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Can speaker cables be too thick?

Hi folks, I've tried several speaker cables in the past, like the MIT MH-750, Wireworld Gold Eclipse, Ridge Street Audio, Pure Note Paragon and Cardas Golden Eclipse. I've been using these expensive cables until I replace them with ordinary 2x6mm2 OFC copper cables consisting of multiple small gauge solid conductors. These cables have the best tonal balance and they match very well with the speakers (Dunlavy SC-V). I use them in biwire fashion (each cable is 5 ft in length). What would happen if I replace them with even larger gauge copper cables, like 2x8mm2 or 2x10mm2? Would the sound improve further with the larger gauge cables? What sonic characteristics can be heard when the speaker wire is "too thick"?

Chris
dazzdax

Showing 6 responses by dazzdax

dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Quote from Shadorne: "...group delay we are talking two or three hundred BILLIONTHS of a second." That is even shorter than the lifespan of a muon*!

* elementary particle

Chris
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Can anyone explain Dave's findings regarding the thick speaker cable? Dave, what was the thickest cable (I mean the largest conductor cross section) you have been working with?

Chris
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Can anyone tell me what the sonic characteristics are when you are using a very thick copper cable (> 4 AWG) compared with cables with higher gauge number? A certain Swiss amplifier manufacturer claims that the thicker the copper cable the better the sound. Sometimes 20-30A travels through the cables during very short periodes (kick drum, tympani) even when the speakers seem to be a benign load throughout because in real life with real music a speaker's impedance can vary a lot.

Chris
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
I'm sorry, even the Roger-Russel article doesn't provide the answer to the question. Thx anyway for the article.

Chris
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
The question is not whether one can hear differences between cables: this subject has been discussed so many times. The question is: do we need very thick copper cables (that is the conductor, not the insulation) for proper transmission of signal, because according to a well respected Swiss manufacturer..., etc. And if one is using "too" thick speaker cables, let's say 4 AWG or thicker, would that give negative impact to the sound? According to Muralman thick speaker cables do have negative impact on his system, but he didn't specify what is getting worse. What is relevant here is not the total speaker cable size due to insulation (it might be as thick as a wrist) but the cross sectional area of the (copper) conductors. Have any of you used 4 AWG or thicker speaker cables btw?

Chris
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Hi Ben, have you ever done any experimentation with thicker cables (less than 10AWG)? If yes, what are your findings? I'm curious if there is some maximum cable (conductor) thickness that could result in sonic improvement. Surpassing this thickness would not give any further improvement but probably deterioration of sound.

Chris
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