Speaker Cables questions

[bonzo]

Hi, I am looking to buy DH Labs T-14 speaker cables for my summits. (taking Roberto's recommendation here)

What is the difference between Bulk cables and those terminated with Spade connectors - I assume I have to buy the latter one else terminate a bulk cable myself?

What is the difference between Banana termination and Z-plug termination?

What is the difference between a stereo pair and a biwired pair?

When I install them, do they need to be kept taut, or can the extra length take slack and be left coiled up on the floor?

 

[roberto]

Hola Bonzo.
1) Bulk is when you buy a whole spool, and you make the cables.

2) Banana termination is the type of connector at the end of the cable. You are allow to use a spade connector, which looks like a U, or banana.

3) Z-plug is a type of banana that holds very tight at the banana connector. I like it a lot. The other type, is locking banana, a little bit more expensive, but the contact area is at the tip of the banana only. It stays at the female banana, griped very nice.

4) You do not need to bi-wired your Summits. Buy only a regular T-14, of the size for your need, and use the Z-plug termination.

5) Extra cable is good thinking. But use a S shape, not a coiled figure, because that´s what you are doing, a coil, and it will mess the bass. Do not use a coil at any cable. Just leave them relaxed at their maximum extension. Use the interconnects with a size of 1.5 m. Why? I do trust my ears, and less size, spoils the sense of 3D here in my system. Perhaps you might be thinking, the shorter connection is better, but my findings says no. There is a theorem made by an engineer, Mr. Copher, as I might recall, where he states that any signal applied to any component, has a rejected signal of a distance of 1.33m. One of the Shun Mook Monks, Mr. Bill Ying, says the same too. When I use in my system less than 1.5m in my interconnects, my image shrinks. Do your tests with different length of cables, and tell us your finding. Again, my liking does not necessary must be your liking!. Happy listening!

 

[bonzo]

Hi Roberto, if the hifi rack is in the center, I assume both speaker cables can be of equal length. However, if HiFi rack is in one corner, one cable (to the nearest speaker) will be longer than the other cable. I assume this is normal and does not create any imbalance?

Also, if I extend my 2 channel to 5.1, do the center and rear speakers need the same cable like the front two, or can I go lower quality with them?

Finally, Signal cable seems to have copper and a hybrid of silver/copper. As far as silver and copper go, is one more clear, one more bassy, etc?

 

[roberto]

OK. As a general rule, both speaker cables should be made by the same size, if one is closer to the furniture where you are going to have all your equipment, then an S shape, like a snake, to shorten it, is what you should use. You can do this at your speaker side and at your furniture side. Center is very important. Dialog and voices are going to come out from your center speaker. You can do this step by step...but keep in mind that you want a good sound coming from your center too. The rear speakers are for clapping or ambiance. You can do it with a regular copper OFC (oxygen free copper) cable. I recommend to you also, the gauge NO. 12 for those. DH Labs have an not expensive good copper cable. Model Odyssey. Check it out.

 

[Peter Hogan]

Hola Bonzo.
1) Bulk is when you buy a whole spool, and you make the cables.

2) Banana termination is the type of connector at the end of the cable. You are allow to use a spade connector, which looks like a U, or banana.

3) Z-plug is a type of banana that holds very tight at the banana connector. I like it a lot. The other type, is locking banana, a little bit more expensive, but the contact area is at the tip of the banana only. It stays at the female banana, griped very nice.

4) You do not need to bi-wired your Summits. Buy only a regular T-14, of the size for your need, and use the Z-plug termination.

5) Extra cable is good thinking. But use a S shape, not a coiled figure, because that´s what you are doing, a coil, and it will mess the bass. Do not use a coil at any cable. Just leave them relaxed at their maximum extension. Use the interconnects with a size of 1.5 m. Why? I do trust my ears, and less size, spoils the sense of 3D here in my system. Perhaps you might be thinking, the shorter connection is better, but my findings says no. There is a theorem made by an engineer, Mr. Copher, as I might recall, where he states that any signal applied to any component, has a rejected signal of a distance of 1.33m. One of the Shun Mook Monks, Mr. Bill Ying, says the same too. When I use in my system less than 1.5m in my interconnects, my image shrinks. Do your tests with different length of cables, and tell us your finding. Again, my liking does not necessary must be your liking!. Happy listening!

Just a FYI...The impedance of a coil (inductor) increases as the frequency increases, so it would have the most effect on the high frequencies, not the bass...especially since ML's tend to have low impedances up there to begin with...

 

[roberto]

Hola Peter. Please, that´s the theory, but do your test on your own speakers cable. Make a coil with you speaker wire, and please, tell us your findings. The bass is a mess!, not the highs. The coil that you are making, is about 5 to 7 inches wide. Happy listening.

 

[Speedskater]

By the way, coiling speaker cables or AC power cables or any 2 conductor cables just plain don't act that way. Because a 2 conductor cable at any instant will have current flowing one direction in one conductor and the opposite direction in the other, they cancel out the inductive effect of the coil. A real inductor has just one input terminal and just one output terminal.

Now there are a few speaker cables with very widely spaced leads and I suppose if you carefully coiled them, you could create an inductor.

 

[roberto]

Hola Chicos, And, why is that, when I put my speaker cables, making a circle, 4 to 5 woulds, the bass is a mess? You can tell the difference when I make a S shape. Happy listening!

 

[Speedskater]

Self fulfilling expectations.

 

[roberto]

Yup, that's me! Happy listening.

 

[coolcobramatt]

Hola Chicos, And, why is that, when I put my speaker cables, making a circle, 4 to 5 woulds, the bass is a mess? You can tell the difference when I make a S shape. Happy listening!

The real magic happens when you make a W shape

 

[Bernard]

Yup, that's me! Happy listening.

Nice comeback, Roberto. Thanks for the chuckle!

 

[JordanD]

By the way, coiling speaker cables or AC power cables or any 2 conductor cables just plain don't act that way. Because a 2 conductor cable at any instant will have current flowing one direction in one conductor and the opposite direction in the other, they cancel out the inductive effect of the coil. A real inductor has just one input terminal and just one output terminal.

Now there are a few speaker cables with very widely spaced leads and I suppose if you carefully coiled them, you could create an inductor.

While you are correct, you are also dealing with an ideal world, which we are not. In theory yes you are right, but since incoming signals and out going signals are not perfectly out of phase with each other we still see magnetic effects on a varying scale. Then when you coil the wire you are building a chaotic system of fluctuating magnetic fields which can only hurt the source signal. So if possible it is always better to not coil the wire if you value your bass signals, but then again as roberto always says, do your own testing and "listen you your ears." That is the only real way because then we have to argue about biological effects and how they different from person to person and that is not a rabbit hole I like to fall into haha

 

[ktchnman]

Sounds like it's too late, Jordan.

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?14619-System-461-(Theos)

 

[JordanD]

Sounds like it's too late, Jordan.

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?14619-System-461-(Theos)

Youre probably right but sometimes the filter between my input signals and output signals fail and I end up replying anyways haha.