Speaker Cable Length

Jim, the shortest Length you can do on any cable in you system will result better detail, image, bass control is the most effective. atlease you can buy much better (shorter) cables but at the same budget of your long run! Regards, Rute.

I'd even go so far as to advise people, where feasible, to think of replacing a conventional stereo power amp with a pair of monoblocks. I got the benefits Rute specified in a big way when I changed from 7' speaker cables to 18" ones. But even dropping one third of the length of a 15' pair will be beneficial, and let further upgrading show its benefits.

I ask this same question to various cable manufacturers, many times in the last 10 years. The general rule seems to be that if you cannot cut the length to half of the original, the change is not worthwhile. Same goes with increase, doubling the length can result in loss of performance, adding slightly is usually not audible. Of course there are situations where the length is excessive (30 feet?) where you damage the signal to the extent that the rules are no longer accurate. The precise answer to your question would be that shortening it to the 8 foot length would be better, and any less radical change would probably not be worth the effort. By the way, this formula has proven to be accurate in my system over the years.

There is one cable manufacturer (Mapleshade) that does not recommnd using their cable in less than 8' lengths as it will degrade the sound. Also using it in it's standard form in lengths exceeding 12' will have the same affect. I have not tried their cable only because I use 17' runs with my current setup. I may end up placing my equipment in a hall closet which is behind the back wall of the speakers and then run my lines through the wall in order to shorten the speaker cable lengths. This would involve running outlets into the closet or using high quality extension cords, it would also void the use of my remote control. This is the only solution that I can come up without screwing up our living room layout. In brief, I think that shortening the cable runs is something that everyone should try.