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Run cable through metal stand?

I'm running small monitor speakers sitting on metal stands. The stands have corridor for holding the speaker cable. It's tempting to run the cable down the inside of the stand because (1) looks better and (2) safer - less likely someone will accidentally pull on the cable and drop speaker off stand.

Would the metal of the stand interfere with the sound of the cable? Does this vary by cable? Currently using AU-24. I'd estimate the diameter of the metal corridor in the stand to be half an inch in diameter.

Thanks,
Art
artmaltman

Showing 2 responses by nsgarch

nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Actually running the cable in a metal raceway (that's what they're called) can provide additional shielding from RFI/EMI.

The problem is that if the stand is grounded, i.e. if it has spikes that go into a concrete slab-on-grade floor, (not a wood floor) it can allow the cable to build up some inductance. That's why some people use cable-lifters to keep their speaker cables off the (concrete) floor. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about that since the raceway probably isnt more than a couple feet long?
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Chris, for the record, I wasn't endorsing the use of cable lifters. I too think they're hype. I just mentioned them for the sake of completeness. If a speaker cable is properly designed, issues of inductance should have been solved internally. The cable should be able to lay on or next to anything (except parallel to electrical lines) without deterioration in performance IMO. I didn't mean to imply otherwise.
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