5.1 speaker cable options?

techead

techead

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right, so Im getting my speaker setup today and Im guess that its gonna be speakers in boxes and no wiring..

I have been told to buy some "monster cable". Can anyone confirm or deny this? Im told that the more strands the cable has, in terms of throughput and quality. Apparently I can go overboard and buy hiddeously expensive cable... but no money for that right now.

I also dont wanna wire the whole thing with twinflex! :D

or doesnt it matter? :confused:
 
It doesn't matter, as long as the cable is thick enough for the length you want(lower resistance). 16 AWG (1.5mm²) should be enough or 14 if you have seriously high-end stuff and longer lengths. Do some Googling and you will find out that people who actually went about it in a scientific way have figured out that there is no difference in cables of the same length and diameter. Of course audiophiles who spend thousands of rands per meter on cables will disagree (no-one wants to admit when they've been duped).

You can find tables giving the ideal maximum length for each cable cross-section (usually American so given in AWG) and there are tables for converting from AWG to mm² as well.
 
techead said:
right, so Im getting my speaker setup today and Im guess that its gonna be speakers in boxes and no wiring..

I have been told to buy some "monster cable". Can anyone confirm or deny this? Im told that the more strands the cable has, in terms of throughput and quality. Apparently I can go overboard and buy hiddeously expensive cable... but no money for that right now.

I also dont wanna wire the whole thing with twinflex! :D

or doesnt it matter? :confused:
Click to expand...

Monster is very expensive, for no perceived added value
 
Don't be fooled by the snake-oil peddlers who try to convince you to buy Monster cable. Any reasonable OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable of moderate length will convey the signal perfectly. For an average room I would work on 10m max. Unless you're a serious audiophile with a bunch of measuring equipment to test the heck out of your sound setup, the cabling is not going to affect your listening experience. Do your pocket a favour and google for "speaker cable quality" and follow some of the debates.

Essentially:

"Wire-size 2-ohm load 4-ohm load 6-ohm load 8-ohm load

22 AWG 3 feet max 6 feet max 9 feet max 12 feet max

20 AWG 5 feet max 10 feet max 15 feet max 20 feet max

18 AWG 8 feet max 16 feet max 24 feet max 32 feet max

16 AWG 12 feet max 24 feet max 36 feet max 48 feet max

14 AWG 20 feet max 40 feet max 60 feet max 80 feet max

12 AWG 30 feet max 60 feet max 90 feet max 120 feet max"
 
I was in a similar dilemma yesterday. Sounds Great offered my 'speaker cable' at about R12 per meter. The guy agreed that it is ridiculously expensive. I came across (unsure of the brand) speaker wire/cable in Pick and Pay, selling for R49 for a 15 meter length. That seemed to be the best value, since the 20m boxes cost R79 each. Quality wise, I cannot comment, but for us mere mortals, I am not sure that we would pick up the difference between twinflex, speakers cable, monster cable or Rapunzels hair...
 
Superjakes said:
I was in a similar dilemma yesterday. Sounds Great offered my 'speaker cable' at about R12 per meter. The guy agreed that it is ridiculously expensive. I came across (unsure of the brand) speaker wire/cable in Pick and Pay, selling for R49 for a 15 meter length. That seemed to be the best value, since the 20m boxes cost R79 each. Quality wise, I cannot comment, but for us mere mortals, I am not sure that we would pick up the difference between twinflex, speakers cable, monster cable or Rapunzels hair...
Click to expand...

IMO twinflex is safe for short runs (max 3m), but for most home use, I'd opt for the 16AWG stuff.
 
I'm using twinflex to my rear speakers (+- 6m - up wall - over ceiling - down wall) and the sound is just fine - even when I pump it up. I doubt one would really hear the difference at these short distances.
 
techead said:
right... got 1mm for rear and 2mm for front and sub. should do the trick
Click to expand...

So you're using the thinner gauge for the longer run to the rear speakers and the thicker stuff for the shorter distance to the fronts? I would've gone the opposite way :D
 
flarkit said:
So you're using the thinner gauge for the longer run to the rear speakers and the thicker stuff for the shorter distance to the fronts? I would've gone the opposite way :D
Click to expand...

I was considering the range/volume that comes out the rear compared to the floor-standers in the front?
 
techead said:
I was considering the range/volume that comes out the rear compared to the floor-standers in the front?
Click to expand...

Unless it's seriously poor or damaged, cheap wiring (assuming that the distances are less than 10m), the thickness really should not have any influence on the volume or frequency outputs.
 
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