2. cables
  3. 1069022016

equal cable length?


Need some advice from all you cable gurus out there..
I'm upgrading my 2 channel system, going with ACI Sapphires and Force Sub, powered by a Rotel RB 980. One cable run will be 12'-15' to one speaker and the other speaker will be approx 4'- 6' ft from the amp. I have heard it's better to have cables of equal length and I have also heard that you should not coil extra cable. Will cables of unequal length be a no-no? I can't imagine the difference will be audible. I'm in a catch 22, either cables of different lengths or having to coil one cable.
Advice is appreciated.......also any suggestions on cable choices under $350 for this set-up?
generalturgidson
bomarc
501 posts
 
Stop fretting. Unequal cables do not matter (within reason), and coiling speaker cables doesn't matter either.
cosmic_void
142 posts
 
Electricity travels about 9 to 11 inches (memory?) in a nanosecond. This would equate to a time shift so far beyond your ability to hear (unequal length)that it is of no consequence. Do what you need to do. An exception would be to get equal length cables in case you ever swithch your system around and center the amp.
hosedragger
2 posts
 
I'm new, and maybe naive, so forgive me if I'm wrong. But cable length is not a matter of the 186,000 miles a second, so much as a matter of the load of resistance.

Electrical resistance increases with the length of the conductor. And it decreases with a greater diameter of conducter. If one speaker cable is a LOT longer than the other, then the resistance is going to be different between the two speakers, resulting in different performance in each channel. The longer cable robs power from the signal in the form of resistance. The power available to that speaker is diminished by the added resistance. And we know it's better to have both speakers sound the same. It's better to have both speakers running at, say a dimished "98%" (both cables REALLY long), than to have one at 98% (with a REALLY long cable) and one at 100% (REALLY short).

This effect will be much more significant with small diameter cables.
bomarc
501 posts
 
Good point, Hosedragger. What this means is that you should choose a cable that's adequate (i.e., low enough in resistance) for the longer length. If you choose a thinner cable than that, you might suffer some rolloff in highs in the longer length.
cosmic_void
142 posts
 
If you read the published specs on some cables the resistance (acceptance?/capacitance)is very low. Fraction of an ohm. You would have to have great lengths of the stuff on one side to make an appreciable difference. Part of it too is how everything in the circuit (amp to speakers) reacts. Might be ok with some comboinations but not with others. As to cable diameter, most of who use this site are going to use larger diameter cable in any case so worrying about too thin a cable is not a problem in most cases. Most of us could use our speaker cable to boost our cars with.
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