Speaker Wire. Hokum or Truth?

I was a disbeliever in the capabilities of speaker wire for the longest time, ever since Monster came on the scene with their cables. I had a friend tell me 20 years ago what he paid for cable and I told him he was nuts. Since then I have heard great differences in the quality of sound made by speaker cable and IC's. Most for the better and some not. What shocked me was the improvement in sound that a simple power cable can make. Now I've spent much much more on cabling than that same friend did 20 years ago and now I'm the one who is nuts. Having said that I have no regret about my cable purchase. I hear a definite differnce in sound quality and all for the better. Don't forget that a speaker is an active load and simply measuring resistance is not sufficient to compile any meaningful data. If that were the case then any thick cable will suffice. Because the load is dynamic and the frequency being carried changes very frequently you have to consider capacitance and inductance at the various frequencies where they are going to affect the sound. These values can be measure and reported as well. In the end the best test equipment you can use is your own ears. Trust them. Buy what ever cable you are happy with and enjoy the sweet music. My 2 cents.

The table @ the supplied link in regard to gauge VS distance contradicts the results many (including myself) have experienced with 47 Labs OTA cable, which is .4mm/26 gauge "solid core" copper wire used in single parallel runs as speaker cable.

The same goes for those (including myself) using 24-26 gauge solid core copper magnet wire in a similar fashion.

The table stops @ 24 gauge.

I limit the length of the speaker cables to 12' (not too difficult to do in most 2-channel setups) and I doubt that I would use them with planer type speakers, but other than this I have been happy with this type of speaker cable for the past three years when used with a variety of amp/speaker combos.

The only guidelines that count are those established by listening tests, preferably by those who hear well, which would seem to disqualify Russell right off the bat (by his own admission/testimonies).

In a few years all this argument will be over. Power amplifiers will accept digital input, via fiber optic that could be miles long. Power amps will be "monoblocks" located within inches of the speakers, and perhaps even integrated with the crossover, and the speaker system. No interconnects. No speaker wires. No worry, mate.

I've switched from Hokum wanna-be's to HD Yellows. Best ever! Even better than the ones Quad uses to demo their speakers...

Are you aware that, "Hokum," (usually found in conjunction with, "Pokum") in Greek, means, "please, bend over."

Since the Romans, though, it has been known as, "Hocus Pocus." Same meaning as above and, still, entirely appropriate in any discussion of overpriced interconnects and/or power cables.

In other words, don't believe everything you read and listen before you buy. (Also, stay seated when negotiating a deal.)

Best wishes in your search.