Cable Risers

[slippers-on]

I just don't understand what benefits risers would have. Good speaker cable, properly shielded should not have any interfearance, static issues. My cables run right on top of carpeting, has always been on carpet, here and in Europe and I never heard any differences, static, diminished frequencies or any other scientific term we can come up with.

Not being an 'expert', I wont get into this anymore except to say, "in my own opinion", I just think this is a way for the audio industry to increase their bottom line. After all, not as many people buy audio gear as we did years ago, proof being all the audio gear companies that have folded over the years. OKAY, once again, this is "just MY own humble opinion"!!

I've experimented with home made cable risers seen in the pic, to see if I could hear a differnece. And I did....slight as it was, I welcomed the improvement. System must be resolving enought to appreciate it. System seems more transparent. Is it worth spending a $100 bucks on cable risers? Thats totally up to the person who owns the system.

 

[Njoy-Music]

All I can say is from what little experience I have. Like the Vibrations and Smearing thread I did find some help and many insights the more I play with it. Budget and home made items work as well or better than high dollar variations I've tried. I have seen risers work at clubs and small venues where static was a big issue. They weren't risers however as the cables ended up being run through wire management clips separately from any power or sound cables.

At home though whether on carpet, wood or concrete I have not heard it make any difference in sound. Then again I keep my cable runs as short as will fit and keep different cables as separated as possible more because I like to be able to find and get to the cables I want when I want without trying to track them down. Yes it ends up looking much neater as a side benefit.

So yes I have heard raising them from the floor in highly static prone environments make a difference in sound quality but not in smaller areas on short runs.

 

[Brian]

I remember this type of discussion back in the early '70s. It was coupled with the issue of physical separation of each lead to the speaker. Some of the proposed and implimented solutions were interesting while others made for a Dilbert strip. Most of those who tried it, though seemed to find when both were addressed there was some minor improvement when a system reached some level of resolving power. Not long after the thin wire idea arose. I tried the thin wire and in some instances did like the change; not sure if in objective terms it was an improvement.

 

[SteveA]

Tried some home made risers a few years back. Kept them in for a few months and didn't notice any change with either adding or removing them.

Not prepared to dismiss entirely as my experience was too limited - wooden floor and used chunks of water pipe thermal sleeving.

Steve

 

[gizzyman47]

I think that only a system of very high resolution is going to let you (hear) this tweek. That said, if you are the type to worry if your system can sound and perform better, I say give it a try! At least it will be one less thing to worry about! No need to spend big bucks on this tweek unless the money in the rest of your system demands it. (visually speaking).

 

[Wes_in_VA]

I use risers in my living room setup just to keep the speaker cables off the floor: otherwise too much pet hair accumulates around them!

 

[KptKrunch]

I use risers in my living room setup just to keep the speaker cables off the floor: otherwise too much pet hair accumulates around them!

That makes sense to me - dust bunnies too lol.

Guys, my speaker wires are laying on my carpet, have been for years. I've never, ever heard a 'pop' or anything remotely 'static'. Why? Cause they're insulated - twice - they are insulated once by the first (colored) sheathing, and then they are in a grey jacket to boot. Trust me, I walk in the room, rub my feet on the carpet, hit the lightswitch and wham - static. I can do the same thing, and grab a speaker cable, nothing, not so much as a spark, or anything, totally dead, but go back to the (plastic) light switch and whap, there's the static charge.

But hey, if you have bare wire -then I'd say it's probably a good idea to use risers

 

[runnin']

What's your point? Why do you think that some people may have bare wire?

 

[Gazdatronik]

Risers don't do anything and they never will. If you want to use them, that's cool and its up to you, I'm not here to bash. They do look neat but as far as how electricity works, there is no benefit.

If there is enough stray electricity in peoples floors to truly affect a speaker, then those same people would be getting constantly electrocuted, hearts all going into arrhythmia on a daily basis just getting around the house.

Now, Line level wires are a different story. They can pick up stray signals in a moment. Jacking the gain up high enough on my mixing board, I can hold an unplugged 1/4 inch jack NEAR my synthesizer-and it will pick it up.

The rules of thumb I follow-totally subjective, of course.

If you can't hear the difference, then there is no difference.
If you can hear a difference, make sure its better, and not just different.
If you aren't sure-then there is no difference.

This has saved me a lot of money and sanity over the years. Fortunately, I figured it out early, when I was 22 and dropped $50 on a pair of used monster cables.

I use Lowes' 43¢ a foot 12ga wire, about three or four more feet than I need to reach the speaker, draped over and under countless AC mains cords. I'm sure a guy with MIT Terminators would have kittens if he ever saw my wiring job, but no problems yet.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Risers don't do anything and they never will. If you want to use them, that's cool and its up to you, I'm not here to bash. They do look neat but as far as how electricity works, there is no benefit.

If there is enough stray electricity in peoples floors to truly affect a speaker, then those same people would be getting constantly electrocuted, hearts all going into arrhythmia on a daily basis just getting around the house.

Now, Line level wires are a different story. They can pick up stray signals in a moment. Jacking the gain up high enough on my mixing board, I can hold an unplugged 1/4 inch jack NEAR my synthesizer-and it will pick it up.

The rules of thumb I follow-totally subjective, of course.

If you can't hear the difference, then there is no difference.
If you can hear a difference, make sure its better, and not just different.
If you aren't sure-then there is no difference.

This has saved me a lot of money and sanity over the years. Fortunately, I figured it out early, when I was 22 and dropped $50 on a pair of used monster cables.

I use Lowes' 43¢ a foot 12ga wire, about three or four more feet than I need to reach the speaker, draped over and under countless AC mains cords. I'm sure a guy with MIT Terminators would have kittens if he ever saw my wiring job, but no problems yet.

Before you post in this forum, be sure to read the Forum Rules, We are not here to debate anything controversial or state categorically what is or is not proven fact. Discussion here is all open minded and supportive.

 

[runnin']

Thanks tinkerbelle. This is the Cutting Edge section. Coming in to nay say the thread topic is against the rules in this section.

 

[John James]

I run mine under the carpet. The music is invisible.:yes:

 

[Gazdatronik]

Ok, sure. But I'm not here to put down personal tastes. I mean, some people like Volvos. Not my cuppa tea, but I don't yell at Volvo drivers for making that decision.

I support his right to use risers. Its his system. You should be able to do what you like with it.

 

[onemug]

Ok, sure. But I'm not here to put down personal tastes. I mean, some people like Volvos. Not my cuppa tea, but I don't yell at Volvo drivers for making that decision.

I support his right to use risers. Its his system. You should be able to do what you like with it.

Wondering what your thought process is. Do you go to Volvo owner forums and tell them what you think of their cars...but it's okay if they own them. Seems like a misuse of your time.

 

[charles 1973]

Well the principle behind cable risers I'm thinking is similar to that of the insulation around wire/cable. That is insulation has dielectric properties. That being the case, a cable lying on a carpeted floor may effect these properties. Also the proximity of a cable to an EM or RF source can impact sound. Raising it away from such a source may make a difference. Line level cables might benefit the most to put risers on, since they carry a much smaller signal than speaker cables do.

These are real, measurable, albeit very small differences that may show up on an oscilloscope, Whether we can hear them or not is another matter. I think just keeping power cables, speaker cables and line level cables separated as much as practical will be fine for over 95% of us.

 

[Gazdatronik]

Helping vs. Not helping

Wondering what your thought process is. Do you go to Volvo owner forums and tell them what you think of their cars...but it's okay if they own them. Seems like a misuse of your time.

No, I don't do that, I don't appreciate assumptions made about what I do on a daily basis. You don't know me.

Maybe I don't understand the purpose of this forum-Open discussion about a piece of tech may, or should include pros and cons. My understanding was that the OP was questioning the purpose of what insulators would accomplish if the cables were already suspended 7 feet above the basement floor. This is a very good question! My answer is-it would make no difference.


If people's feelings were going to get hurt, then maybe it should be against forum rules to ask questions about such topics.

So, how about I contribute with a solution to further the cause of cable isolation.

http://www.electriduct.com/304-Stainless-Steel-Braided-Sleeving.html

If one were concerned with stray electrical impulses getting in, covering the speaker wire of your choice with stainless steel braided sleeving, and grounding said sleeve to the chassis of your amplifiers is a great way to stop that from happening. Plus, it can still be used with isolators, and the price per foot is reasonable. Its available in various diameters for whatever cables you have.

See, I really do want to help, but eventually the physics reach a limit.

Case in point, an example: If only the most exotic interconnects are the way to go, why don't you ever read about audiophiles abandoning interconnects altogether and hard soldering their equipment together?

Now that I've said it, I'm sure somebody will tell me it's been done:yes:

 

[tromba]

Maybe I missed this, but most of the pictures show speaker cable. I think this was my assumption that this is what they were used for.

But what about long cables from the pre-amp to the power amp? I have short speaker cables and don't have my system between the speakers but in a different part of the room, necessitating a long run of RCA cable.

For those that use risers, is this not as significant? more signficant?

 

[onemug]

No, I don't do that, I don't appreciate assumptions made about what I do on a daily basis. You don't know me.

I didn't assume anything. If I assumed it, I would not have asked you.

Your opening sentence in post 51 says, "Risers don't do anything and they never will."

In post 52 the Moderator asked you to be sure you read the rules before you post. I could explain them to you but I can't understand them for you.

Let's not hijack the OP's thread.

 

[uenjoymyself]

^ I think that makes sense.....If your gear sits in a very high traffic area with carpet then I suspect there will be build up of static electricity on a daily basis.

The issue still is though will 2" off the ground make an appreciable difference....static can jump I suspect to the cable from the carpet...yes??

I would be more concerned about eliminating the "pops".

Good discussion....and I agree on hardwood floors, slab concrete I don't see the need for risers.

All due respect intended, but....

How does static jump from the floor to a cable that is insulated? This whole discussion has me baffled

Are speaker wires and interconnects not adequately insulated? Can stray electricity penetrate and reach the wire inside?

Am I wasting my time and yours asking these questions?

 

[Gazdatronik]

Maybe I missed this, but most of the pictures show speaker cable. I think this was my assumption that this is what they were used for.

But what about long cables from the pre-amp to the power amp? I have short speaker cables and don't have my system between the speakers but in a different part of the room, necessitating a long run of RCA cable.

For those that use risers, is this not as significant? more signficant?

Perhaps. When running long lengths of unbalanced cable, If it runs past AC mains or nearby a ballast for a florescent lamp in the basement, using a riser, or suspending the cable, may be to your advantage. Only experimentation can tell.

Running the cable perpendicular to high voltage lines rather than parallel to them will reduce noise.

Of course, if you hear any extemporaneous signals in an unbalanced cable run, and repositioning the cable does not fix the problem no matter the method used, it may be time to switch to balanced cables, which eliminate transients, but not all devices have this option.