I'm thinking of moving my large box furniture rack from its current position between my speakers to a location along a sidewall. The idea is to minimize speaker reflections and refractions off the center-positioned rack. This leaves me with two options: 1) Running longer speaker cables (15-20 feet) from the amp's new location on the sidewall to the speakers, or 2) Leaving the amp on the floor between the speakers (and putting it on a low platform), then running long interconnects from the preamp to the amp and using short speaker cables. My Pass Labs XA25 amp does not have balanced connections. Thoughts? Feeling? Speculations? Thanks.
Kolledog, it depends on the impedance of your loudspeakers. If your speakers are 4 ohms or less you are probably better off with shorter speaker wires even though your system is not balanced. I always ran long unbalanced interconnects to mono amps behind the speakers and never had any trouble. I would use a cable like Canare DA 206 which has twisted pair inner conductors of heavier gauge then you attach the shield on the preamp side only. If your speakers are 8 ohms or higher longer speaker cables will work fine as long as you keep the gauge low enough. I would say 12 or lower. I like Kimber Kable either 8 or 12 TC.
I have one of my four systems setup that way, equipment on the side with 20 foot speaker cables. System sounds great with either of my two tube amps or my one class D amp. The cables I use are DH labs Q10 in biwired configuration.
Balanced is for pro use where "long" is 200 to 300 METERS. 20ft is not "long". It is however long in terms of you will never buy quality speaker cables that long. You will cheap out - everyone does - and this one thing alone will erase a lot of what you hope to gain with the move.
This is no idle speculation by the way. I have heard the difference and know what I’m talking about.
Another reason not to run long speaker cables, either they will have to be different lengths (killing you even more up front and even worse on the back end when you go to sell them) or the extra coiled up somewhere.
You will find it much easier and better to just run long RCA to the amp. Then normal length speaker cable. Don’t use a rack, put the amp on Townshend Pods. Or a Platform if you like the look better. Do not just lay the interconnects on the floor, suspend them every inch of the way. Same for the speaker cables. This is how you do it.
The rack by the way, all you are doing is moving a problem from one place to another. Ditch it. Do that and more than likely you can avoid this whole off to the side issue altogether.
I have the same issue. I am going with a very low equipment rack in the center of the room. Low enough to avoid most reflection, but not necessitating other expensive changes.
I've never heard of suspending speaker cables. . what's the rationale behind that? (I understand some rationale behind keeping electrical cables separated from audio signal cables, but if they are shielded, which most are, I don't know why it should make much of a difference.)
I've never heard of suspending speaker cables. . what's the rationale behind that?
There's several. Most likely the main one is vibration control. Check out my system, and don't take my word for it but read the comments from people who have heard it. Deborah for example, had no idea, heard it with her eyes closed. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
This is also a good example of how to do a system that maximizes performance per dollar by minimizing wire length, among other things.
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there are some things that just aren't done; such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs”
Perhaps. . .perhaps not. I remember reading about a guy Mike Lavigne on another blog, who supposedly was convinced his power cables made an auditory difference, but under controlled, blinded conditions, he couldn't tell the difference between his $10,000 power cables and the standard OEM power cables that come with components.
Moving the equipment rack from between the speakers and leaving the amp there significantly improved the sound of my system. The advice from my dealer and long time audio comrade told me that to break between the preamp and amp was the one to make. Shortened speaker cables can really make an aditional improvement. I trust him and did that this time. For runs of 20 or 30 feet… single ended RCA are fine.
In reality any of the options are fine. I have done all the above and bet I could not pass a blind test on any of it. 10g wire is good for 34’ before the added resistance is an issue. 12 gauge is good for 22’.
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