Tube Monoblock location? - Rack or near speakers?

Thanks for the question Cooljazzcat (great name). There really isn't a quick and dirty answer or correct or wrong answer to your question about maximum cable length. it depends on 1) how well the electronics were designed and built, 2) quality of the cables, 3) impedance and phase interaction between cables and equipment. However, if you can, check out the specifications of your equipment, eg, input impedance, output impedance, loading that the equipment can handle over frequency, etc. Also, look at the specs of the cables, particularly, the capacitance, resistance and inductance per unit lenght, and if they list it (probably wont), the capacitance and inductance impedance variations over frequency for the cable. That will tell you volumes. But, here is the best way. Have a good relationship with a Stereo store and ask them if you can take sample cables home for a week to audition them with your equipment. They don't have to be the perfect length for your equipment, but that will tell you what you want to know. Also, and this is important. Purchase the equipment that you are auditioning from that store. If you show them that you are serious and will buy from them, they will let you audition the equipment. Especially in this market today. Give them a credit card and they won't charge to it until you either don't return the equipment or when you purchase it. My favorite store is far from me, in San Diego, CA (Stereo Design). I have purchased most of my equipment from them over the years. They allow me to take equipment home (to Los Angeles) and listen for a week or so. Cables and electronic both. I trust my ears first, but their recommendations are valuable to me also.

So, ask to audition equipment (leave the credit card info.) and see for yourself. If your store won't do that, go to one that will. As you know, equipment sounds much different in the store than in your home and purchasing blind doesn't work for me. But, once I use their expertise and consideration, I buy from them, not elsewhere. I want to keep this Dealer in business. So, if I am going to purchase, I typically go to them first.

Enjoy.

I am in the same boat set-up wise.

However my question is a little equipment specific, sorry OP for hijacking the thread.

I am running the ARC Ref5 preamp to CAT's JL3 Mk.2 monoblocs. My dealer says single-ended sounds better but I am concerned that the 5meter length of ICs will degrade the sound. (I will use Nordost Freys)

What do you guys think?

5 meters is a long way to run single-ended cables.

FWIW your dealer must not know what balanced lines can do. His statement is preposturous.

But since the CAT has a single-ended input, and because the ARC does not support the balanced standard (which includes the ability to drive 600 ohms- you'll find it looses bass and output when trying to drive such a load) you are probably better off running the long single-ended cables. I know that the preamp has a 600 ohm output impedance but that is not the same as saying it can **drive** 600 ohms, and for balanced operation, that is important.

If the ARC did support the standard, you could run balanced lines to a set of transformers that could convert balanced to single ended right at the input of the amps. That way the length of the cable would not be a source of degradation. Jensen makes a nice set of transformers for that purpose that are 600 ohm to 600 ohm- now you see why I mentioned that part of the balanced line standard.

Thanks very much, Atmasphere.

I thought as much as well, still, much appreciated.

Atmasphere,

You mentioned that a preamp having 600 ohm output impedance doesn’t necessarily mean it could drive a 600 ohm load. So, not being an engineer, hence cannot read the schematics, is there a way to tell whether a preamp can drive a 600 ohm load by reading the specification general given by the manufacturers?

I am using an Aesthetix Callisto Signature, which has an output impedance of 600 ohm, and I wonder whether it supports the balanced standard that you mentioned.

Thanks