Speaker Cables - Long Run

A couple of comments….

(1);Bi-wires are a mixed bag approach. I understand that VANDERSTEEN recommends them. Fine….So does REFERENCE 3a in their manual.

BUT ….when I asked their Prez directly about his recommendations for a bi-wire cable choice,  his comments made me pause. Things change,

in essence, he said if you have hi-quality and properly shielded copper biwires with premium connectors, you MAY get a comparatively small improvement (5% ish) over single runs.

….otherwise just stick with a single premium copper single run and high quality shielded premium copper jumpers .…. that’s their current advice .

(2) I had the VDH teaTrack biwires in a prior system .,,, but not long before I dumped them. Comparatively, they suck …. Move on sir regardless .

"Also, consider moving your amp next to your speaker and using long interconnects to your preamp. A better sounding alternative."

I've never understood this advice.  So, sending a line level voltage (typically a volt or two at most) for 20 feet is going to sound better than sending a speaker level voltage (at least 10, if not 50 volts depending on volume) the same distance?  It would seem the smaller the voltage, the more delicate and thus more difficult to propagate over distance. 

I've never bought it, despite being common audiophile 'wisdom'.  Explain.

I use 15 feet of Kimber 8PR in a a 3/5 biwire configuration for my Reference 3A de Capos

we tend to overdo it, here is McIntosh's MC830 speaker gauge advice. (Earlier manuals noted smaller gauge).

The Speaker Wire

If speaker wire is not already terminated, remove

½ inch (12.7mm) of insulation from the wire end

and twist the strands together.

For runs under 25 feet (7.6m), use at least 16AWG wire.

For runs under 50 feet (15.2m) use at least 14AWG, and

forlonger runs up to 100 feet (30.5m), use 12AWG.

12AWG, being the larger wire, can be used in all

the above cases if desired.

The above guidelines are for 8 Ohm connections.

When using 4 Ohm speaker connections, subtract 2 from the gauge.

For example, a minimum gauge for a 50 foot 4 Ohm run

would be 12AWG. For guide, see Figure 07.

Generally, thicker gauge wire is better than thinner

until it doesn't fit in the Binding Post's hole.

I make my own using CAT 8 cable. 24 gauge x 8 strands is 15 awg. 8 x 26 is 17 awg

https://www.wirebarn.com/Combined-Wire-Gauge-Calculator_ep_42.html

I use different colors for +/-, easy to know at either end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/123675938081?hash=item1ccba90d21:g:sN8AAOSwRiFcfrB9&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8PqIOYuSmqbjqZSpym9Eiu5HAZv3H6Y077sSkKWxpR3CvYY17HeazwIE1SMw3w%2FSv2PGf0a0OY7xCTtQbp0hkK0XN8n101hnUSR0yAce%2BEzO%2BKjeDm%2FUOvGRR50ZP4OFa5tSfM1x4WyTD7C%2FzhiXlsXSGfKlQC24AXIX6S2lR%2BRslk3FKhpU4UmcVpyEPq2Bj90E2KWy3es7rRJ%2BSVg94IXxiuI%2F2U%2F20xYCHPC2xEVqOAQWKGKLzl8r9sPsxLpKi2huzxcmBIZqaTbW9%2B47m8h9Vdj%2FEn%2FEbod4il9Pn2RHm2n4Clg1ShtDrYoBErG5qw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-zK0oz3YQ

wrap for 3 feet, tape; wrap other direction 3 feet, tape, change direction ....: avoids having to constantly flip the long cable every turn if all wrapped the same direction.

need flat?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144819754921?hash=item21b7ee17a9:g:nlMAAOSw~jBjeunY&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0NlZ8XbAFBU7mjlgTGTBJqYCMrqvNBpRMMPmq1Gu0seEHZHlrg2nsFgUrZiHjN9KZbLveYOA%2FaqV%2Fo%2Fu9vu74K0zq1TN7ITWqpEZmdwsUxl%2FvRIqAn0j8Q68xQRyniql5kC5yjks85eFDLrojccZzswBvAqeWTORhR86XY2yyFoM%2FQr%2FEI9FE1Cz1iv%2FbB2vfFm9QvT%2FafBQeu9Vom01DSG18MQZ9w%2B2ciUO0uC471RkOU7lt0L%2FOPgHQX1isqoUxY13Px8TUoG%2FFOBTNlCUQHU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9q2lYz3YQ

cut connectors off, add spades/bananas etc.

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note: check both conductor and connectors for pure copper (you will cut off the connectors), some only the connectors are pure copper