Rookie question about speaker cables - please help

[srdjam]

Hello.

Can somebody advise me which speaker cables I should use. It's not expensive equipment so I won't spend much money on them. The question is whether the cables should be 0,75 or 1,5 or 4 mm ore something else, based on length, impedance, amp and other stuff...just that. They will be cheap wire cables, with or without terminals. I have two systems and the length of cables are 1.5 m for left speaker and 1.5 m for right speaker.

1st system

- speakers
Type 2 way loudspeaker with crossover at 2.8kHz
Frequency response 50Hz - 20kHz +/-2dB, 1m on axis.
Input impedance 4 Ohms nominal

- amp

• Power Output: 60W into 8Ω (stereo)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Distortion: 0.05%
• Speaker Impedance: 4 to 16Ω
• Input Sensitivity: 2.5mV (mm), 0.2mV (mc), 150mV (line)
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 94dB (mm), 75dB (mc), 107dB (line)

2nd system

- speakers
2-way bas reflex
recommended amp 10 - 80 watts
power handling 75 w
sensitivity 86 dB
impedance 8 Ohms

- amp
power output 27 watts per chanel into 8 Ohms (stereo)
frequency response 15 Hz to 25 kHz
total harmonic distortion 0.08%
input sensitivity 2.5 mV (MM), 1600 mV (line)
signal to noise ratio 81 dB (MM), 92 dB (line)
speaker load impedance 4 Ohms - 16 Ohms

first system is amp denon pma 360 and linn keilidh speakers
second system is old one, wharfedale delta 30 speakers and realistic sta-730 stereo receiver


Thanks

 

[plastic penguin]

Hello and welcome.

As regards impedance it's not relevant, as is amp wattage, ohms. All a cable is transmit a sound or signal from the amp to speakers.

What type? Go for copper rather than silver or aluminium core, OFC (oxygen free copper), so the likes of budget Chord or Van Dam cables are very good.

Silver cables can sound quite bright.

 

[srdjam]

Hello and welcome.

As regards impedance it's not relevant, as is amp wattage, ohms. All a cable is transmit a sound or signal from the amp to speakers.

What type? Go for copper rather than silver or aluminium core, OFC (oxygen free copper), so the likes of budget Chord or Van Dam cables are very good.

Silver cables can sound quite bright.

I guess I'm not prepared for that question (copper, silver etc).
I'm going for those cheap cables that come in 100 m rolls and are sold by length.

The reason I'm asking is because I tried wharfedales on realistic amp with 0,75 mm cables and they sound rather fair but when I connected them on denon they sounded pretty crappy (on thick cables, could be 4 mm or something like that).

On the other hand, linns on denon with those thick cables sound good.

So I guess I'll be going with copper cables but the question is which measures in terms of 0,75 or 1,5 or 4 or something else. For the first and second system. Pardon me for these questions.

Thanks

 

[srdjam]

The material could be copper-clad aluminium...?

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

I'm running QED 79 and am perfectly happy with it. Otherwise, the Van Damme speaker cables (which come in a variety of sizes and are cost effective) are where I head. Either the blue series or would like to give the white install series a go.

 

[srdjam]

So you thinh that QED79 would be good for both my systems?

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

I have no idea whether you'll like it or not but at c.£2 per metre it's a £6 expenditure to see if you like it.

 

[srdjam]

so I guess those millimeters and other technical data don't mean much?

 

[plastic penguin]

The material could be copper-clad aluminium...?

It needs to look like this image.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Damme-1-50mm-Twin-Axial-Speaker-268-515-000-2-x/dp/B009M3L67M/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?adgrpid=56059091671&hvadid=578451133882&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9045848&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14228826006067453426&hvtargid=kwd-309154049659&hydadcr=7776_2232357&keywords=van+damme+speaker+cable&qid=1701170061&sr=8-16

How far are your speakers going to be from the amp? Ideally they shouldn't be anymore 7 or 8 feet apart - that's approx 3 or 4 feet each side of the amp. You shouldn't need anymore that 4 meters in total.

 

[Gray]

so I guess those millimeters and other technical data don't mean much?

With house wiring, those millimetres mean everything - get it wrong and the house could burn down.

For speakers - if someone tells you the millimetres matter, ask them to blindly tell you what size they're listening to 😉.

Thicker cables do mean less electrical resistance - so you just don't want too thin.

Go for a minimum of 2.5mm pure copper and you will be fine.
(Other things such as the acoustics of your room will have a far greater effect on the sound you end up with).

 

[Al ears]

so I guess those millimeters and other technical data don't mean much?

Only if you are trying to insert bare wire into a certain size hole on your speaker terminals.
Some of the old spring -clip type connections could only take a certain diameter cable.
I haven't bothered to look at what type of connections your amps have.

 

[srdjam]

It needs to look like this image.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Damme-1-50mm-Twin-Axial-Speaker-268-515-000-2-x/dp/B009M3L67M/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?adgrpid=56059091671&hvadid=578451133882&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9045848&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14228826006067453426&hvtargid=kwd-309154049659&hydadcr=7776_2232357&keywords=van+damme+speaker+cable&qid=1701170061&sr=8-16

How far are your speakers going to be from the amp? Ideally they shouldn't be anymore 7 or 8 feet apart - that's approx 3 or 4 feet each side of the amp. You shouldn't need anymore that 4 meters in total.

that's right, thanks

 

[srdjam]

With house wiring, those millimetres mean everything - get it wrong and the house could burn down.

For speakers - if someone tells you the millimetres matter, ask them to blindly tell you what size they're listening to 😉.

Thicker cables do mean less electrical resistance - so you just don't want too thin.

Go for a minimum of 2.5mm pure copper and you will be fine.
(Other things such as the acoustics of your room will have a far greater effect on the sound you end up with).

ok thanks
.......................

 

[srdjam]

Only if you are trying to insert bare wire into a certain size hole on your speaker terminals.
Some of the old spring -clip type connections could only take a certain diameter cable.
I haven't bothered to look at what type of connections your amps have.

understood, thanks

 

[matthewpianist]

QED 79-strand. Nothing else required.

 

[srdjam]

ok thank you