How to select a good Speaker Cable


Speaker cables do have a significant role in how our system sounds. Different cables sound different. 

So which one is the right one for you?

The Speaker Cable is an extension of the Amp. and not an addition to the speaker's load. It shall have a certain resistance (low) not to spoil the Amp's DF figure. As so, it can be calculated and there is a formula to do it.

The higher the Amp's DF, the lower the Speaker Cable's resistance shall be. As today SS power Amp's get DFs of 400 and above (Digital Amps go by thousands) the cable of 10 ft (3m) long, gets as thick as 0 AWG.

I can see your eyebrows elevates, when that thick cable is to be deal with. Most Speaker Cable makers skip it because of that. So most cables on the market (regardless of the look or price) are of 14-12 AWG. Way less that supposed to be.

Worst! no Speaker Cable maker, dealer or seller knows the answer, of what is the correct cable for your system. 

So most of us ended up, with a cables too thin for the task.

A conducted test, on this site, about a year ago as well as with some closer friends, shows a significant improvement with a calculated size cable over their previous cable. The results were all positive and preferred the calculated cable.

So, instead of asking: which of two brands, or two prices or two colors of Speaker Cable do I need, you should ask how thick of a Speaker Cable do I need.

I'll be happy to provide you the calculation, for who request it. All you need to provide is:

1). Length (Ft. or meter)

2). The Amp's DF figure.

Thanks


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Mr. djones51

I’d kindly asked not to refer me to web articles. There are so many out there, with different ideas. So what?
None are yours. It is your choice which one to addaped, and which one do reject. So it is for myself.

This idea here is mine. So as the articles won’t keep up the discussion, let’s leave it out from the beginning. Thanks.

For the inductance, if you read what DF is, and how it is calculated,
than you may see, it is ignoring the inductance and capacitance and use pure resistance values. Even though, if you look into a power amp’s schematic, you will find a few from both on the output stage!

The DF value, as so, is a pure number (just as dB) as it is the ratio between a constant 8 ohms (resistance, not impedance) and the internal Ro (output resistance) of the Amp. as so, the value (lets say 400) is a pure number. no values.
A thick cable comes assingles and not pairs, molded in a flat or round synthetic compound. You can drop the inductance. A #4 or #0 cables resistance is so low, that if there is any inductance, it is negligible.

On top of all said, did you ever gave it a try?
Because for those who did, it made a huge difference.
If you didn’t, why won’t you try it and then come back to the discussion.
That would make more sense.
Mr. dekay

What Amp has a DF of 3?
I assume it’s a tube amp. None of this discussion is applicable in that case. For a DF of 3, a phone line cable may do.
DF of 3 equals to Ro = 8/3 = 2.67 Ohms.
For a SS Amp’s DF as high as 200 (PASS Labs), Ro = 8/200 = 0.04 Ohms.
For a DF as high as 700 (Luxman), Ro = 8/700 = 0.01 Ohms.
For the last two, the cable’s resistance (in series and need to calculated twice (for the + and -)) is significant.
For 2.67 Ohms - Not much.

Bottlehead Paramour(s) 2A3 DH SET amps without C4S.

I used Bell wire once (22 gauge) when I moved the amps to a friends to try them with Klipsch Chorus II's, and it seemed to be fine.

DeKay

Battery cables ride again!!  Woohoo!

I wonder if somebody makes hawsers out of copper...