How to choose a cable?

[timbo999]

Hey! I’m pairing a middle of the range surround amp with some newly purchased Neat iota speakers with ribbons and want to run the cables in the wall, so they need to be quite skinny. How do I know which cables will sound good? Chord and QED are obvious choices, but which? I guess around £5 a metre is sensible? Or do I need to spend more to get a vastly improved sound? And make the cables fit? I don’t want a bright sound, but I do want revealing.

 

[davidf]

The main skinny cable that comes to mind is Chord Sarsen - slightly more than your budget, but maybe worth the extra due to the fact that all cheaper Chord cables will be quite chunky...

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi timbo

42 or 79 strand OFC speaker cable from a local electrical store.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[andyjm]

Hi timbo

42 or 79 strand OFC speaker cable from a local electrical store.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Rick's intentions are good, but the number of strands is irrelevant and OFC is I am afraid marketing foo.

What matters is the 'CSA' or cross sectional area of the conductor (how thick it is). 2.5mmsq is a good size to start with unless you have very long (5M+) runs.

Before cable manufacturers hit upon the idea of marketing, the standard was 'QED 79 strand' which is a 2.5mmsq cable - and anything similar will do just fine.

 

[bigfish786]

Audioquest do a cable for inwall applications.

FLX SLiP 14/4

Decently priced too.

 

[abacus]

Musicraft is correct, however multi stranded cable comes into its own when running around the room as it is usually more flexible, but as you are installing in wall less so., (Unless you are not terminating it at the wall, in which case flexibility will be very important) always go for OFC as it reduces the build-up of corrosion over time. (I always recommend cleaning and re-terminating the cables at least every 12 months or so to make sure you always have a good solid connection)

I know certain manufactures claim that their cables improve the sound, but ask them to provide verifiable proof, and they can’t, (Buyer beware) so don’t worry about it.

Bill

 

[Gray]

Musicraft is correct, however multi stranded cable comes into its own when running around the room as it is usually more flexible, but as you are installing in wall less so., (Unless you are not terminating it at the wall, in which case flexibility will be very important) always go for OFC as it reduces the build-up of corrosion over time. (I always recommend cleaning and re-terminating the cables at least every 12 months or so to make sure you always have a good solid connection)

I know certain manufactures claim that their cables improve the sound, but ask them to provide verifiable proof, and they can’t, (Buyer beware) so don’t worry about it.

Bill

Possibly coincidental but the most corroded cable I've seen was made from OFC, actually green at its point of exposure to air.

I know that any plain copper cable will be prone to corrosive oxidisation, especially, as you say, over time. My theory is that an OFC cable starting life deprived of oxygen, might be looking to find it again even quicker! I wouldn't use anything but OFC though, always terminating with gold plated plugs immediately after stripping!

 

[BigH]

Van Damme are about £5 pm, not sure how thin they are, thickness depends on how long the cables are. There is only minor differences in sound.

 

[davidf]

Possibly coincidental but the most corroded cable I've seen was made from OFC, actually green at its point of exposure to air.

Oxygen Free Copper refers to the copper only during its manufacturing process. All copper will oxidise when exposed to air.

 

[Gray]

Possibly coincidental but the most corroded cable I've seen was made from OFC, actually green at its point of exposure to air.

Oxygen Free Copper refers to the copper only during its manufacturing process. All copper will oxidise when exposed to air.

Yes indeed it will (you'll see that I wrote 'I know that any plain copper cable will be prone to corrosive oxidisation' in the next sentence, after the bit you quoted)

I was making the point that I don't think OFC cable oxidises at a slower rate than standard copper once exposed.

 

[Strictly Stereo]

You need to consider the length of the cable, the thickness of the conductors and the conductivity of the material. All other things being equal, longer cables have higher resistance. Cables with higher cross sectional area / diameter conductors have lower resistance. Thicker cables are a better choice for longer runs or more demanding speakers. The Iota has relatively low 84dB sensitivity and 6 ohm nominal impedance, which makes it more demanding than most.

The other important consideration here is whether or not the cable is rated for in-wall installation.

 

[Gray]

You need to consider the length of the cable, the thickness of the conductors and the conductivity of the material. All other things being equal, longer cables have higher resistance. Cables with higher cross sectional area / diameter conductors have lower resistance. Thicker cables are a better choice for longer runs or more demanding speakers. The Iota has relatively low 84dB sensitivity and 6 ohm nominal impedance, which makes it more demanding than most.

The other important consideration here is whether or not the cable is rated for in-wall installation.

What ratings are specific to in-wall speaker cables?

 

[Strictly Stereo]

What ratings are specific to in-wall speaker cables?

There are quite a few relevant standards and tests, mostly related to fire safety. For example...

http://www.batt.co.uk/upload/files/fire_copy2.pdf

 

[Gray]

I'm on the tablet now, but I'll have a read of that when I get the laptop on.

 

[nick8858]

I have this with mt Neat Iotas and they sound fine. However I bought the cable purely because its fits under the skirting board and for no other reason a I am a bit of a cable sceptic but there you go. At least I have experience with the cable and your speakers. They are by the way phenomenally good speakers for their size. Mine are on a shelf close to the wall (apparently they wuite like being near a wall if thats any use).

 

[nick8858]

Just a side note on the above. The Sarsen isn't the easiest cable to terminate into speaker plugs and they are a pig to strip. If possible get them terminated with the plug of your choice by the supplier. Yes its more expensive but you will save a good 6 to 12 inches of cable whilst you try and strip the ends down properly.