Has anybody tried using single solid core cables?

12-30-13: Charles1dad
I try to avoid all encompassing statements or proclamations as there are always exceptions.

+1. Well said, Charles. To me the main usefulness of an unequivocal all-encompassing statement such as the one quoted by the OP, that not only excludes the possibility of exceptions but also fails to take into account the possibility that component dependencies may be involved, is that it helps to (negatively) calibrate the credibility of the person making the statement.

Arcamadeus, I'm not sure from your post if you mean four 18 gauge wires total (one for + and one for - on each speaker), or four wires for each speaker (two for + and two for -), or possibly even four wires for + and another four for - on each speaker.

Given the low impedance of your speakers (nominally 4 ohms, but most likely lower than that at some frequencies), if the length of the run is typical, say 6 to 12 feet, I would recommend that you use at least two of the 18 gauge wires for each polarity (+ and -). Or else use heavier gauge wire.

Also, you may find that you obtain better upper treble extension if you twist the + and - conductors together, say 3 or 4 times per foot. That will lower inductance, which if the + and - solid core conductors are physically separated might be high enough in relation to the speaker impedance to have perceptible effects in the upper treble region. The longer the run, the greater the likelihood of that effect being audibly significant.

Regards,
-- Al

Re the Indigo cable and the solid/stranded question, while a case could be made for referring to it as solid core, IMO (based on what I perceive to be the most common usages of the terms) cables employing any form of Litz construction (i.e., a single overall conductor consisting of a group of individually insulated conductors) should not be referred to as either solid core or stranded. It's simply a different animal than what both terms are generally used to refer to.

As for the OP feeding his speakers with only one solid core #18 ga wire for each + and - terminal I would not think that would work too well for the sound of the speakers or for the amp. I will leave the technical why nots to Almarg and Kijanki.

I agree, as indicated in my earlier post, unless perhaps the cables are unusually short. Simply put, the resistances of typical lengths of 18 gauge speaker cable are high enough to conceivably/perhaps/maybe under some circumstances result in sonic effects that are at least slightly audible.

First, the combined resistance of the two conductors in a 10 foot run of 18 gauge solid core wire is about 0.128 ohms. For the OP's nominally 4 ohm speaker impedance, that would limit the damping factor seen at the speaker terminals to no more than 31, no matter how high the amplifier's damping factor may be.

Now a case could be made that damping factors above a few tens of ohms are overkill with most speakers, and that happens to be my opinion FWIW. But I don't consider my opinion to be the last word on the subject, and a lot of audiophiles and designers believe otherwise.

Second, when cable resistance is high enough to constitute a non-negligible fraction of speaker impedance, the interaction of that resistance with the speaker's impedance vs. frequency characteristics may conceivably affect tonal characteristics. 0.128 ohms is 3.2% of 4 ohms. Is 3.2% a "non-negligible fraction"? I don't know. But it seems high enough to suggest that it would be best to not take any chances, given that the percentage can be easily reduced.

On the other hand, I am aware that over the years there has been some advocacy for narrow gauge solid core speaker wire, even 20 or 22 gauge. I believe some of the writers at the British publication HiFi News & Record Review advocated for that twenty or more years ago. While I don't doubt that in SOME systems the results of that approach may be subjectively preferable, I would have to think that what is happening in most of those cases is that the cable is altering the sound in a way that is complementary to the colorations of the rest of the system. In other words, IMO it amounts in most cases to applying a band-aid.

Happy New Year to all!

-- Al

Thanks, Kijanki. Good analogy.

A slight correction to my previous post. When I said:

Now a case could be made that damping factors above a few tens of ohms are overkill with most speakers ....

Damping factors are of course not measured in ohms. They are a ratio of two values that are each measured in ohms, so they have no units. Therefore delete the words "of ohms" from the quoted sentence.

A happy and healthy 2014 to all,
-- Al

I see a difference between a conductor made up of several bare wires that are in direct contact with one another covered by a single insulation covering to that of several insulated solid core wires grouped together under a common jacket.

Hi Jim,

I do too, but I don't see that that conflicts with what I said. What I said, in essence, is that it would be misleading to refer to the AQ Indigo cable as either solid core or stranded, as those terms are generally used. It is neither.

All the best for 2014.

-- Al

Uberdine, in this wire gauge table AWG 24 is indicated as having a resistance of 25.67 ohms per thousand feet. Eight of them in parallel would have a resistance of 25.67/8 = 3.21 ohms per thousand feet. As you can see in the table that is very close to the resistance of AWG 15. So each of your two conductors is approximately equivalent to AWG 15.

Regards,
-- Al