speaker wire...terminate or not??

felipe

I've just started the diy cable thing...made my own custom length RCA cables using RG6 quad shield coax cable I had left over and RCA compression connectors. Now, I'm looking at my speaker wires...which are 14awg. I've researched about resistance and inductance and damping factor with regards to speaker wire. My question is, will terminating increase the resistance of the wire?? If so, will it make any noticeable difference??

helipilotdoug

Bare wire has fewer connections (no wire to banana or spade) so there is only one connection, which is the wire to the binding post. If terminated properly though, you don't have a thing to worry about using connectors. I doubt you'd hear any noticeable difference.

felipe

helipilotdoug wrote: »

Bare wire has fewer connections (no wire to banana or spade) so there is only one connection, which is the wire to the binding post. If terminated properly though, you don't have a thing to worry about using connectors. I doubt you'd hear any noticeable difference.

If I was to terminate, I'd be using the banana plugs that use the "center pin" technology. Some say that terminating speaker wire creates a " break" in the connection...which I don't understand...

Glen B

Felipe you're overanalyzing this stuff. Terminate to your heart's content. Crimped terminations, properly done where the connector and wire meld into one are among the best.

Inspector 24

Terminations make it easy to swap/move things when necessary. Screw/unscrew binding posts a few times and you'll go mad. Banana connections FTMFW. Can swap speakers literally ten time faster...maybe more...

11tsteve

Left to come in contact with air, copper will start to oxidize, putting a coating on the wire. I have a set of wires I was going to put banana plugs on, and never got to it. They haven't been sitting around more than a month or two, but stipping back the insulation, it was apparent where the copper was exposed was already corroded.

tonyb

Oxidation would certainly be a concern with bare wire connections. Also, getting any of that rubberized coating caught inside the post can have a negative effect. Frayed wire strands touching another post can cause a short too.

Your over thinking the whole thing Felipe, your using standard 14ga. wire....put some connectors on it and be done. Nothing else you can do will enhance the cable's sound. You may have been better off just ordering RCA's from BJC-Signal cable- or Douglas connections.

leftwinger57

Felipe, I like using double set screw banana plugs. You'll need besides a wire stripper a small jeweler's type of screwdriver. I have just about every connector possible w/ heavy duty spring tabs on my TF 350s and JBL j2060 w/ no wire visable. for my KLH knurled knob type and ADC I have combo terminal screws. For the Polks I use the bananas as w/ the rear of my avr. My impression if possible use the bananas, it just makes for a neat job and very easy to switch around if need be. I/Cs are a whole different animal and should be done by pro like Blue jeans, Signal Cable or Doug's cables.

Speedskater

Way off topic but:
RG6 quad shield coax cable (the kind the cable TV company use's) is a poor choice for a RCA audio interconnect!
Why?
a] On cable manufacture has over 40 different cable part numbers and all are generic RG6 cables. Each optimized for different properties or characteristics.
Quad Shield cable is optimized for very high TV station frequencies. You should use a cable optimized for audio frequencies with a heavy shield.
b] Quad Shield is designed for "F" connectors not RCA connectors.

czarodzi

I agree with the terminators! It neatens up the end of the wire, you won't have the strands getting messy. Also, if you consider the number of connections already in place I doubt it makes a difference. Think about it, within the amp the output devices connect to circuit traces or internal wiring, which goes to the binding post or output, the speaker wire is in there, then you have the speaker binding post or terminal, there's an internal wire that goes to the crossover input, there's more wire connected between the crossover output to the drivers, etc, etc. Actually I'm surprised that some fanatical audiophiles haven't pushed the envelope the other way, attaching speaker cables to the innards of the amps then right into the crossover circuit.

pitdogg2

Speedskater wrote: »

Way off topic but:
RG6 quad shield coax cable (the kind the cable TV company use's) is a poor choice for a RCA audio interconnect!
Why?
a] On cable manufacture has over 40 different cable part numbers and all are generic RG6 cables. Each optimized for different properties or characteristics.
Quad Shield cable is optimized for very high TV station frequencies. You should use a cable optimized for audio frequencies with a heavy shield.
b] Quad Shield is designed for "F" connectors not RCA connectors.

Step into a Home Depot, Menards or Lowes and check out the cable isle. You'll see compression RCA's for the very cable you describe for doing the very thing the OP described. NOW before you jump me I'm not advocating and I know there is better but I know many that have done the very same and are very happy with the results. Quad is also used for areas with very high interferences like say next door to a Ham Radio operator to keep his signals out of your cable for TV. It is what a local CTV company used at my moms house

cnh

Is there really a debate here? Aren't just about ALL of the super duper high end cables TERMINATED! If so, debate over. Terminate and join the cable club!

cnh

Speedskater

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Quad is also used for areas with very high interferences like say next door to a Ham Radio operator to keep his signals out of your cable for TV.

Once again, the Quad Shield RG-6QS is optimized for TV channel (and higher) frequencies.

It is what a local CTV company used at my moms house

Exactly! That's what CTV company coax is designed to do.
But we need an audio coax designed for low frequencies.

Msabot1

That RG6 is not used to transmit audio frequencies..unless the audio is in the RF spectrum....

felipe

Woow...seems like most if not everyone terminates their wires..guess I'll do the same:-).

As far as my diy interconnects, they are working quite beautifully. I've looked online bout the subject, and many others have done the same and were pleased...some said theyve had better results....and of course there were others who said otherwise..

Some even used RG6QS to make their sub cables and got good if not better results..and there were others who said the opposite...

Speedskater

Msabot1 wrote: »

That RG6 is not used to transmit audio frequencies..unless the audio is in the RF spectrum....

?????????????????
Or is that a trick statement about the word 'transmit' ?

Speedskater

felipe wrote: »

Some even used RG6QS to make their sub cables and got good if not better results..and there were others who said the opposite...

An RG6 Quad Shield can have some 20 to 25 dB's more background noise than a well chosen coax cable.

Msabot1

Speedskater wrote: »

?????????????????
Or is that a trick statement about the word 'transmit' ?

no..not a trick...maybe a poor choice for wording...should have used...used to deliver....I have never used video cable to connect audio components...no matter how they are terminated...

DracoAmericanus

1 thing i want to point out about the RG6 and what makes it a bad pick for audio besides what others have mentioned is an impedance mismatch and as such it will not work as well for audio, a set of audio cables has a much higher impedance then RF.
A short run may not cause a problem but a longer run may.

Speedskater

That "Radio Frequency Characteristic Impedance" business doesn't really kick in until the frequency approaches about 1 MHz and the cable is a goodly fraction of a wavelength long.

felipe

Seems like there's much debated talk over using rg6qs as interconnects. I was doing the yearly spring cleaning with the other have a found some "RCA digital high-performance" RCA cables about 6 ft long. Being curious, I googled it. Bingo! Its dual sheilded, dielectric foam insulated, pure copper center conductors( I think its stranded b/c its not really that stiff ), balanced configuration and studio grade gold plated rca connectors. Any thoughts??

tonyb

Why do you need thoughts ? Hook them up and see how they sound ?

Msabot1

What you have does not sound like video coax...should work ok for ya!

felipe

Just compared the two cables...seems like the RCA cable enabled the sub to "sense" the signal better..I say that b/c at low volumes while using the coax the sub didn't "sense" the signal rite away..slight delay. Then, I played the same material at the same low volume using the RCA cable and it detected the signal quicker..no delay from what I can tell. Sound wise, I couldn't tell a difference. I'm assuming that the pure copper in the RCA conducted the signal netter that the CCS of the coax. Of course, this is an initial test...

tonyb

....and now you have the best "thoughts" in the world....your own.

You using these as a sub cable...or connected to something else ?

felipe

I'm using these for sub cable and interconnects now...

felipe

Anyone have experience with rg59 coax cable?? My folks would like me to utilize their large spool of rg59 coax they have to make custom length cables for their stereo component setup. I stripped a small cut to see its makeup...solid bare copper center,dielectric, copper braided shield (full coverage from what I saw). This should be OK you think?? All I got to do I get some connectors.. Probably compression style RCA...