Newbie Q: speaker cable length? Different OK?

This question has been discussed and debated in a number of past threads. For my opinion, see my posts here.

The bottom line to my posts in that thread: While there may or may not be sonic differences between the two alternatives, even if there were differences in your particular application it would not necessarily mean that the equal length alternative will be better. See the posts I have referenced for further explanation.

Regards,
-- Al

And on that count, let me ask, from the link, sufficient enough cables?

I looked at the link, and they strike me as a reasonable choice, at least to use initially and perhaps over the long term. I’m somewhat puzzled, though, by the references in the description to a conductor diameter of 7 mm, and an outer diameter of 17 mm. The description also states that the conductors are 12 gauge. A 12 gauge copper conductor has a diameter of approximately 2 mm, as can be seen in this wire gauge table. Also, looking at the illustration the outer diameter looks to be a lot smaller than 17 mm, as the diameter of the tips of the banana plugs shown on the cable is probably about 4 mm, and as best as I can tell the outer diameter does not appear to be more than perhaps 2 or 3 times that amount.

In any event, while the impedance of your speakers, as shown here, is very low (less than 3 ohms throughout most of the audible frequency range), the resistance of 30 feet of 12 gauge wire (the combined length of the + and - conductors in a 15 foot cable) is about 0.05 ohms, which seems reasonably small even in relation to the low speaker impedance. (The corresponding figure for the shorter cable would be about 0.03 ohms if you go with the unequal length alternative). However it seems conceivable that the unspecified inductance of the cable, in cables of those lengths, may be enough to present an impedance in the upper treble region that is audibly significant relative to the low impedance of the speaker at those frequencies. (The impedance presented by an inductance rises in proportion to frequency, and the inductance of a cable rises in proportion to length). The result of that might be a very slight softening of the upper treble, which in the case of the Thiels that I’ve heard and also read comments about could very well be a good thing.

And then there are the myriad other possible cable effects audiophiles like to discuss and argue about, and that are much talked about in marketing literature, but whose quantitative significance is debatable, and which in some cases may not even be quantifiable, such as "strand jumping," metal purity, "skin effect," "dielectric absorption," "time alignment," "characteristic impedance," antenna effects, etc. In any event, it seems safe to say that the bottom line on those things in any given application is unpredictability, so IMO you have made a reasonable choice. Other opinions will certainly differ in some cases.

BTW, if it does turn out that your speakers have been damaged, and if it appears that a particular driver or drivers has/have been blown, you may want to give Bill LeGall at millersound.net a call. He is the best in the business when it comes to repairing speakers, and he is also a pleasure to deal with. Typically just the failed driver(s) is/are sent to him; shipping the entire speaker is usually not necessary.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

OK; thanks for the clarification.  So when they referred to the diameter of "individual conductors" in their description they were referring to the diameter of each conductor (+ and -) **including** its insulation.  And when they referred to the outer diameter they were referring to the diameter of the outer jacket which surrounds both conductors over most of the length of the cable.  Makes sense now.

Regards,
-- Al
   

That example, a 6 gauge would yield like a quarter the resistance of the 12 gauge. (How’m I doing, Al? <grin>)

Right you are :-)

In the context of wires such as these examples, that are intended for AC power distribution, "non-metallic" refers to the sheathing that surrounds the conductors, and the designation THHN defines certain characteristics of the insulation. I believe that the commonly used Romex NM-B is an example of non-metallic ("NM") THHN wire.

There have been a few reports I’ve seen over the years from audiophiles and at least one reviewer I can recall about having tried some forms of Home Depot or Lowe’s wire as speaker cables. My somewhat vague recollection is that the results in most cases were nothing to write home about :-)

Also, I would expect the four-fold reduction in resistance going from 12 gauge to 6 gauge (or for that matter any reduction relative to 12 gauge) to be overkill in nearly all applications, at the lengths you are dealing with. Including a speaker application such as yours, where the particularly low impedance of the speakers makes cable resistance more critical than it would be in most other cases.

Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to how well or poorly such wires would synergize with your particular equipment. But FWIW my guess is that using wires not intended for speaker cable applications would be a longshot at best in terms of optimizing the sonic return on your cable investment, even at their modest price points.

Regards,
-- Al

Interesting. I wonder what the difference in composition would be between "speaker-intended" wires, and AC? Yet, that anecdotal "no one raved about them" is telling. Still, I would wonder. Copper is copper. Extruded is extruded. Just wondering out loud.

It’s probably not possible to define a general purpose answer with any certainty, but presumably the reasons relate to some combination of factors such as those I cited earlier whose audible significance is not well established in a quantitative manner. And also in a lot of cases to differences in inductance, especially if (as I indicated) the impedance of the speakers is low at high frequencies and/or the cables are relatively long.

Regards,
-- Al