No I am going to argue numbers because you're trying to sell cables using irrelevant numbers. What's relevant is the DIFFERENCE between one guage and the other using the amplifier resistance plus the wire resistance not the percentage of change in one wire over another without taking the DF into account. To be even more precise you should know the speakers impedance swing as well.
How to select a good Speaker Cable
Speaker cables do have a significant role in how our system sounds. Different cables sound different.
So which one is the right one for you?
The Speaker Cable is an extension of the Amp. and not an addition to the speaker's load. It shall have a certain resistance (low) not to spoil the Amp's DF figure. As so, it can be calculated and there is a formula to do it.
The higher the Amp's DF, the lower the Speaker Cable's resistance shall be. As today SS power Amp's get DFs of 400 and above (Digital Amps go by thousands) the cable of 10 ft (3m) long, gets as thick as 0 AWG.
I can see your eyebrows elevates, when that thick cable is to be deal with. Most Speaker Cable makers skip it because of that. So most cables on the market (regardless of the look or price) are of 14-12 AWG. Way less that supposed to be.
Worst! no Speaker Cable maker, dealer or seller knows the answer, of what is the correct cable for your system.
So most of us ended up, with a cables too thin for the task.
A conducted test, on this site, about a year ago as well as with some closer friends, shows a significant improvement with a calculated size cable over their previous cable. The results were all positive and preferred the calculated cable.
So, instead of asking: which of two brands, or two prices or two colors of Speaker Cable do I need, you should ask how thick of a Speaker Cable do I need.
I'll be happy to provide you the calculation, for who request it. All you need to provide is:
1). Length (Ft. or meter)
2). The Amp's DF figure.
Thanks
Showing 10 responses by djones51
The same don't apply for both. Why bother with DF? Speakers don't have a flat 4 or 8 Ohms they can fall to 1 Ohm and jump to 30 Ohms. A 4 awg cable in home audio is not necessary and when figured with amplifer and speaker resistance is a fraction of resistance of the whole. Now perhaps if your speaker run is 50ft to subwoofers it might have an audible effect but normal 8 to 12 foot runs I'm not going to bother with a battery cable. |
Sorry Mr. b4icu but try again. Large guage cables have inductance problems. Normal sized cables between 10awg and 16awg are sufficient in most all cases. DF isn't that big a deal. Quit shilling nonsense. https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audio-myth-damping-factor-isnt-much-of-a-factor |
Amp with DF of 200 , 8/200 = .04 Ohm 1 ft, 0 awg copper cable has resistance of .0000983 Ohm/ft Total drive resistance. .04 +.0000983 = .0400983 0hm/ft 1 ft ,10 awg copper cable resistance = .000998 Ohm/ft Total drive resistance .04 + .00099= .040998 Ohm/ft Difference between 10 awg and 0 awg is .040998 - .0400983 = .0008997 Ohm/ft For 10 feet of cable + - ( .0008997 * 20 = .017 Ohms) .017 Ohms = insignificant |
You’re not adding the amp resistance. DF 700 = 8/700= .0114 Ohm 0awg resistance = .000098 ft 10 awg resistance = .00099 ft Total drive resistance 0 awg = .0114 +.000098 =.011498 ft Total drive resistance 10 awg = .0114+ .00099= .01239 ft Difference = 10 awg .01239 - 0 awg .011498 = .000892 ft The difference between using 10 awg and 0 awg over a 10ft speaker wire 10*2 * .000892 = .017 Ohm Learn how to figure what you’re supposed to be doing you’re not adding the amp resistance to the speaker wire resistance so your numbers are skewed. The DIFFERENCE is only a .017 Ohm for a 10ft speaker wire in other words INSIGNIFICANT. |
This guy tries to convince you that you need a battery cable. He uses DF and feet of cable then comes up with the perfect cable even though using the same numbers you can show the difference between a crazy 0awg cable and normal 12awg cables there is an insignificant difference between the two when connected to a system He can’t seem to grasp that it’s the DIFFERENCE that matters when used in a system not the difference setting on a shelf. |
You think so, how sweet of you to notice. Look through the posts my math isn't wrong and neither is his it's just he's measuring the wrong thing. Not to mention when you consider the impedance and voice coil resistance of the speakers makes his attempt at handing out cable recommendations by forum post even more ridiculous. |
This is where you don’t get it. What’s the DF of the amplifier for you’re asking these people? The one I used from above is 105 DF. Why do you forget to add the DF to the cable? The cables aren’t connected to nothing. So here is the real numbers for that amplifier with a DF of 105 Your numbers The calculated resistance for the 4 cables is: (#16) 4.016 ohms / 1000 x 12 = 0.048 ohms (#12) 1.588 ohms /1000 x 12 = 0.019 ohms (# 8) 0.6282 ohms / 1000 x 12 = 0.0075 ohms (# 4) 0.2485 ohms / 1000 x 12 = 0.003 ohms Numbers for an amplifier with a DF of 105 105DF = 8/105 =.076 Ohms (#16) 4.016 ohms / 1000 x 12 = 0.048 ohms + .076= .124 Ohms (#12) 1.588 ohms /1000 x 12 = 0.019 ohms +.076= .095 Ohms (# 8) 0.6282 ohms / 1000 x 12 = 0.0075 ohms +.076 =.083 Ohms (# 4) 0.2485 ohms / 1000 x 12 = 0.003 ohms + .076= .079 Ohms From the smallest guage wire #16 to the highest guage wire #4 the DIFFERENCE in cable resistance for an amplifier with DF of 105 = .045 Ohms in other words INSIGNIFICANT The resistence of the cable is swamped by the speaker used you don’t even ask for what speakers they use. Your numbers are accurate as far as they go but they are meaningless in the real world. I’m getting tired of trying to educate you. |