Speaker Cable Length

[Jacko]

My hifi units and one speaker are on one side of the fireplace. The other speaker's on the other side. I therefore need 4m more speaker cable to reach that side. I have read on another forum that it's vital to have both cables the same length. Is this really the case ?

 

[Xanderzdad]

Not really vital but some people say they can hear a difference. I suppose if the inside of a good amp is symmetrically laid out for sound quality then it makes sense. I suspect many people would hear no difference unless seated exactly in the stereo sweet spot and even then I imagine few would notice.

 

[Anonymous]

Sound travels from the speaker to your ear at 340m/s, whilst the electromagnetic signal from the amp to the speaker travels at 300,000,000m/s, about a million times quicker. Unless you're superhuman and can detect a phase shift between L and R channels by moving your head the merest fraction of a micrometre, I can't imagine there's any way it could possibly make one iota of difference.

I've got the same set-up as you. You've just reminded me that I fancy buying a nice plant to cover over the speaker cable that's trailing across the front of the (unused) fireplace. Cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

The most usual reason for having equal speaker cable lengths is for ease of resale.

Some amplifier manufacturers, notably Naim, did once require you to use speaker cables of a specific length either side but that had more to do with the design of the amps than and sound imbalance question.

You can pretty much use any length you like either side, and you won't hear a difference, providing you use the same brand cable.

 

[Paul.]

I was advised by Chord that a 3 meter difference in cable length for my rears wouldn't affect anything

 

[mitch65]

My hifi units and one speaker are on one side of the fireplace. The other speaker's on the other side. I therefore need 4m more speaker cable to reach that side. I have read on another forum that it's vital to have both cables the same length. Is this really the case ?

I had exactly the same problem. I have a longer length cable on one side than on the other and in an ideal world they would be the same length but................it's not.

 

[sriracha]

It does have effect but like what Philpub said, no one's man-ear can detect. Don't worry.

 

[Anonymous]

I had unequal speaker cable lengths for years; now they're equal lengths: there's absolutely no difference. I think you'd have to have cables that were several miles different in length before you'd maybe start to hear a difference.