Rtia9's - Speaker wire Advice-

bklynNupe

Hi, I mentioned this in another post regarding new a9's, but I figured it would be best to post under an new thread to avoid Post-Jackin'

Any thoughts on the best speaker cables for the a9's without falling for Snake Oil?
also because of the room layout the distance between my 2-channel emotiva and left and right speakers are not equal. The right channel is about 3 feet away and the left channel is about 12' away. I'm concerned that I might be robbing my speakers with this "standard" speaker cable. Is this the case or is this a bunch of nonsense? If so, what are some recommended brands at a good price?

Thanks
Brad

treitz3

Brad, you might want to contact Ben.

John K.

Brad, if you truly don't want to fall for Snake Oil you have to follow basic principles of audio technology and not be influenced by flights of fantasy about the "sound" of a piece of wire which have flunked properly controlled blind listening tests. What you need now is the same thing that I needed about 40 years ago when I first became a hifi enthusiast: a two conductor power cord of adequate gauge considering the length of the run and the impedance of the speaker. All the wire does is to provide a low resistance path for the electromagnetic wave to ride down its outside on the way to the speaker. At a given resistance the result has to be the same and differences in the metal or internal configuration of the wire can't change the external wave which is the only thing that reaches the speaker.

If you haven't studied the facts of wiring as explained here by a veteran audio professional, doing so will help you to avoid that Snake Oil.

You can get wire(lamp cord, power cord, speaker wire, however it's labeled)for about 30 cents a foot or less from online sources such as MonoPrice or local suppliers such as Home Depot or Lowes.

bklynNupe

John K. wrote: »

Brad, if you truly don't want to fall for Snake Oil you have to follow basic principles of audio technology and not be influenced by flights of fantasy about the "sound" of a piece of wire which have flunked properly controlled blind listening tests. What you need now is the same thing that I needed about 40 years ago when I first became a hifi enthusiast: a two conductor power cord of adequate gauge considering the length of the run and the impedance of the speaker. All the wire does is to provide a low resistance path for the electromagnetic wave to ride down its outside on the way to the speaker. At a given resistance the result has to be the same and differences in the metal or internal configuration of the wire can't change the external wave which is the only thing that reaches the speaker.

If you haven't studied the facts of wiring as explained here by a veteran audio professional, doing so will help you to avoid that Snake Oil.

You can get wire(lamp cord, power cord, speaker wire, however it's labeled)for about 30 cents a foot or less from online sources such as MonoPrice or local suppliers such as Home Depot or Lowes.

Thanks John
This is an incredible bit of information on this site. Good information and food for thought.

treitz3

Brad, you would be doing your audio journey a favor by not believing everything you read on the internet. That said, this will be my last post in this thread. Good luck in your journey.

kevhed72

Just my findings...I own the same speakers and switched from Blue Jeans (Belden) 10 AWG with bananas I installed myself to MIT Exp1 I got a good price on due they were considered "B-stock". Overall, well worth the $90.00 investment IMO.

bklynNupe

treitz3 wrote: »

Brad, you would be doing your audio journey a favor by not believing everything you read on the internet. That said, this will be my last post in this thread. Good luck in your journey.

Hey Man: I really do appreciate any insight. Fortunately/unfortunately I've gotten this far on my audio journey by "reading things on the internet." I was born with a bit of sense, so I do not take very little at face value. I've seen this article several months ago but did not really digest it because I was at the stage of just learning about "why separates?" I am a HTIB recent convert(less than 1-year). So most of my vetting has consisted of reading hundreds of posts /reviews and taking a chance by the products. Thus far, I've had pretty good result with few bad mis-steps. I've said on this forum time and time again, that mid/hi-end audio deals in New York City are the worst. Most that I've met are snooty little punks or washed up Glengarry Glen Ross salesmen. :mad:
You cannot isolate the professed performance of a product if the "test system" is about 100k and mine is about 4% of that.
So I guess If I really want to know I will have to drop some cash and do a old fashioned trial and error if I want to really understand the difference in cables.

Thanks,
Brad

Lib0rat0r

While you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet, you should also take into consideration that a great deal of it (especially on the Polk and AVS forums) are truthful, meaningful, and helpful information. That being said, everything I read I take in with the thought, "that is this person's opinion." Unless it is something very factual with the use of electronic and scientific measurements, nearly everything is based upon opinion. An example of widely accepted facts are that Monster cables and Bose are very overpriced and sell simply on their marketing and grip on the retailers and average consumer. But even then, you'll find people here and there who claim that Monster and Bose are worth it and superior to their lower priced alternatives with similar specifications.

What I look for in researching speakers, cables, audio gear, etc. is a wide range of opinions from a large number of sources. Once I have gathered a large number of opinions, I see where a majority of the opinions point, and that helps me form an opinion of my own. However, this is true of me for products I have not handled first hand. When it comes down to research, nothing is better than experiencing a product first hand for yourself. Your opinion is the only one that matters when it comes to buying your own audio equipment. Because not only a majority but nearly a unanimous consensus has formed about Monster and Bose, I don't even bother to give their products a try...but had there been a fair share of dissent, I would have given them a go.

That being said, cost always comes into play. If money is of no importance, or if the cost difference between alternatives is small, then it strongly influences the decision making process. For example, say you are looking at two A/V receivers and one model has 3 HDMI inputs while the next one up has 4, but you only need 3. But, if next one up only costs $20 extra, most people are going to take the next step up. Because the price difference is so small, you might as well go for it. When the price difference becomes significant you might avoid taking the step up.

As in the case of cables, moving from 16 to 12 gauge in copper wires...the price difference is small. I have a smaller home theater system, and because the distance is so small, very few people are going to say I need anything thicker than 16 gauge. However, for me, the price difference is small, so why not cough up a few extra bucks and go for the best, and not have to worry about it?

I apologize for the long post, but I believe what I said applies to more than just this post. Again, this is all my opinion...so believe and agree with what you choose to

Face

bklynNupe wrote: »

I've said on this forum time and time again, that mid/hi-end audio deals in New York City are the worst. Most that I've met are snooty little punks or washed up Glengarry Glen Ross salesmen. :mad:
You cannot isolate the professed performance of a product if the "test system" is about 100k and mine is about 4% of that.

Come out to Long Island, you'll find a much better atmosphere.

bklynNupe

You are probably right Face.

Face

Might not be too far for you: http://www.audiobreakthroughs.com/

Small listening room, but really nice gear, friendly sales people, and great prices.