Speaker cables

skularatna

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Why do we still believe all the ******** snake oil about speaker cables. There is no discernible difference between so called expensive audiophile cables vs normal cheap cables. As long as you have a decent connection; oxygen free copper and the right gauge.

Maybe invest in better more efficient speakers and a good amp.
 

skularatna

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Funny enough I believe in interconnects that don’t oxidize easily and those that provide a good connection. Other than that the actual cable whether it’s 1k vs $10 makes no difference
 

insider9

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Monday morning cable thread? Wow it's about to get heated. Ok. My go...
Why do we still believe all the ******** snake oil about speaker cables. I can't hear discernible difference between so called expensive audiophile cables vs normal cheap cables. As long as you have a decent connection; oxygen free copper and the right gauge.

Maybe I should invest in having ears syringed and/or better gear.
Fixed it for you.
 
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skularatna

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Well haha of course you do need speaker cable but I just don’t believe that there is such a thing is high end speaker cable. As I said previously I believe the quality of the interconnects matters to avoid things like oxidation etc. But to say a $1k cable is better than a 10$ Cable both having the same gauge, both being OFC is ridiculous. Current flows the same at the end of the day
 
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Deleted member 108165

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You are clearly someone who believes in expensive speaker cables... clearly fooled by the marketing gimmick.

my equipment is excellent thank you very much
Looking at your post count and your joining date you must have seen enough cable debates during your time here, they never end well. As Insider said it's Monday and it could have been intended as a Monday morning wind-up thread.
 
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scene

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Looking at your post count and your joining date you must have seen enough cable debates during your time here, they never end well. As Insider said it's Monday and it could have been intended as a Monday morning wind-up thread.
I checked, and unfortunately someone seems to have removed the warning about starting cable threads from the "Read before posting: Forum guidelines" in Forum Feedback & Issues... :unsure: ;)
 
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scene

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Genuine question for anyone to answer:
What is the discernible difference when using standard copper and / or the wrong gauge?
Genuine (simplified) answer:
Oxygen free copper makes the cable a better conductor and therefore prevents power loss on transmission. The right gauge (that is thick enough) has a similar impact. As high frequencies are transmitted as a surface effect on the wire, it's a little more complex than straight loss from DC resistance, and is a function of impedance, that varies by material, cable geometry and frequency. At the end of the day if you have a good conductor (pure copper for example) of thick enough gauge, then over a reasonable distance (say the typical distances from amp to speaker, say) there will be no perceptible differences in attenuation across frequencies.
 
D

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Had a peak in one of the bass ports on the rear of my old MA BX5's once, shock horror, looked like they use Van Damme blue in there and it wasn't the 6mm or 4mm diameter... it was 2.5mm :eek:

If it's good enough for MA then it's good enough for my speaker cables :)
 

scene

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Had a peak in one of the bass ports on the rear of my old MA BX5's once, shock horror, looked like they use Van Damme blue in there and it wasn't the 6mm or 4mm diameter... it was 2.5mm :eek:

If it's good enough for MA then it's good enough for my speaker cables :)
I suspect they were using generic cable, with blue insulation. Or did it say "Van Damme" on it?

Over very short distances, power loss and attenuation is negligible, as long as the cable can take the current.
 

gasolin

Well-known member
try silver cable, they have more sparkle, thats a fact, can make a positive difference if you have dull sounding highs, try cordial cls 425, they sound neutral with a onkyo tx-8020, with a neutral sounding amp they sound very bright
 

Gray

Well-known member
Genuine (simplified) answer:
Oxygen free copper makes the cable a better conductor and therefore prevents power loss on transmission. The right gauge (that is thick enough) has a similar impact. As high frequencies are transmitted as a surface effect on the wire, it's a little more complex than straight loss from DC resistance, and is a function of impedance, that varies by material, cable geometry and frequency. At the end of the day if you have a good conductor (pure copper for example) of thick enough gauge, then over a reasonable distance (say the typical distances from amp to speaker, say) there will be no perceptible differences in attenuation across frequencies.
Yes, I understand those differences, they're often quoted and can't be denied. Purer copper is a better conductor (of electricity and heat - so nicer for soldering).
Greater cross sectional area also means lower resistance, allowing for greater current carrying capability.
When I asked about discernible differences, I meant in what you hear.
I know what you think, but you don't know whether I've witnessed sound quality differences with speaker cables or not :sneaky:.
See with respect, it's easy to say things like 'as long as the cable can handle the current' Sceptics would ask how much current is involved and how much current do you think a 2.5mm cable can handle. Quite reasonable questions.
Mind you, unless I'm mistaken, your final sentence:
'At the end of the day if you have a good conductor (pure copper for example) of thick enough gauge, then over a reasonable distance (say the typical distances from amp to speaker, say) there will be no perceptible differences in attenuation across frequencies'....would seem to suggest that cable brand is unimportant - now that's where a lot of people (by no means all) would agree.
 

scene

Well-known member
Yes, I understand those differences, they're often quoted and can't be denied. Purer copper is a better conductor (of electricity and heat - so nicer for soldering).
Greater cross sectional area also means lower resistance, allowing for greater current carrying capability.
When I asked about discernible differences, I meant in what you hear.
I know what you think, but you don't know whether I've witnessed sound quality differences with speaker cables or not :sneaky:.
See with respect, it's easy to say things like 'as long as the cable can handle the current' Sceptics would ask how much current is involved and how much current do you think a 2.5mm cable can handle. Quite reasonable questions.
Mind you, unless I'm mistaken, your final sentence:
'At the end of the day if you have a good conductor (pure copper for example) of thick enough gauge, then over a reasonable distance (say the typical distances from amp to speaker, say) there will be no perceptible differences in attenuation across frequencies'....would seem to suggest that cable brand is unimportant - now that's where a lot of people (by no means all) would agree.
There's a lot at play here. People's expectation bias comes into play, it's hard for it not to. If you tell someone a cable costs £5/m, and compare it to one that costs £50/m they'll expect it to sound better. Take for example wine, tests have been down, with wine experts, where the same cheap wine has been presented twice, once as itself and once as an expensive one (in a fancily labelled bottle) and the experts have rated it higher, say it tastes better, etc. But it's demonstrably the same wine. Unless you do absolutely 100% blind, fully independent tests, its hard to remove all the implicit biases.

I don't think speaker cable brand makes a huge difference, as long as it's well made, of sufficient gauge, pure enough conductor, etc. I've never really heard any difference, except where really thin, pure cable has been used. Then it was poor enough for the speakers to sound like they weren't working properly - which I think was probably true. Ok, you do need to be careful of interference, bit unless you run your speaker cables next to another similar frequency cable you won't get that from interference - ok mains hum could be an issue. Solution: move the cables apart a bit. I've bought reasonable grade speaker cables - I've had them for years, I've never thought I needed to upgrade them.

Maybe that's my expectation bias, I expect the cables to make no difference, based on my physics background. I'd rather spend the money on new speakers, or a new amp.
 
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TrevC

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Why do we still believe all the ******** snake oil about speaker cables. There is no discernible difference between so called expensive audiophile cables vs normal cheap cables. As long as you have a decent connection; oxygen free copper and the right gauge.

Maybe invest in better more efficient speakers and a good amp.
What Hifi has sound and picture quality ratings for mains cables. I kid you not.
 
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Nico69

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You don’t HAVE to buy them. If people want to spend a lot of money on some Cu because they ‘believe’ it sounds better then let them. It’s their money after all. Some people like to spend a lot on silly things. Makes them feel special.

Best thing about HiFi is that you buy using your ears. If something sounds better and you can afford it then why not.

Bet these people (usually men) are unable to hear their wives calling them for dinner though.
 
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