Re: What type of wires for speakers?



On Sep 13, 12:08 pm, andygupta2...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
This post in in the same genre of cables (my last query was about HDMI
cables and thanks I got good convincing responses). This one is about
speaker cables.

I am connecting my Pioneer receiver to my focal surround sound
speakers. My retailer sold me $80 audioquest cables (apparently they
are thicker and the wires don't intertwine i.e. they go through
straight). I was told I will hear the difference between cheaper
speaker wires and these. Is there a difference between using these
speaker wires or the cheaper 16 gauge Belkin speaker wires ($25) or
the monster speaker wires ($35)

Thanks
Andy

Andy I think you can tell from the replies that when it comes to
electricity including at audio and musical frequencies, a wire, is a
wire, is a wire.
As long as there is good wire connection between the outputs of the
amplifier and each speaker it doesn't matter what kind of wire is
used.
If you could keep the two wires to eac speaker separated not touching
together and with good connections at each end you could use barbed
wire!

One of the cheaper ways to buy wire, as someone has suggested, is to
buy a cheap extension cord. Even the cheapest made in China/Mexico/
Taiwan etc. will be at least 18 AWG copper.

That gauge of wire has a resistance of about 6.5 ohms per 1000 feet,
so even allowing that there are two wires to and from the speaker,
even if the distance is say twice 50 feet = 100 ft. (and most speakers
are not far away as far as wiring is concerned?) that is only 0.65
ohms introduced into a nominal 8 ohm circuit.

There is no need to use car booster gauge cables for normal domestic
listening. If one is deal with 2000 watt public announcement/rap-
festival that's another matter.

Even at a sound peak of 100 watts (watch your eardrums!) the loss in
18 AWG cabling will be 8% or less; not noticeable to the logarithmic
human ear which needs a doubling of power (3dB) to notice any
difference. And it will not be (at audio/music) frequency
sensitive.

No wonder there is the semi technical term 'Audiophoolishness'! Happy
listening.
.



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