Shorten my speaker cables?

[Bklynbart]

I have mapleshade speaker cables and they sound great. I have found their advice and products to be refreshingly sound and of high quality. There is a lot of vodoo in this wonderful hobby of High Fi sound. I find a lot of things sound different and what is better is a matter of personal taste. We are all searching for the mythical holy grail of perfect sound and that is half the fun.

[Telstar]

Originally Posted by Butch

This is a quote from the guys at Mapleshade records.
• NEVER use speaker cables shorter than 8'. Amazingly, 4' sounds much worse than 8'. Contrary to common belief, shorter interconnects (2 m or less) and longer speaker cables sound WAY BETTER than the opposite—based on extensive head-to-head tests.

I think this may be damn right!
I think much shorter than 2m for interconnects, though, expecially analogic ones.

[kennyt]

I think this is like the chicken and the egg argument, there is no 'right' answer and different cable makers have different rec's. For each companies cables, I would recommend listening to them, I for one use Transparent Reference and in many discussions with them they always recommend short speaker cables and long IC (if one has to be long) I have heard other companies with different ideas, apparently Mapleshade is one of them.

Bottom line, whatever works for you in your system that makes the music live and keeps you happy, do!

[deacongreg]

You know the old saying about the shortest distance between two objects is a straight line. Usually shorter lengths are better overall. While I respect Mapleshade, you don`t need them to tell you that!!

[Telstar]

Kenny, that may depend on the way they make interconnects. As general rule, the shorter the signal path, the better.

For speaker cables there can intervene other factors, but I dunno. I know only that my 2,5m Kubala sounds wonderfully.

[kennyt]

Telstar,

I see you are using the Linn 5140's, I used to have them formy HT, I was running two pairs fully active with a 5120 center, also active. Great sound but the biggest PITA to set up and move with all those wires...

I've met the guys behind Kubala-Sosna, nice guys, and really good cables. Which line did you get?