not in the audio frequency range? Lol Methinks you're confusing electromagnetic waves with acoustic waves. 

The hollow banana on my HT cables sheared off. HT is no longer functional. Moon Audio in Cary, NC did a pro replacement with Cardas spades. This is not an amateur project, you need a solder pot.. etc.

Cable reflection can be ignored at audio frequencies (very low) and at these short lengths. The wavelengths are so long compared to the physical dimensions that reflections can be considered instantaneous at both ends and do not alter the electrical signal delivered or the output of the amplifier in any way.

Reflection and consequently impedance matching becomes important for high frequencies like your cable TV or over great distances like power transmission lines.

Al, thanks much for giving your point of view on this matter of speaker cable length. However I think I’ll stick with Bob Crump and John Curl. In fact I find the cable wraps from Shun Mook and Highwire do in fact work as advertised, that there is reflection in all cables of any length. Or so it would seem based on many years of experience. I also owned Bob Crump’s speaker cables which were around 5 feet long. And spectacular sounding, like all Crump’s and Curl’s stuff.

I don't put much stock necessarily in what I read on the Internet. Lol I do not fault anyone else from making judgements based on what others say on the Internet.

I seem to recall Fulton cables were much longer. Uh, oh, from somewhere in cyberspace,

"The Fulton Gold cables were heavy too. I have a pair of 28 ft of these cables and its weight like 40 lbs.!!! Not very good full range, its strenght is in the bass and the lower bass. I planned to use it in the low of my biamp speakers but it is just to damn thick and I still try to find way to hook up this cables!!!"

Moebuster 1-22-2017
I read on Mapleshade Audio list of audio tweaks that speaker cables should be 10 feet or longer. The 10 foot plus cable supposedly sounds way better than cable less than 10 feet. You can go to the Mapleshade audio website for more information.

Geoffkait 1-23-2017
Wasn’t it John Curl and Bob Crump who opined that speaker cables should be a specific length, around 5 feet, perhaps to minimize reflections traveling down the cable, something like that?

Signal reflection effects may occur in a cable as a result of impedance mismatches between the cable and the components it is connecting, and are likely to occur mainly at frequencies that are much too high to be directly audible. Or even to be reproduced by most speakers. In the case of a speaker cable any effects those reflections may have at audible frequencies, and also any sonic effects of RFI that may be picked up by the cable, are likely to be the result of their effects on the amplifier, and in particular as a consequence of their introduction into the feedback loop of the amplifier, if it has one.

So any such effects will be highly dependent on the feedback provisions and also the bandwidth of the amplifier that is being used, among several other characteristics of its design, as well as on the impedance characteristics of the components and the cable that are involved. As well as on the length of the cable, which will affect the spectral characteristics of what is introduced into the feedback loop of the amplifier. All of which adds up to a lot of unpredictability and system dependency. While all or nearly all other parameters and sonic effects of a speaker cable, **when and if significant**, such as resistance, inductance, capacitance, skin effect, dielectric absorption, etc., are proportional to length.

So it would seem highly unlikely that a specific length can be defined for speaker cables that would be optimal under all or even most circumstances. Also, it would seem that **if** the goal is for the cable to convey the signal in as accurate a manner as possible, chances are that in most cases the shorter the cable is the better.

Finally, I’ll add that having read numerous threads that have appeared here and elsewhere over the years on the question of long speaker cables/short interconnects vs. long interconnects/short speaker cables, my perception has been that the preponderance of the anecdotal evidence and reports has been in favor of long interconnects/short speaker cables, although admittedly not by an overwhelming margin.

Regards,
-- Al

+1, 68pete

jperry
Geoffkait, I don’t know about John Curl or Bob Crump, but that was a belief of Bob Fulton.

Well, off the top of my head I’d say that would certainly lend credence to the idea, no?

Geoffkait,

I don't know about John Curl or Bob Crump, but that was a belief of Bob Fulton.

Wasn't it John Curl and Bob Crump who opined that speaker cables should be a specific length, around 5 feet, perhaps to minimize reflections traveling down the cable, something like that?

Hello moebuster
I have read just the opposite shorter speaker cables and longer interconnects. Have talked to PSaudio, High Fidelity C
able  they both go with short speaker cables and longer interconnects.
Enjoy Pete

@sunnyjim I’ve found the new style BFA banana plugs to sound just as good as spades and provide just as secure a connection..

Also, the speaker cable I made is made from cat 5 plenum cable, a braid of 7 lengths. Each of those lengths has 4 twisted pairs of individually insulated wires. They were a freaking pain in the ass to terminate because of the need to strip each conductor. There were 56 wires to strip. On each end. Of two cables. That’s 224 stupid little 24 gauge wires. Ugh. But I love how mine sound and they’re DIY, so no loss of value..

Just more info for your decision making process..

And speaking of Mapleshade tweaks, my and everybody's favorite, Ground Plane Ribbon Streamers.

http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/Ground-Plane-Ribbons/products/227/

Cheers

sunnyjim-

list your gear in Virtual Systems.

 I read on Mapleshade Audio list of audio tweaks that speaker cables should be 10 feet or longer. The 10 foot plus cable supposedly sounds way better than cable less than 10 feet.  You can go to the Mapleshade audio website for more information.

Good spades won't detract from sound quality, and over time might even oxidize less than bare wire. Grover will certainly be able to provide you with good spades. He is one good dude! Cheers,
Spencer

It sounds like it would be a real pain to shorten them. 

I think that you should have only one isolator. If you put it up high, will you cables stay put? I have often done this with my Rightway Audio insolators, and always found one sounds much better than multiple isolators, just as Rightway said.

I agree with Doug in his response "A zillion conductors with individual dielectric"....FAR too many tiny conductors to clean off, the bunch together and crimp or solder to connectors on both (2) sets of cables. Not to mention that you will need to purchase a total of 8 more (preferably high quality) terminations, which can be quite costly. If the wire was just simply stranded or solid core, it would be an easy DIY job. The dialectric needs to be removed before terminating in your case. 

I have done so.  Many years ago, but in memory not that big a job.  Cut a 7-foot cable into halves.  Per Shadorne, with the necessary tools can be done neatly.

Bill

I agree with most guys here. If HT is not willing to re-terminate their own cable (and that's a shame) sell them and look for something else comparable.  

Not a great cable sell it as is.Good luck.

connect some lamp wire and get friends to help you do a blind listening test

then, sell them (greater fool theory)

bluejeans cable IIRC, will let you try different cables and return (tho it is a tiime consuming way to re-invent the tone control)

professional retermination is possible and it won't decrease value.

Agree with Douglas, PITA, once cut a total of 38 individually insulated wires to deal with. Labor intensive being careful so everything is neat and looks good. Won't be reasonably priced.

Just a bunch of individual wires soldered together at each end to make two speaker wires from many. Anyone can do it with a few parts from RadioShack - heat shrink tubing, wire strippers and cutters, and a soldering iron.

A zillion conductors with individual dielectric,  so it would be PITA, and you would lose most of their resale value.