Spkr Cables . Can you use 2 diff brands at once?


Kind of a strange question, but due to reconfiguration I need a longer speaker cable on one side. Already own Kimber double bi wire 4tc, which Im happy with, and have a chance to buy one Audioquest Forest + Bi wire at half price to solve my length problem. Dollarwise at retail these cables are in the same leauge. Any problems anyone can see happening? Using a Classe Amp. Thanks.
darrylhifi
Hi, Daryll:

It is not advisable to "mix and match" speaker cables, due to their different electrical characteristics. The likely result is that you will get a different "sound" from one speaker than from the other, and it may also cause instability or feedback problems for your amplifier. A better idea is to buy a longer section of Kimber 4TC for the other side, provided the difference in length between the two sides is not too great.

Since you must apparently do something to resolve this problem, you may want to consider changing your brand of speaker cable for both sides. The Alpha-Core Goertz line of speaker cable is priced somewhat below Kimber 8TC, and due to its physical design and electrical characteristics it can be used in asymmetrical lengths. Hence, having one side longer than the other is not a problem.

So you know, I was using a bi-wire pair of Kimber 8TC in my system until quite recently, when I switched to the Alpha-Core Goertz MI2 cable. I am very pleased with it, although it is bulkier and a bit more complicated to use than the braided Kimber design. The Goertz speaker cable can be ordered directly from the factory if you have no local dealer. For more info about the Alpha-Core Goertz cables, look at their Web site (which has some excellent technical information): http://www.alphacore.com/goertz.htm

Best regards,

Scott C-
Darryl; I can't comment on the electronic effects (if any), but the two speakers will most likely sound different with different brand speakers cables going to each-- maybe even significantly different. I would expect there to be poor musical coherency and maybe a screwed up stereo image. Also, it's generally considered not desireable to have speaker cables of different lengths either. I would strongly recommmend against it. Good Luck. Craig
Good post Scott. It seems we were posting at the same time, and you said it better than I did. Cheers. Craig
Thanks for the info, I will take your advice and scratch that idea. Thanks for the suggestions !