Very short speaker cable length recommended?


Hi folks, I've read some article that a too short speaker cable could make the sound worse, is this true? The statement was btw from MIT. I've always thought a short speaker cable (less than three feet) could bring improvement to the sound, at least it wouldn't do any harm. What is your opinion regarding this issue?

Chris
dazzdax
Umm okay if you say so I believe you.. But sorry I have heard a bit of a brighter sound and etched in a way with having too short of a cable running mids and highs... So I have also listened to audio research back when I purchased their equipment and their recommended tubes and whatnot and still found they did not work for me. What is the point? Again I stated try for yourself, you may or may not like. And by the way Keeping the shorter the better analogy applies of course, but that normally means YEAH if you can jam down 6ft cables than go for it over 10 ft distance, and If you can use a Single meter cable vs a 2 meter than the Less the merrier.. But that does not mean that these manufacturers necessarily recommend using a 6" interconnect or an 18" speaker cable vs. a 4 ft I am talking the PRACTICAL Lengths via being shorter but not MICRO short. I am not arguing but think people get way to much in their head of what they want to believe than trying it. Basically I agree sure maybe a 6 ft or 5 ft vs. 12 ft is better than just dropping to a 8 ft with little to gain.. But people thinking these slight micro lengths and extreme areas of benign return are a little jaded.. By the way SURE a 2" POWER CABLE would be far better, but thats power and a \whole different approch. Dig in as deep as you like, but lets be sensible with what people are really saying not the extreme of it.
I believe the professionals who design and build the cables not the amateur listener.

Yes, very wise. I would always go with the opinion of the industry professional. I think to settle the debate we should consult Dr. Bose and see what he has to say on the subject. BTW McDonald's food is great, they told me so. Miller beer is the best, it tastes great and it's less filling. Or did you mean you believe only the industry professinals you want to believe?

On a less sarcastic note, you will find numerous "professional" cable builders who will tell you just the opposite of what you believe; Mapleshade and Kimber and others. So who do we believe? Look hard enough and you can find a "professional" to back up any position you want.

To be completely frank, there are any number of people who post on these forums and repeat what they have read in magazines, on line reviews, advertisements, and other forums. Unless they have tried it themselves their opinion carries no weight with me. It is sad to think there are those who are deeply involved in this hobby who trust the opinions of others more than their own ears.
I am a dealer for Mapleshade and Pierre told me that the issue first came to his attention when a customer complained abut the sound of a short run he had just sold to him to replace an identical but longer run. He got them back and tested them out and heard the same problem although the ccables themselves were not faulty. He mentioned it to an associate who referd him to the work of a famous but controversial EE who claimed over 40 years ago that shorter runs cause cable reflections to interact with the feedback of the amplifier regardless of amplifier design; even in no feedback designs there is a certain amount of inherent capacative feedback.
This is only one person's opinion based on an anonymous EE. Readers should draw their own conclusions.
Audiofiel, my conclusion is that you offer nothing but your opinion, which is based soley on the the opinion of others. In other words, you parrot what you read but have never tried it yourself.

Conclusion: until you try it yourself, your unfounded, unsubstantiated opinion is just that.