Speaker length vs. I/C length

I have always thought the rule was longer speaker cables. Then I read some things by Jon Risch. Don't know what to believe.

The reason for the inquiry was because I want to move my mono blocks to some custom made speaker stands which will hold the amps under them. when I read it is better to have longer I/C's I thought this was right up my ally.

Thank you for you help,
MaxCast

Max, i have ALWAYS promoted the longer speaker cable theory as can be evidenced by doing a search on the Cable Asylum. Jon Risch USED to promote the longer IC / shorter speaker cable ideology. I have seen him do a 180* turn on that subject though and as far as i know, he is now supporting the same ideas that i do. He may have changed his mind again though, so who knows.

The bottom line is not to take my word or anyone else's as "Gospel". Find out for yourself. Keep in mind that it is the same signal between the preamp and amp and the amp and the speakers. As such, keeping the budget equally divided amongst the two will give best results. Many of the benefits of going to longer IC's stem from the fact that the user typically steps up to a higher grade of IC than what they previously had. If you do not get an improvement from upgrading ANY component or cable, then something is wrong. Besides that, the use of shorter speaker cables can increase damping factor IF the speaker cables were inadequate to begin with.

Like i pointed out above, what works best in terms of science and logic only apply if EVERYTHING is up to snuff to begin with. If something is out of whack or less than optimum, "band aids" of various natures can be applied and show benefits. Sean
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Try checking out this link over at the Cable Asylum archive. I found it after doing several searches:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/29011.html

To sum it up briefly:

Jon states: keep interconnects as short as possible unless you know for certain that the component can drive a long length of cable. Most preamps should be kept below 2 meter runs for best sonics and 3 meters at max. That pretty much confirms my previous statements of 6' to 8' at max for single ended ( RCA ) cables.

Thorsten Loesch states: Keep interconnects as short as possible. Long interconnects introduce noise into the system, act as antennas and are responsible for ground loops.

Audio Engineer states: Keep interconnects as short as possible due to problems with dielectric absorption, phase shifts, high frequency roll-off, etc...

Even though i received a few private emails contradicting the statements in my post, i think i'm in pretty good company with my statements and findings. There are always "exceptions" to every "rule" or "generalization" though..... Sean
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Well, the science of it all is a bit confusing, but halving speaker cable length (e.g., 8 feet to 4 feet) will frequently make an audible difference, while doubling IC length (e.g., 1 meter to 2) will rarely have much effect, at least on balanced cables. I've tried it with various speaker-amp-cable combos, and it always seems to work out that way.

I personally think that Mgottlieb's message points to the source of the confusion. Balanced ICs were designed to cover long distances. In recording situations there are sometimes 50 feet or more between even a mic and its pre-amp (this is a signal much weaker than line level). Single ended (RCA) interconnects were designed for under 2 meter runs. Speaker cable was also designed for longer but still relatively short runs, but because of its higher level it can usually take runs up to about 25 feet without much audible effect (providing the cable has good electrical properties at that distance). So if you have balanced (XLR) interconnects, longer ICs (within reason) and shorter speaker cable may work well (though you will need very good ICs). But if you are using single ended ICs they should be as short as possible and speaker cable can be lengthened a bit. All that said if your setup has everything under 2 meters or so there won't be much of an issue either way. Personally I use very short single ended connections to the pre-amp (.5 meter) and a .5 meter digital cable. I use a slightly longer cable to the power amp (1.5 meters) and am forced to use quite long 25' speaker cables. I have very good results with this configuration.