Better to use cheaper thicker speaker wire or better thinner wire?

The distance is only 10 ft. I'm driving 6 Ohm MB Quart towers with a Parasound 1500A.

Tried listening test, hard to tell with the gap between the music when switching.

I don't know the Parasound, but if it has a mono L/R switch or balance control try using a run of each to the left and right speakers.

In any case, if you find it hard to tell the difference, there probably isn't one worth being worried about, so choose the best looking wire and sit back with a scotch and enjoy.
 
I don't know the Parasound, but if it has a mono L/R switch or balance control try using a run of each to the left and right speakers.

In any case, if you find it hard to tell the difference, there probably isn't one worth being worried about, so choose the best looking wire and sit back with a scotch and enjoy.

:thmbsp:
 
If you saw the solid core wire I'm using, you'd realize just how laughable your 'ego' comment is.

Also, I think you need to read the posting rules of this forum.

Kirik57: Ego is the wrong word (and I apologise) - can't think of the right word to use in this context. But, more importantly, the 'shot' is directed at me not you. I have Cardas IC's between my amp & pre and also from my CD to pre. Oh yes, I'm using Kimber TC4's for my speakers. We are what we read not necessarily what we hear. That's not true in your case but it certainly is in mine. What's also true is I've never compared them to anything else - so who knows?
 
Can the OP's question be translated in:

1) thinner SHIELDED cable vs. thick UNSHIELDED cable

2) thinner litz BRAIDED/SOLID CORE cable vs. thick STRAIGHT LITZ cable
 
OK, let me be more clear. The wires in question are:

1) Lowe's bulk 14 gauge copper wire with brown plastic shielding. The bare wire ends are very thick and barely fit in the binding post holes. I'm guessing there are 20 strands of wire per +/- side.

2) Apature brand cable, don't know the model but they make high-end stuff. The insulation is clear and is very fat. The 18 gauge wire is made up of only about 12 strands or so. It it signifigantly thinner than the Lowe's stuff.

The distance from the amp and the speakers is only 10 ft.
 
I have some Apature cable here somewhere. Its nothing special, at least not the two lengths that I have. I don't even remember where it came from. It works in that it allows the speakers to work :). Other than that, nothing revelatory happened. It's not 'high end' as far as speaker cables go, even though they call it high end on their website. Its just decent quality cable. If you get into that stuff, you can spend a LOT more than Apature goes for and, in my limited experience, sometimes (not always) you'll get more, too. A good solid budget speaker cable (though some consider even Monster a ripoff) is Monster XP, the braided kind in the clear jacket for in-wall use. It's actually very decent cable. And yes, I said "monster" was budget, in light of the fact that that stuff is like $50 for a big spool of it, and you can spend thousands of dollars on speaker cables.
 
From an engineering perspective, the difference between the 14 AWG Lowes and the 18 AWG Apature is going to very little. Any cable will present 3 electrical characteristics to the amp. These will be added in series with the electrical characteristics of the speakers. Those 3 characteristics are its resistance, capacitance and inductance. Please note, that we are not talking about the amount of each of these characteristics for each wire, just the difference between one wire and the other. Typically, both the inductance and capacitance are more functions of the cable geometry then anything else. If the geometry of the two cables are similar, likely the capacitance and inductance are similar. That is not to say equal. however over short runs, such as this (10'), similar will mean only small differences. Also, for 10', the resistance difference between the two cables is small, again because of the short distance.

I would expect that you would not hear the difference so use the one your significant other thinks looks better (or less objectionable) and put domestic tranquility over the last modicum of performance.

Just my advice from a married engineering perspective.

Shelly_D
 
Cables again John?

I have housework to avoid, so I might as well, you know? I also just put my fancy schmancy Audioquest Pikes Peak bi-wired cables in play again, as I moved gear around. So I'm back in the cables DO make a difference camp, and away from the cable-agnostic camp. I kind of want to take them out because the bass is overwhelming the room. And yes, that happened when I put the different cable in. In turn I could switch the gain on my preamp...so many ways to waste time in this hobby when you get into nit-picky gear and don't have tone controls.
 
I use pure gold speaker wires braided by Swedish blond nympho virgins!

You?

/irony!

If you move your speakers about 2 inches, you will get more difference in sound than any cable. Bass traps in the corner and other room conditioning make even more of a difference. Not saying cables can't influence the sound, but if they are built correctly, they all should NOT influence the sound at all. If they do, they are engineered incorrectly. After all, in = out should be the goal.
 
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I agree on that a short run, 18g and 14g stranded wire would not appear to be any different. But adding power or a long run then a lower gauge would be beneficial everyone should agree.
Because of the skin effect and the higher frequencies a single solid wire should not be used. Even if a litz sheilded wire is used to eliminate the skin effects, would not a stranded lower gauged wire not work just as well and save you money?




Barney
 
I use pure gold speaker wires braided by Swedish blond nympho virgins!

Braided while they dance naked under the full moon in the mountains of Pangea?

Kewl ... me too! Price goes up astronomically if you get the video too ...

Speaking of gold ... Does anybody (else) put a dab of DeOxit Gold on their speaker connections? Those are, as they say, the weakest links.
 
Braided while they dance naked under the full moon in the mountains of Pangea?

Kewl ... me too! Price goes up astronomically if you get the video too ...

Speaking of gold ... Does anybody (else) put a dab of DeOxit Gold on their speaker connections? Those are, as they say, the weakest links.

Moi.

After handling any connection plug, spade, wire or binding port its best to treat it with degreaser spray and remove the body oils we rub over them. They are longterm oxidants.

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Enough of the threadcraps. Can we get back on topic, please. And if thou don't like the subject matter, please feel free NOT to post.
 
Enough of the threadcraps. Can we get back on topic, please. And if thou don't like the subject matter, please feel free NOT to post.

As you know this topic can go on forever just like the virgin Sweedish nymphs.
 
I would think at the very least you'd want to put some wood blocks under them. That's assuming you can get hold of some ebony or wenge. Pine, maple and oak are counterproductive.

What is it about these woods that makes them better? Is it density, moisture content, or what? I'm not familiar with Wenge. Of course, I know what Ebony is. If density matters, I should think northern Sugar Maple, AKA butcher block Maple, would be excellent! And Oak is dense. How would Bubinga or Andaman Padauk be? Desert ironwood? Teak? Mahogany? More info on this would be welcome.
 
If there is going to be a difference, you could hear it better than we can. All you'll get here is a bunch of nerds arguing with each other, while you could be busy listening to your stereo.

BRILLIANT!! Best advice I've heard.
 
The distance is only 10 ft. I'm driving 6 Ohm MB Quart towers with a Parasound 1500A.

Tried listening test, hard to tell with the gap between the music when switching.
Try one set for a few days then the other set for a few more. If there is a difference you will notice it.
Short cycle swapping back and forth has almost never worked for me.


Steve
 
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