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How to select a good Speaker Cable

Speaker cables do have a significant role in how our system sounds. Different cables sound different. 

So which one is the right one for you?

The Speaker Cable is an extension of the Amp. and not an addition to the speaker's load. It shall have a certain resistance (low) not to spoil the Amp's DF figure. As so, it can be calculated and there is a formula to do it.

The higher the Amp's DF, the lower the Speaker Cable's resistance shall be. As today SS power Amp's get DFs of 400 and above (Digital Amps go by thousands) the cable of 10 ft (3m) long, gets as thick as 0 AWG.

I can see your eyebrows elevates, when that thick cable is to be deal with. Most Speaker Cable makers skip it because of that. So most cables on the market (regardless of the look or price) are of 14-12 AWG. Way less that supposed to be.

Worst! no Speaker Cable maker, dealer or seller knows the answer, of what is the correct cable for your system. 

So most of us ended up, with a cables too thin for the task.

A conducted test, on this site, about a year ago as well as with some closer friends, shows a significant improvement with a calculated size cable over their previous cable. The results were all positive and preferred the calculated cable.

So, instead of asking: which of two brands, or two prices or two colors of Speaker Cable do I need, you should ask how thick of a Speaker Cable do I need.

I'll be happy to provide you the calculation, for who request it. All you need to provide is:

1). Length (Ft. or meter)

2). The Amp's DF figure.

Thanks


128x128b4icu
b4icu's avatar
b4icu OP
553 posts
 
Mr. djones51

As you can see above, I’m not selling anything. I’m offering an idea for free. Mostly for a DIY project that cost below $100.- In this hobby it’s a small and insignificant amount that no other investment of $100 would do so much improvement to your sound quality.

For the calculations, sorry but you are wrong. It looks that you are determined to go against me, no matter what!

The speaker’s impedance is non relevant in this case. The Speaker Cables (even though they called so) are an extension of the Amp. and not of the load (speakers), when analyzed.

It can be a
Magi 1.6 or III, with 4 ohms and 86dB/w/m SPL efficiency (hard to drive) or a
Klipsch Forte-II with 8 ohms and 99dB/w/m SPL efficiency.
The same apply for both. It was checked and tested.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
The same don't apply for both. Why bother with DF? Speakers don't have a flat 4 or 8 Ohms they can fall to 1 Ohm and jump to 30 Ohms. A 4 awg cable in home audio is not necessary and when figured with amplifer and speaker resistance is a fraction of resistance of the whole. Now perhaps if your speaker run is 50ft to subwoofers it might have an audible effect but normal 8 to 12 foot runs I'm not going to bother with a battery cable. 
grm
149 posts
 
I used to be in the camp that wire is wire, I have learned through my own experience that this could not be farther from the truth. Speaker wire can have a large impact on SQ IMHO and I view speaker wire not so much as an extension of your amplifier, but more of an interface between Amp and Speaker. I have also learned that one not need to invest a major outlay of $ to get excellent results. Unless someone asks, I'm not going to bore readers of this with my long journey that resulted in my final "interface" with my speakers. The short answer is I ended up Bi-Wiring my speakers. My Speakers are two-way, each with a 15' run of #10 awg Belden 1313A going to the low frequency driver, and Audioquest Type 4 (#15.5awg) going to the high frequency driver. The results were excellent with this configuration and my total outlay ended up around $220 for two fifteen foot runs. I have read about many high-end Audiophile speaker cables, but there is no way I can justify spending over 5K on speaker wire, I just do not understand what I would be missing, I don't believe much! Thanks!  
b4icu's avatar
b4icu OP
553 posts
 
Mr. grm

May I contribute my 2 cents to your happiness?

1. What Amp. do you use (more as what is it’s DF)?
2. Bi wire is a way to connect two relatively thinner wires instead of one thicker. On Spice (SW) analysis, the results of connecting one cable of #7 awg ( 0.4982 ohms / 1000 ft.) is equal to connecting two #10 awg, of the same length ( 0.9989 ohms / 1000 ft.).
The problem is, that it’s hard to find ready made #7 awg cables, but more common to find #10, #12 or #14 awg cables.
3). 15’ is a bit long for a speaker cable. As longer it gets, so is the resistance increase. So #10 awg with that length might be no so good of a cable.

Please pay attention, that I do not say a thing about prices.
A simple DIY project and cables + accessories, cost less than $100 can work for you. That’s way less than $220 or $5k!
I never thought that cable prices should be high.
b4icu's avatar
b4icu OP
553 posts
 
Mr.  djones51
It's getting a bit annoying...
If you are not going to bather with my idea, why do you keep nudging on endless errores issues?

Most Amp's on the market will not deal with a load as low as 1 ohm and will shut down. For most 8 ohms rated speakers, the impedance is between 3 ohms and 30 ohms.
Running 50' of speaker cable is not recommended.
Buy a long XLR cable and place the Amp. as close as possible to the speaker.
Most speaker cables out in the market, used by sound owner is about 10ft, give and take 2ft.
The best would be to use two monoblocks as close as possible to the speakers (even put them back to back and use very short jumpers. The distance between the power Amp's and the Pre. can use XLR balanced cables of extended length if required.
It is essential to lower the cable resistance and one good way doing so is shorten it. The other is getting it thick.
It's your choice which suits you.





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