Speaker Wires on Carpet


I was reading that carpet will interfere with the signal going through speaker wires if the wires are on the carpet. I was wondering if the amount of interference varies depending on whether the positive and negative wires are twisted together versus running straight and parallel to each other. Also, will certain types of wire jackets cut down on interfence?

I ask this because I have wires running next to the base boards on the floor in my (carpeted) dining room since that's the most unobtrusive place for them. I may consider some type of wire elevators if they are reasonably priced and look nice.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
socprof

Showing 2 responses by rushton

If the carpet is synthetic, it acts as a huge dielectric that soaks up and stores energy from the cables, and then releases it randomly back into the cables smearing the sound. Thus the frequently observed benefit of lifting the cables off the floor to give air space (a great electrical insulator) between the carpet and the cable. Natural fiber (e.g., wool) is less likely to act this way, wood floors are generally not a problem.
For those intending to do before and after testing, be aware that, with some cables, the simple act of moving the cables requires some further break-in time before the cables are again performing optimally. This is clearly apparent to me me with the Goertz AG-3 speakers cables, but not as much so with the Omega Mikro Planar speaker cables. With the Goertz, the re-settling time was only 2-3 hours or so, but it was very audible. Just be cautious of this in judging the outcome of your experiments.