2. cables
  3. 1295031118

Compensating for different speaker cable lengths

The minimum speaker cable run is 16' to the right channel of my system, but only 8' to the left channel. If I add a second 16' cable in parallel to the right channel, this will equalize the total resistance of each channel (although inductance and capacitance would be different). Alternatively, I could simply use a single 16' cable for each channel, or purchase a 16'/8' pair claimed to be insensitive to the differences in length (e.g., Ocos or Transparant). What is the best general solution to this problem relative to soundstage imaging and frequency response?
gadiamond
elevick
2,636 posts
 
What if you move the system? You're now stuck with odd lengths. Resale is impossible. Go with a matched pair and don't have any worries.
hack
185 posts
 
I just went through this myself, bought some bulk DH Labs Q10 Signature wire. I need 15' on the right speaker, 7' on the left. It's cheaper (the wire is $15/foot) and easier to cut the wire to the lengths required, however come resale time you're kinda behind the eight ball. There's no harm in using equal lengths, so I bought 30' of wire and made them equal. The extra 8' of wire I don't need for the left speaker is tucked behind my audio rack.
smw1950
5 posts
 
Go with OCOS Speaker Cables. They have virtually zero impedance and now that they are owned by DynAudio, information about them is becoming readily available. Mick Tillman is the owner, and told me that unlike other cables, it's safe to have different lengths of OCOS between your left and right speakers up to 340 feet.

Smw1950
More to discover