Uneven speaker cable lengths and cable termination


Hi,

I'm getting new speakers that are single-wire only. This means I can't use my old MIT Terminator 2 cables, and need something new. My budget is limited as I've just spent all of it on the speakers :)

I'm not sure what the stance on cables is here on audiogon, so I hope I'm not starting a war :)
Anyway, I have some questions:

- Are equal lengths for both channels required? Is it possible to hear a difference? (my amp will be positioned to the left of the left side speaker, so I will need about a 4m run to the rightmost speaker. I was thinking of getting 4m and 2m runs)

- If I buy bare cable, is unsoldered termination helpful? The monster quicklock spades and bananas look really nice, but I wonder if they are worth the cost. (http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=4584)

My speakers are Audio Physic Scorpio II with Krell KAV-400xi btw. General recommendations are welcome.
ahochan

Showing 1 response by musicnoise

Ahochan: As far as the length discrepency - won't matter. The difference in electrical properties of the two different lengths is not significant. Sure there will be some difference in all three electrical values because they each depend on the length. But, the effect of these differences is unimportant in your application. The practical difference matters no more than, for example, whether the temperature in your refrigerator is 34 degrees F as opposed to 34.005 degrees F.

As far as connectors at the end of cables - does not really matter either. One can have problems with the connection between the cable and the connector and some banannas can result in poor connection at the male - female connection. You do eliminate these potential problems by going with bare wire. Of course making good crimp or solder connections and unplugging and plugging the banannas every six months also ensures no problems. But, there is no significant advantage to using spade or bananna termination - so no reason to spend the money if you are on a very tight budget.