Old Speakers wires (10 years+ )good or bad?

Audio292
Audio292 Posts: 31
edited January 2010 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
Hey

So i have had my system for 4months now and i was wondering should i upgrade my wires. The reason i ask is because my speaker wires are handy downs from my dad who had plenty of left over wires, from like 15 years ago. i know what your thinking but he says wires are wires and nothing i buy in this day will be any different. Anyway the wires look thing compared to the 18AWG RG6/U cable, so i assume its like 20AWG wire or so, which i think is not really enough for Polk speakers. So what i really want to know is would i hear a difference in my dads old school wires from 15+ years ago compared to the new ones.

These are for my RM75's. Fronts and center are about 5-6FT from my Yamaha HTR6140, and my rears are about 10-15FT away. And my room is about 100FT.


Prove me wrong or right lol.
Post edited by Audio292 on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1

Comments

  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited January 2010
    http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    So what i got out of that, is the thicker the cable the better results will be coming out of the speakers. However there cables are so thick 14AWG for RM75's are overkill. Anywhere that sells 16AWg or 18AWG.?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited January 2010
    Are there any electrons left in the cable? For inexpensive cable, thickness is not overkill. I would go to the hardware store and by bulk low voltage twisted, stranded, 12 gauge copper. That will be an inexpensive step up.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    i'm probably going to pick up Monoprice 16 AWG speakers wires 100FT for $12 lol. since i'm not running the wires that long.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Are there any electrons left in the cable? For inexpensive cable, thickness is not overkill. I would go to the hardware store and by bulk low voltage twisted, stranded, 12 gauge copper. That will be an inexpensive step up.



    The cables work but they are less than 18 AWG lol.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zitro
    Zitro Posts: 864
    edited January 2010
    What the hell are you gonna do with 100ft of cable? lol what is your budget?
    - Jeremy

    Amps: Jolida FX-10, NAD 3045, NAD C320BEE, Sansui G-9700
    Speakers: Polk Monitor 7A's, KEF Reference 104aB
    Sources: ProJect Debut Carbon, Sonos streaming FLAC
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    Zitro wrote: »
    What the hell are you gonna do with 100ft of cable? lol what is your budget?


    To be honest i don't know, however i do know my budget is something cheap and provide High end speaker cable performance, which Monoprice does with there Enhanced cables lol.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zeros
    Zeros Posts: 940
    edited January 2010
    Monoprice had 100 ft of 12 ga on sale this past Monday for around $18. They always seem to have some wire on sale.

    I would suggest becoming a "fan" of them on Facebook if you are a member. They post polls about what items to put on a daily deal for each week.

    I asked about a HDMI splitter and they put it on special yesterday, so they do listen to what the people ask for.
    My Basement / Home Theater Room
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • packetjones
    packetjones Posts: 1,059
    edited January 2010
    I got my speaker wire from them and will probably get my first set of interconnects from them when i get my first external amp. I have read the posts about the improvements of better speaker wire but just can not justify spending more on wire right now. Hopefully one day i can upgrade and see for my self what type of difference it makes.
    Front - RTiA5's
    Rear - RTiA3's
    Center - CSiA4
    Sub - PSW110
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    packetjones wrote: »
    I got my speaker wire from them and will probably get my first set of interconnects from them when i get my first external amp. I have read the posts about the improvements of better speaker wire but just can not justify spending more on wire right now. Hopefully one day i can upgrade and see for my self what type of difference it makes.


    Well depending what AWG ur running don't put hopes on upgrading lol...for me its my dads handy down wires from 20 years ago when he had his kenwood setup lol. And yet they are thinner than a 18 AWG on my sub lol. So i fi upgrade them to 16 AWg..there will be some impact hopfully.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    Zeros wrote: »
    Monoprice had 100 ft of 12 ga on sale this past Monday for around $18. They always seem to have some wire on sale.

    I would suggest becoming a "fan" of them on Facebook if you are a member. They post polls about what items to put on a daily deal for each week.

    I asked about a HDMI splitter and they put it on special yesterday, so they do listen to what the people ask for.

    12Ga is to thick to run around my 100 ft entertainment room lol...i'm going max 16Ga 50FT, since thats what i need and its not too thick but right size.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • louhamilton
    louhamilton Posts: 209
    edited January 2010
    Audio292 wrote: »
    To be honest i don't know, however i do know my budget is something cheap and provide High end speaker cable performance, which Monoprice does with there Enhanced cables lol.

    Price, Quality, or Speed/Performance.

    Pick two.

    :D
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    louhamilton wrote: »
    Price, Quality, or Speed/Performance.

    Pick two.

    :D

    Don't tell me there are speaker wires that send audio quicker than others. If so please chime on it lol. If not i choose Price and quality, which Monoprice's "enhanced" wires should provide.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,729
    edited January 2010
    You are placing too great of a concern on cabling considering the current level of your gear in that I seriously doubt you would hear a difference between the hand me down cables verses something else.

    Yes, there are cables that are "faster" than others, but again, don't concern yourself with that right now.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    You are placing too great of a concern on cabling considering the current level of your gear in that I seriously doubt you would hear a difference between the hand me down cables verses something else.

    Yes, there are cables that are "faster" than others, but again, don't concern yourself with that right now.

    Well considering i'm using the wrong Gauge which i think is 20Ga and should be using a minimum of 18 Ga for my RM75 set, isn't it better to settle for something better? considering i would not upgrade to anything else anytime soon. This would be with me till something more appealing to the ears come by.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,729
    edited January 2010
    Who says you are using the wrong gauge?

    Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that cables make a difference, but in some cases it won't.

    Anyway, get your 18 gauge wire if it'll make you feel better. Then let me know if you hear a difference.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    Who says you are using the wrong gauge?

    Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that cables make a difference, but in some cases it won't.

    Anyway, get your 18 gauge wire if it'll make you feel better. Then let me know if you hear a difference.

    I'm making my points based on what i have read so far....and the basic principle i have read so far is thicker is better in terms of lower resistance and more signals going through.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,729
    edited January 2010
    Yeah well, there are two common mistakes folks make when buying cable. One is buying it based on the gauge and the other on cost per foot.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    So would it be a worth while upgrade...or should i just leave it as it is. Really i'm lost here lol.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited January 2010
    Whichever makes you feel better, really. It certainly won't hurt you to go with a better wire. But it may not audibly help, either.
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

    Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii

    Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999

    Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3

    HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited January 2010
    +1 for the Bluejeans cables. They perform very well and the prices are great. Custom lengths available and the customer service is excellent.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • NJPOLKER
    NJPOLKER Posts: 3,474
    edited January 2010
    audio292 wrote: »
    so would it be a worth while upgrade...or should i just leave it as it is. Really i'm lost here lol.

    no..
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,185
    edited January 2010
    Hello, at this point in your audio journey I seriously doubt that you would hear any discernible change just jumping up a gauge in size with the gear you are running. I've been in your shoes before and I tried 8 sets of "bargain" to sub $200.00 wire with absolutely not one ounce of change when I was at your point in my own audio journey.

    While I can tell you that if you go 14 gauge, you might notice a slight increase in bass but you might just get the same thing with cutting the current wires back 2", re-stripping and soldering the ends. I'm not at all saying your system is not worth the bother, I'm just advising you to save your money right now as I have been in your shoes.

    Just my own personal 2 cents thrown out there for ya'.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    ok then thanks for your personal opinions guys, i guess i could save the money to upgrade my PS3 harddrive instead lol.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sTiLlLeArNiNg
    sTiLlLeArNiNg Posts: 805
    edited January 2010
    Canare 4s11 is a pretty good cable for the money and will last you quite a while in your audio "journey"

    Just my $0.02 anyways :o
    Media Room 7.1
    Sharp lc37d64u | Sanus vmsab-03 | Sonax ZX8680 | Yamaha htr-6290b | Emotiva xpa1 x 2 & xpa5 | RTiA 9 & 7 | CSiA 6 | FXiA 6 | Sanus NF30B-03 | Velodyne dls-3750r | Dual 505-3 m97xe | Monster avs2000/hts5100

    HTPC
    Intel e5300 | Asus p5q DLX | LG ch08 BD | OCZ 4g reaper2 | WD 1TB | Sapphire 4890 VaporX 1g | Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 | OCZ modXtreme 700w | Antec Fusion remote MAX

    A fool and his money are easily parted
    I don't drink Koolaid

    Need some cable's? Just ask :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    20100123473.jpg
    20100123472.jpg
    BTw for the sake of it what Gauge is my wire from the looks of it lol? sorry if its blurry couldn't find my camera.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,729
    edited January 2010
    I'm guessing 16 gauge.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MANSKITO
    MANSKITO Posts: 295
    edited January 2010
    Don't put too much money into wires just yet.

    Wait till you have good speakers and electronics then think about upgrading the wire. Reason being because wires make the smallest delta in sound.

    Save your money and put it where it matters most. I m in the same boat as you, basic radio shack wires. I will change them out for something better at some point to see if a "wire is a wire". But until that time comes theres not much of a point to changing out cables on low/mid-FI gear because the wires at this point in the game are NOT the weakest link.
    Monitor 60s, CS10 front
    Monitor 40s, back
    PSW10:(

    H/k AVR 325
    Sansui Tape Deck
    Pioneer PD-5010 CD player

    Sennheiser HD 650s :D
    Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 DAC

    AMD Phenom II 940 @ 3.8 prime stabel
    4 gigs 1066, cas 5
    XFX 4890 1gig
    Seagate 1tb 7200.12
    Creative X-fI Titanium Fatal1ty
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    I'm guessing 16 gauge.



    If they are 16 gauge, the copper wire seems very thin to be 16 lol. i'll post up the copper part also when i have time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Audio292
    Audio292 Posts: 31
    edited January 2010
    MANSKITO wrote: »
    Don't put too much money into wires just yet.

    Wait till you have good speakers and electronics then think about upgrading the wire. Reason being because wires make the smallest delta in sound.

    Save your money and put it where it matters most. I m in the same boat as you, basic radio shack wires. I will change them out for something better at some point to see if a "wire is a wire". But until that time comes theres not much of a point to changing out cables on low/mid-FI gear because the wires at this point in the game are NOT the weakest link.


    I know we have been through this....Does anyone have experience with "Belkin" speaker wires...my locak shop has the pure AV 16AWG 100 FT for $15 CDN.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter