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


128x128b4icu
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...

Amp with DF of 200 , 8/200 = .04 Ohm
 1 ft, 0 awg copper cable has resistance of .0000983 Ohm/ft
Total drive resistance. .04 +.0000983 = .0400983 0hm/ft

1 ft ,10 awg copper cable resistance = .000998 Ohm/ft
Total drive resistance .04 + .00099= .040998 Ohm/ft

Difference between 10 awg and 0 awg is .040998 - .0400983 = .0008997 Ohm/ft
For 10 feet of cable + - ( .0008997 * 20 = .017 Ohms)

.017 Ohms = insignificant
Mr. djones51

The AWG STD : https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Shows a ratio of 1:10 between a
#10 wire: 0.9989 Ohms / 1000 ft. and a
#0 wire: 0.0983 Ohms / 1000 ft. resistance.

There is an additional decimal zero there!

It makes no matter of how long is a cable, the ratio remains the same.
For a 10ft cable, that has two wires: a + and a -, ( = 20ft in total),
For a #10 it is 0.9989/1000*2*10 = 0.020 Ohms.
For a # 0 it is 0.0983/1000*2*10 = 0.002 Ohms.
Same ratio as with 1ft. or 1000 ft or any in between.
10 times lower resistance is significant for a DF of 700:
Ro = 8/700 = 0.011 Ohms.
Take a #10 cable of 10 ft long: 0.020 + 0.011 (DF) and you get a new DF of only 258! You Just lost 442 or 63%.
Just by using a thin cable, you gave up 63% of your investment, as far it regards to the DF quality. about the same in sonic quality too.
Those who tried, rather than argue, reported so.
Not all DF call for the same #AWG. For a DF of 200, #4 will do.