Help with speaker cable under $500 for new system

Regarding the several recommendations that have been made for Clear Day: Assuming the goal is for the cable to behave in as neutral/accurate a manner as possible, and given the 12 foot length you require in one channel, I would caution against using anything less than the double shotgun version.

For example, the single (two conductor) configuration is described as consisting of a single pair of 24 gauge silver conductors. In a 12 foot length, and given the 8 ohm nominal impedance of your speakers, the resistance of that cable would reduce the effective damping factor of your amplifier from its specified value of greater than 1000 to about 14.

Regards,
-- Al

02-04-15: Ptolomy2
... but you would still go with Clear Day?

I'm not recommending for or against the double shotgun version of Clear Day, as I have no experience with it. But I am cautioning against the single and shotgun versions, assuming as I said that the goal for whatever cable is selected is for it to behave in as neutral and accurate a manner as possible. The gauge of those two versions is simply too narrow for a 12 foot length, IMO, even after taking into account the slightly better conductivity of silver vs. copper.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Hi Kijanki,

The resistance of 24 feet (12 feet per conductor) of 24 gauge solid core silver is about 0.57 ohms, corresponding to the damping factor of 14 that I had mentioned. That in turn being almost in tube amp territory.

23 gauge copper has a significantly lower resistance than that. Would you use 23 gauge copper for a 12 foot speaker cable, and not expect it to introduce perceivable colorations/inaccuracies relative to the MUCH heavier gauges that are more generally used? I note, btw, that your Satori's are 10 gauge, having about 1/20th the resistance of 23 gauge.

Best regards,
-- Al

Kijanki, the output impedances of the most popular currently produced Atmasphere amps are in the 2 to 7 ohm area, corresponding to damping factors ranging from a bit more than 1 to about 4 (for an 8 ohm speaker). While those amps are indeed very highly thought of, Ralph/Atmasphere would be the first to admit that his amps are not suitable matches for many speakers, especially given that a considerable majority of available speakers have presumably been designed with the expectation that they would be used with solid state amps having high damping factors/low output impedances.

I certainly agree that the importance of damping factor is often way overblown, especially when the numbers get into the hundreds, not to mention the thousands. But at the same time I don't think it should be ignored altogether, especially when the numbers get into the low double digits. And especially when a solid state amp is being used, and what one presumably wants to hear from the amp is its intrinsic sonic character, not its intrinsic sonic character as modified by avoidable cable effects, even if those effects are small.

Best regards,
-- Al