Speaker cable length

@bkeske  interestingly, everything i've heard says the complete opposite - that the IC's should be kept as short as possible while speaker cables - which carry a very weak signal, can be much longer.

All my other IC’s are short to my pre. All I can tell you is everything sounds very good, and better than the old long cables/set-up. Of course, the speaker cables are better too. The cost of 15-16’ (length I would have needed) good biwire cables was going to be expensive vs. 8’ lengths, and a 10’ IC.

Yea, everyone has an opinion, but I do remember a video Paul McGowan put out on YouTube saying the same; keep your speaker cables short, and run a longer IC to your amp near the speakers. I always stored that video in my memory banks. Also recommended by a couple others I trust. Before, I just wanted everything, including my amp, on the rack. I change my mind with my recent speaker cable purchase.

I have a separate amp, so if you have an integrated amp, this may not be a good option for you.

My understanding too is that if i had to choose for the shortest cable that should be the speaker one. Now having xlr's for ic's helps a lot but still.

G

@bkeske,

my main system has a pair of 22 foot Canare 4S11 speaker cables going to my speakers. There is no loss of current.  My 11 gauge speaker cables are good with no loss up to 50 feet away.  My speaker cables go under the floor as my rack is across the room in an alcove.  I would never run an interconnect under the floor as the signal is just a few volts.  I have had numerous systems over the years with this configuration and I have always gotten excellent results. 

If you have a basement, consider doing what I did.  I put my amp in the basement to reduce hum in the listening room.  My preamp and its power supply are also in a room adjacent to the speakers, in an equipment cabinet, with balanced IC's running through the floor to the amp.  Thus, the speakers are the only equipment in the listening room.  The power supply/vacuum for my SOTA Star Sapphire TT are also in the basement.  I didn't want that vacuum unit anywhere near the rest of my equipment.

All of this physical separation is important.  And, yes, there are plenty of holes drilled in the floors.

All cable pairs are of equal length.  The rule I learned decades ago was to keep IC's short and worry less about speaker cable length.  But with your amp in the basement,  speaker cables can still be kept relatively short, saving money.

Other than convenience and tradition, I have never understood why folks spend so much on high quality equipment, then place it all so close together.