2. cables
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Speaker cable length.

I have a small weekend cabin in the country. I have a modest system there consisting of a set of Polk Audio Monitor 7 tower speakers, an NAD C316 BEE integrated, Schiit Modi 2 DAC and a Denon radio receiver. Sounds much better than you might expect.

Anyway, we recently got a fireplace installed. This means that there will be a speaker on each side of the fireplace with the components on the right side of the fireplace. That means the right speaker is within 2-3 feet of the amp/components. The cable for the left speaker will run under the house from the amp and then back into the house on the left of the fireplace because I don't want it on the floor in front of the hearth. This will require about 16’ of speaker cable.

Will the difference (16’ of cable to the left speaker vs maybe 4’ to the right one) make a difference on a modest system like this? If so, what to do about it? I certainly don’t want 16’ of cable piled on the floor on the right.

Thanks for any input.

P.S.: I have good quality bulk speaker cable from Transparent if that makes any difference.

n80
mark200mph
177 posts
 

Where do I get the bs meter from? I need one for the kids.

mariddock
26 posts
 

You will not hear a difference. 

quadgar
1 posts
 

I have never heard a difference using different length speaker wire/cable. I would not think that a difference would be heard in your situation. You did say "The holes were there so it was simple." regarding running your speaker cables. Hopefully you are not running your speaker cables through the same holes as your electrical power (romex) lines. Your speaker cables should be 6" or more away from power lines when running parallel to them and ideally cross them at a 90° angle.

erik_squires
16,056 posts
 

It is unlikely this will cause you any sorts of problems, but you can overcome any issues with thicker wire.  Run 12 gauge or thicker and you should be fine.

waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff
1,108 posts
 

There’s a lot going on inside those cables besides just getting electrical energy from Point A to Point B at a fraction of the speed of light. The insulation (dielectric) is not electrically inert, which is to say that it acts as a capacitor absorbing, then releasing energy slightly out of phase with the main signal. So, 5x the length will increase this by a factor of 5, and the cables will sound different.

Whether this effect, and other factors, will be audible to this listener in this space with this system is difficult to predict. As some have suggested, and blind A-B comparison may put your mind at rest.

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