[lefthandluke]

taking into account a run of 45-50 ft, what is the better option...


a long run of speaker wire with short interconnects or short speaker wires with long interconnects...?


i should say that i am using the long speaker wire at present and it sounds fine...just wondering if i might be missing something...

 

[Ratman]

long run of speaker wire with short interconnects

 

[underminded999]


^^^ Yeppers.  Long speaker wire run with short interconnects.

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by lefthandluke  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22134655


taking into account a run of 45-50 ft, what is the better option...

a long run of speaker wire with short interconnects or short speaker wires with long interconnects...?

i should say that i am using the long speaker wire at present and it sounds fine...just wondering if i might be missing something...

Effective performance can be obtained either way.


If it is possible, the best way is to use short speaker wires and long interconnects, as long as total distances are on the order of no more than a few dozen feet.

 

[commsysman]

If you are talking about unbalanced interconnects (RCA), they are seldom sold in lengths over 3 meters long, because there are many potential problems with noise, signal degradation, and RF interference when you use them, and anything over 2 meters long is to be avoided IMO.


There is no problem with a 50-foot run of speaker wire, as long as it is 12 gauge wire to avoid signal loss.


Balanced interconnects, on the other hand (3-wire XLR connection), are commonly run for 100 feet or more on stages and other recording venues, and there is absolutely no problem with that due to the balanced connection and proper shielding. You equipment must HAVE balanced circuit connections of course.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lefthandluke  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22134655


taking into account a run of 45-50 ft, what is the better option...

a long run of speaker wire with short interconnects or short speaker wires with long interconnects...?

i should say that i am using the long speaker wire at present and it sounds fine...just wondering if i might be missing something...

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by commsysman  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22135457


If you are talking about unbalanced interconnects (RCA), they are seldom sold in lengths over 3 meters long, because there are many potential problems with noise, signal degradation, and RF interference when you use them, and anything over 2 meters long is to be avoided IMO.

RCA cables that are about 4 meters long (12') are pretty commonly sold.


The capacitance of a 12 foot cable will not cause audible signal loss unless the source impedance driving it is atypically high for audio gear. This has not been a common problem since almost all of the world scrapped tubes.


IME, the worst thing about unbalanced interconnects of appreciable length is that they will probably be attached to something that is powered from a different outlet and even perhaps a different circuit than the source, leading to hum problems due to ground potential differences. This can often be avoided by powering both the source and the load from the same outlet or power strip.


Shielding is not usually a problem with audio frequency lines provided the signal level is strong and the source impedance is low. Many audiophiles use unshielded interconnects without audible problems.

Quote:
There is no problem with a 50-foot run of speaker wire, as long as it is 12 gauge wire to avoid signal loss.

The error here is that we don't size speaker wire in high quality audio systems to avoid power loss, we size speaker wire to avoid frequency response or damping problems due to high series resistance. Whether or not 50 feet of 12 gauge leads to audible problems primarily relates to the impedance curve of the loudspeaker.

Quote:
Balanced interconnects, on the other hand (3-wire XLR connection), are commonly run for 100 feet or more on stages and other recording venues, and there is absolutely no problem with that due to the balanced connection and proper shielding. You equipment must HAVE balanced circuit connections of course.

Agreed.

 

[Ratman]



Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22135280


If it is possible, the best way is to use short speaker wires and long interconnects, as long as total distances are on the order of no more than a few dozen feet.

What's less expensive, 50' of speaker wire or 50' of XX# of interconnect cables.


What is the benefit of multiple 50' interconnects vs. a pair of 50' speaker wire? What is the OP "missing"? What am I missing.

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratman  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22135736


What's less expensive, 50' of speaker wire or 50' of XX# of interconnect cables.

What is the benefit of multiple 50' interconnects vs. a pair of 50' speaker wire? What is the OP "missing"? What am I missing.

In the pro world (which includes balanced cabling for all signals), the recommended solution is 50 feet (or whatever) of line level wiring, and the shortest possible speaker cables. Been there, done that very many times.

 

[Ratman]

In the "non-pro" world... for the "general" home audio setup, I would expect that the previous recommendations are good (short interconnects, long speaker wire).

To add, no one knows exactly what the interconnects are. Are we looking at turnatable, CD player, Bluray, optical, digital coax, HDMI, analog audio, interconnect between amp and pre/pro.... etc.

 

[mcnarus]



Quote:
In the pro world (which includes balanced cabling for all signals), the recommended solution is 50 feet (or whatever) of line level wiring, and the shortest possible speaker cables. Been there, done that very many times.

Could you explain why this is the recommended solution in pro audio? That might help people here understand the issue a little better.


FWIW, unless there is a technical problem (I/Cs not properly shielded; speaker cables of insufficient gauge) the right answer for the home user is almost always, "do it whichever way is more convenient."

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mcnarus  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22136393

Quote:
In the pro world (which includes balanced cabling for all signals), the recommended solution is 50 feet (or whatever) of line level wiring, and the shortest possible speaker cables. Been there, done that very many times.

Could you explain why this is the recommended solution in pro audio? That might help people here understand the issue a little better.

As has been pointed out, line level cabling is smaller, lighter and more extensible than speaker cables. Pro systems tend to be reconfigured and transported more often, so size and weight matter more. The tool that supports this strategy, being the snake which contains mic and line level cabling is far more practical when it doesn't contain speaker cabling.

Quote:
FWIW, unless there is a technical problem (I/Cs not properly shielded; speaker cables of insufficient gauge) the right answer for the home user is almost always, "do it whichever way is more convenient."

Agreed.

 

[lefthandluke]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratman  /t/1415803/general-consensus#post_22136378


In the "non-pro" world... for the "general" home audio setup, I would expect that the previous recommendations are good (short interconnects, long speaker wire).

To add, no one knows exactly what the interconnects are. Are we looking at turnatable, CD player, Bluray, optical, digital coax, HDMI, analog audio, interconnect between amp and pre/pro.... etc.

source equipment and amps are at the rear of the room...



it would be possible tho to move amp up front, which would then require longer interconnects. both amps and pre/pro have balanced connections, tho i don't think either are truly "balanced"...


rotel amp and integra 80.2 processor...