Hi everyone,

I need some help for my audio setup. How long can the line level connection be between pream and Monoblocks without degrading the sound. My pream is going to be about 20 and 30 feet from L and R speakers. Shall I use a 2 channel amp and run 20 feet long speaker wire, or run line level cable from preamp to monoblocks and keep monoblocks close to the speakers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? And what cables do you recommend to connect preamp to monoblock ( 20- 30 feet)

Thanks
mani

I am not an expert by far but from what I have read, I believe that the RCA wires have much more of a chance of picking up noise than the speakers wires do over long runs so you would be much better off making a long speaker wire run.

I am also no expert, but i agree with James, it would make more sense that a high power signal that is running between your amp and speaker would be less noticeable if it picked up noise, than the signal from the pre to the amp, because then that noise (as well as the sound) is going to be amplified.

FWIW, the Owner's Manual for my "high-end" amp recommends long IC and short speaker lead vs. the other way around.

A competently designed (and properly made) IC shouldn't have any trouble over that distance.

I recommend long interconnects to the amps and short speaker leads. Well-shielded ICs, even unbalanced, are fairly immune to interference unless you are in a hot EMF field. I use 10M interconnects, s.e. or bal, and have never had any problems with noise pickup. Of course, one must assume that the preamp is capable of driving the line.

Here's a guide to wires from:
http://bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm

with good quality wires a ic run of 30' preamp to power amp no problem
..belden wire co mfgs quality product for broadcast, recording studios where
signal interference or loss is critical..

hope this helps

In addition to the above posters. The monoblocks will be more expensive than a similarly powered stereo amp because of the additional chassis. You can probably keep your stereo amp equidistant from both speakers and use less than 15' of speaker cable per side. With monoblocks you also have to ensure there is an outlet nearby.

C'mon guys, this was posted in January of '07. :D