speaker cable

I have just purchased a pair of Scripts. My problem is that my audio room is over 20 ft. long. I would like to have an a fairly good quality of cable without having to mortgage my home. Wonder if I could get any recommendations. Thxs Art

Are you saying that you need a 20' pair of speaker cables ? Or something other than that...??..

The good news is that you're in luck. You can get fairly good raw cable for less than 1 USD/foot from BlueJeanCable. Order online too !! http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm

The next step up would be to give SignalCable a call. This guys' ICs and speakerwire are top-notch. No online ordering though, but he is a real pleasure to talk to and deal with. A straight shooter who won't steer you wrong. But you'll pay a bit more for his product. See if he'll cut you a "special deal" if you're ordering very long runs... http://www.signalcable.com/

There are too many options for me to list in the next tier of pricing, so I'll let somebody else jump in here with their suggestions now...

~VDR

Art contact me if interested and I can get you some cables. They are a proprietary design that several here have heard. I run them with my Krell equipment and CLS. They are the best cable I have heard at any price. Including VanDaRo. They bested a $2900 pair of Transparent Ultra pair. PM me for details !

I use the large gauge in-wall offering from Bluejeans for my Vignette surrounds. There are only about 10 - 15 strands of copper in the jacket; not extremely striated like monster or other cheap alternatives. Hard to beat.

tah800 said:

I have just purchased a pair of Scripts. My problem is that my audio room is over 20 ft. long. I would like to have an a fairly good quality of cable without having to mortgage my home. Wonder if I could get any recommendations. Thxs Art

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I would strongly recommend that you use shorter speaker cables, using a longer interconnect between your preamp and power amp(s). I'm a fan of Nordost's wares myself, but 20' is gonna get pricey!

RichTeer said:

I would strongly recommend that you use shorter speaker cables, using a longer interconnect between your preamp and power amp(s). I'm a fan of Nordost's wares myself, but 20' is gonna get pricey!

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Really? I would recommend the opposite unless you are going balanced. RCA interconnects need to be shielded. They are prone to pick up interference from outside sources, ESPECIALLY over longer distances. Speakers have low impedance and high current, resulting in little need for shielding from electromagnetic interference and radiofrequency interference, etc. With proper gauge, I would run the distance with the speaker cables for better performance.

I agree with Nordost though, I use them for my main runs.

i went long IC short speaker and haven't looked back. i also ran the IC in the wall using canare microphone starquad cable with the braid shield grounded at one end. not a hum to be heard (save for the Gould records...)

It all depends on how much you want to spend. While blue jenes is a budget buy (like visio) it is rebadged beldon wire. I pulled a pair apart one time lol. While i agree its not bad for the price, there is better wire. But then im a cable fanatic. I use audio quest volcano wire for my fronts, while yes wire does have a fairly large mark up if you get it from a retailer, you can usually pick up good stuff used.

tsmooth said:

Really? I would recommend the opposite unless you are going balanced. RCA interconnects need to be shielded. They are prone to pick up interference from outside sources, ESPECIALLY over longer distances. Speakers have low impedance and high current, resulting in little need for shielding from electromagnetic interference and radiofrequency interference, etc. With proper gauge, I would run the distance with the speaker cables for better performance.

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I agree that longer interconnects should ideally be shielded, but shielding and balanced operation are two different things. All things considered, I still think that longer interconnects are preferable to longer speakers cables, YMMV.

Speaker Wire

Ok guys. now when I choose a cable do you get bulk unterminated wire. Do good companies sell it like that. I would hate to get something already terminated and the come up short. I would also like to get your take on this system I'm going to put together. I'm going to use the Sunfire TGP-5 and the Sunfire TGA 5400 for my processing and amplification. My front speakers are the original Carver Amazings. I have just bought the Martin Logan Theater i center and the Scripts for my satellite speakers. I wonder how the Carvers will work with the electrostatics. I really love my Amazings and find it difficult to replace them. I have had them completely rewired. I have also replaced the Original binding posts with Cardas.I run them with the Carver Silver 9t's and they sound fantastic. I would never need a subwoofer with these as the 8 12" woofers give me all I will ever need. I figure I'd probably have to spend 10 grand for the Logan Summits to get anywhere near the performace I have now. Even with the Summits I don't think I'd ever get the bass that I'm experiancing with the Carvers. Another feature I really love is the Sonic Holography. That's why I chose the Sunfire Gear. Bob Carver designs that stuff too. Anyway tell me what you think of that setup. Be honest When people ask me for opinions I usually don't pull any punches when I'm offering my thoughts. Art

RichTeer said:

All things considered, I still think that longer interconnects are preferable to longer speakers cables, YMMV.

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Given the capacitence issues with our Logans, I agree. Better to run balanced I/C's (if possible) when dealing with lengths in excess of 2 meters, IMO.

twich54 said:

Given the capacitence issues with our Logans, I agree. Better to run balanced I/C's (if possible) when dealing with lengths in excess of 2 meters, IMO.

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But Dave the capacitance issues only have an impact on the speaker cable, not the I/Cs.

Bernard said:

But Dave the capacitance issues only have an impact on the speaker cable, not the I/Cs.

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I think Dave's capacitance comment was his way of agreeing with my assertion that longer interconnects are preferable to longer speaker cables. His comment about balanced cables addresses another issue. I think; Dave correct me if I'm wrong!

Bernard said:

But Dave the capacitance issues only have an impact on the speaker cable, not the I/Cs.

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yes correct Bernard, thus my belief that one is better with shorter speaker cables and longer I/C's when forced to choose.

RichTeer said:

I think Dave's capacitance comment was his way of agreeing with my assertion that longer interconnects are preferable to longer speaker cables. His comment about balanced cables addresses another issue. I think; Dave correct me if I'm wrong!

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Correct, here's a link from a post By Neil (nsgarch) regarding cabling



http://www.sanderssoundsystems.com/Cables WP.htm

twich54 said:

yes correct Bernard, thus my belief that one is better with shorter speaker cables and longer I/C's when forced to choose.

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OK, I see what you meant now.

I agree with bernard, he hit the nail on the head

I had stated in a previous thread that in an article in TAS the writer stated that speaker cables have to be a minimum length of 8ft. Someone responded that Pierre Sprey (?) of Mapleshade also claimed the same thing. Anyone have any idea about the reasoning behind this?

Bernard said:

I had stated in a previous thread that in an article in TAS the writer stated that speaker cables have to be a minimum length of 8ft. Someone responded that Pierre Sprey (?) of Mapleshade also claimed the same thing. Anyone have any idea about the reasoning behind this?

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Mapleshade does not explain their reasoning (other than listening tests) but here is a link to their statement

• NEVER use speaker cables shorter than 8'. Amazingly, 4' sounds much worse than 8'. Contrary to common belief, shorter interconnects (2 m or less) and longer speaker cables sound WAY BETTER than the opposite—based on extensive head-to-head tests.

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/freeaudiotips.php

Burke said:

Mapleshade does not explain their reasoning (other than listening tests) but here is a link to their statement

• NEVER use speaker cables shorter than 8'. Amazingly, 4' sounds much worse than 8'. Contrary to common belief, shorter interconnects (2 m or less) and longer speaker cables sound WAY BETTER than the opposite—based on extensive head-to-head tests.

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/freeaudiotips.php

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Hmm. A lot (but not all) of the advice on that page is suspect, to say the least. "Put your small speakers on the floor and tilt them back for improved sound"? Give me a break... (FWIW, I think the use speakers cables that exceed 8' advice is in the "suspect" category.)