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Advice on Speaker Wiring - Larger Advent w. McIntosh MA6500 Amplifier / Speaker Settings

I recently connected a second set of Larger Advent speakers to my McIntosh MA6500 Amplifier.  They are in another room, about 70 feet away.

I used 16 gauge Rocketfish speaker wire, that I ran down under the house in the crawl space. The speaker wire came in a 100ft roll, so I have about 30 ft left over.  

I'm wondering if I should cut the speaker wire, so that the wire is the shortest distance possible between the amp and the speaker? Or can I leave the full 100ft length with the excess spooled up behind the HiFi rack, in case I ever want to move the system in the same room? 

Will there be any audible difference in the sound between running the speaker wire 70 ft vs 100 ft?

Also, the Larger Advents have settings on the back to switch between Normal, Decrease and Extended. I have them set on Normal. Any information on what the difference is between these settings?

Thanks in advance!

Paul in Astoria

paulinastoria
paulinastoria OP
12 posts
 

@joshua43214 Thanks for the link to bluejeanscable.com

I see that they do cables for Home Theater and don't mention speaker wire for Hi Fi at all.  After all these Large Advent speakers were made in the 1970's and the McIntosh is also at least 20 years old, before the development of home theater.  

Curious to know if there is any difference between speaker wire for HiFi audio that is different than Home Theater?  I would imagine the size, build, etc.. of the speakers for Home Theater is very different than my vintage audio system, and may require more specialized cables as a result.

So I'm wondering if the cables at bluejeans aren't overkill and not necessary for my vintage system?

 

secretguy
1,718 posts
 

@paulinastoria Speaker wire is speaker wire. It hasn't changed.

If it sounds good, leave it alone. Like I said, you will likely not hear a difference.

If it makes you feel better, run 12 ga. 

Don't fall for the audiophile cable mumbo jumbo. 

yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,701 posts
 

Here is what the setting switch does!

Description: Two-way direct-radiator loudspeaker. Crossover frequency: 1kHz. Balance control: Tweeter switch selects flat, +3dB, or –3dB. Impedance: 8 ohms. Power capacity: 100W program.

jl35
4,016 posts
 

the switch is for tweeter level...most corrode with time so maybe a good leaning...I do believe in audiophile cable mumbo jumbo, but not for 50 year old Advents...just enjoy...

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