Cable length

Short=Speaker cables.

Generally speaking, shorter speaker cables are preferable, so if you are faced with long runs (say, 15 feet or more), I'd advise using longer interconnects and shorter speaker cables. However, with the lengths you describe, it really won't be an important issue.

A few people around here (Sean, I think) have argued for long speaker cables. What are the technical arguments?

Let's look at this logically. I'll try to do it in plain English so that everyone can follow along.

The strength of a signal at line level (interconnects) is very low in voltage and current. Losing ANY of this signal is equivalent to never having it appear at the source. This shows up as a lack of resolution in a system. After all, once information is lost, it can't be recovered nor could it ever be amplified to a listenable level.

Along the same lines, if the signal is distorted due the materials used to construct the cables themselves OR the cable is of a poor design geometry resulting in improper impedances OR outside influences such as RFI and EMI enter into the equation, those distortions will be amplified further down the chain. It is not uncommon for problems with RFI / EMI to manifest themselves through interconnects due to broken grounds, poor design or poor connections. These problems are FAR less likely to arise with speaker cables unless using highly reactive ( inductive or capacitive ) cables or drastically long lengths.

To top it all off, interconnects use small gauge wires. This results in greater series resistance. The higher series resistance opposes the flow of signal and causes signal to be absorbed by the cables themselves. This is due to what is referred to as "line loss". This becomes far more prevalent as the length of the line increases. While ALL cables have line loss, some are better than others by measurable amounts.

As such, one would want the weakest signal to travel the shortest distance possible using the highest grade conductors and insulators prior to amplification. This would be done in order to minimize unrecoverable losses, minimze distortions within the cable / system itself and to reduce the potential for outside interference via RFI and EMI.

As far as speaker cables go, you are dealing with a signal that may be hundreds of times stronger coming out of the amplifier than what is found in an interconnect. As such, losing a small percentage of signal is not as big of a deal. Think of the small line level signal coming out of a component ( source, preamp, etc.. ) as a dime and the much higher level signal coming out of the amp as a dollar in terms of volume or amplitude of signal. If one were to lose a "penny's worth" of resolution due to line losses, etc... with the interconnects, that would be a very noticeable percentage ( 10% ) of performance flushed down the drain. Using the same example, losing a "penny's worth" of resulution due to line losses from the speaker cable would result in only a 1% difference in resolution. A 1% loss or resolution is not a big deal compared to a 10% loss. This is especially true when you consider the fact that the 1% signal loss has already been amplified to maximum capacity since it has already made it past the amplifier whereas the 10% loss from the interconnects would be further amplified as it passed through the various gain stages of the signal chain. If the signal is lost or distorted PRIOR to amplification, any deleterious problems become magnified. The gain of the amplifier makes these losses / distortions even more noticeable.

If we consider the fact that speaker cables are also typically MUCH heavier in gauge, which reduces series resistance to a minimum, line loss is not near as big of a deal. Since the series resistance is drastically reduced, voltage and current can flow far easier with less line loss incurred. As such, using cables with reduced line loss allows one to use longer lengths and still maintain good signal integrity.

As far as RFI and EMI susceptability goes, it would be harder for these types of interference to "muscle" what is already a relatively strong signal coming out of the amplifier. While these outside influences may distort the signal between the amp and speakers, the effects produced can not be amplified any further since the signal chain has already travelled past the amp itself.

The ONLY "valid" argument that one can muster for short speaker cables is that the amplifier "MIGHT" have slightly better control over the speaker. If one notices a HUGE improvement when using a shorter speaker cable over a longer speaker cable of similar electrical characteristics, the cables are simply too small of a gauge to begin with OR are of a poor design. Obviously, using greater quantities of a poorly designed ( or possibly "mismatched" ) product will produce noticeably worse results than if one were to minimize the effects of the poor design by using less of it. In plain language, 10' of junk ( or "less suitable" ) speaker cable will always sound worse than 4' of "less suitable" speaker cable. There is simply less "junk" to influence the sound within the system.

Take a look at the FAQ section on the Empirical Audio Website for a technical breakdown. Steve has done a pretty good job of modeling a lot of basic info and putting it into graphs and charts. Bare in mind that he's making suggestions based on his experience and education as an EE, not just the fact that he is a cable manufacturer.

The bottom line is that one should use the shortest cables possible ( within reason and common sense ) that one can get away with. This is true of interconnects, speaker cables and even power cords. If one must run long cables of any type, it becomes even more important to take such things as impedance, materials used and design geometries into consideration. Don't short-change ANY part of your system, as it is only as strong as its' weakest link. Sean
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