Speaker wire length

bkfk
bkfk Posts: 44
edited October 2004 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
Should the length of the speaker wire supporting your front left,right and center speakers all be the same.Thanks
Post edited by bkfk on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited October 2004
    In theory, yes. In the real world though it's usually better to have each one as short as possible. If this means different lengths then so be it.
    Make it Funky! :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited October 2004
    Pretty much agree with gidrah...

    Being a bit on the anal side though, I at least like to keep my mains wire runs "equal". It does not stress me out too badly if the center's length is different from the mains, or the surrounds are what they need to be.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited October 2004
    I don't think it would matter very much. It's when you run LONG distances where it would be a factor. That given, I personally like to keep the mains length the same, just for sh!ts and giggles.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited October 2004
    Like I said, anal... :p
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,200
    edited October 2004
    I always have left center and right equal lengths. Then I can rest ashore the timing is exact.


    Anal I may be but nevertheless correct it will be.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nemos2
    nemos2 Posts: 111
    edited October 2004
    ...Ditto, like everyone else said, It should not matter, ideal would be the shortest for each speaker, but.....most people dont. On the other hand, it's not a great idea to "coil" extra speaker cable on a run that might be long......this was just talked about in a post not to long ago.....
    Polk LSi 15 Fronts
    Polk LSi C center
    Polk LSiFX Surrounds
    Outlaw Audio 990 Pre/Pro
    Outlaw Audio 755 amp
    Paradigm PDR-12 Sub
    Outlaw Audio Cables
    BetterCables Cables
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited October 2004
    Originally posted by mantis


    Anal I may be but nevertheless correct it will be.


    Huh? WTF did he say?

    Sorry, I don't speak 'fortune cookie' and I've lost my decoder ring.

    Can someone translate? :rolleyes:

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited October 2004
    Lucky Numbers: 7 18 23 28 36 49
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited October 2004
    Originally posted by TroyD


    Can someone translate? :rolleyes:

    BDT

    I ate what?

    HBomb
    ***WAREMTAE***
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited October 2004
    Originally posted by TroyD
    Huh? WTF did he say? I've lost my decoder ring.
    doro found it under your bed and gave it to me...

    Appears there are two possible translations...

    1. I believe that equal length runs to the mains is the only way to go, and if that makes me "anal", so be it...

    OR

    2. My name is not Dan, it's Diane. My body is a temple that all may worship at... I can show you the door as I kick your **** out into the street. I believe that a good car stereo and a clock radio is all one needs to achieve audio nivana... so long as it is hooked up to a B&K AVR and all tied together with the proper grade of MC...

    Of course I could be wrong... ;)
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited October 2004
    My guess is more simple, he's watched Return of the Jedi WAY too many times. :rolleyes:

    I wonder if Dan has tried to drive his new Beemer Jedi-style, blindfolded.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited October 2004
    Originally posted by mantis
    Then I can rest ashore ......

    Mongo LIKE shore leave. :p
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited October 2004
    Well, I've had about all of this I can stand
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LittleCar_w/12s
    LittleCar_w/12s Posts: 568
    edited October 2004
    (funny cause we get our posts deleted all the time in C/A for that...)

    Anyway I felt I should bring this up, and I'll give you a reference chart for your enjoyment...

    There are two things I have against being anal about the length of cables:
    Timing:
    Let it be known, and it IS proven, that the transferrance of electricity into and out of a conductor is done AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!!!!! Timing is NOT an issue. Yes, it is true that the speed of an electron itself is not at that speed, but when you put an electron in one end, the other end emmits one at C.
    Resistance:
    The resistance of what we use for speaker cable (ga-wise) is negligeable at the length differences we are speaking. So much so that it is almost guaranteed to be less than the tolerance of the voice coil in your audio drivers.
    Using 16AWG, the difference in a 8 foot wire to a 16 foot wire is 0.032 ohm per side (0.06 ohm for both leads.) We're talking very low resistances here.

    I am not trying to start a fight, but I just want yall to know. Also, please don't buy silver cables instead of copper, they have almost the exact resistance, and Gold has DOUBLE it.

    Sorry for the rant - Jerry
    ___________________________
    Total cost of materials: Going up...
    Time spent: Countless Hours...
    Cranking the system, having it quiet outside the car, and sound that takes the rear-view off inside: PRICELESS

    For some things in life, you pay others to do it... For a masterpeice, do it yourself.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LittleCar_w/12s
    LittleCar_w/12s Posts: 568
    edited October 2004
    I also have to say that your connectors , just one, has more resistance than the entire line... That's where I focus my energy when constructing connections. A crimped connection can have less than a mm^2 of contact, that the same as about a 28ga wire... so I use lots of solder, why plenty? because Lead has around 15x the resistance of copper, and tin about 8x.

    Use good connectors, and if you really want good connections, spade terminals are the greatest for surface area. make sure everything inside the box is soldered as well as that spade. Want a better connector? Use SILVER solder, about the same as welding the copper to the terminal, but you will need a really clean and high temp soldering equipment.
    Hope this helps you and your wallets.
    -Jerry
    ___________________________
    Total cost of materials: Going up...
    Time spent: Countless Hours...
    Cranking the system, having it quiet outside the car, and sound that takes the rear-view off inside: PRICELESS

    For some things in life, you pay others to do it... For a masterpeice, do it yourself.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter