Speaker cable length and type variety on the same system

[admin_exported]

I keep reading that speaker cables should be the same length when bi-wiring and you should use the same cable for LF and HF. My question is - why does it matter? Some even go as far as to say that left speaker cables should equal right in length!

First, electric signals travel so fast that whether one cable or the other is longer by 0.5m to 1m shouldn't make any difference (talking of bi-wiring). I am no scientist, but as far as I know the cables would need to be miles apart in length to have an impact on when the sound arrives at the speakers.

Second, tweeter shouldn't care much as to what cable is feeding the woofer, no? Unless there is a difference on the load produced on the amp…

Am I missing something?

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Maybe.

Don't forget that different lengths of cable will have a different total resistance, meaning that one speaker will sound different (not just louder) than the other, due how that resistance reacts with the components in the crossover of the speaker, and of the drive units themselves.

The different cable-thing is to provide the amp with the same load (because all you are providing is a separate grounding path for the HF vs LF)

I think that is the main reason...