Another consideration, even if you ignore the possibility of performance loss, is resale. More people than not, expect that a pair of interconnects or speaker cables will be a matched length. Personally, I have not found a little extra wire coiled up behind one speaker to be any worse than the difference that exists in the lengths being different. Many times too, the shortening of the length in only one of the pair of wires, does not get you much in the way of dollars saved. Just some things to consider, you must decide what is best for you.
Pros/Cons of Same Length Speaker Cables?
Like many others, my amplifier, cd player, rack, etc. is off to the side rather than between the two speakers. This means the cable length is different for each. I've heard some (dealers!) say the cable lengths should be identical for both speakers. Aside from the cost issue for good cables, isn't it bad to have too much cable coiled up behind the rack? Why have identical lengths if it means one of the speaker cables has more than 6 extra feet coiled up? I know that resistance can be an issue, but is this really an issue with one cable at 16' and the other at 9'? Thanks in advance for your advice