Which speaker cable is best?

[docrings]

Originally Posted by rbinck

7-Range Analog Display Sound Level Meter

They are out of stock right now.

That's the same meter I use for calibration and equalization... nice unit.

How to use an SPL meter for Home Theater setup

[rlpiii]

When I was at Best Buy this past weekend, I actually saw that monster is now making power cords for your washer/dryer.
It made me laugh. . . these scammers just don't know when to quit.

[Pio]

IMO - get the thickest cable you can connect to your speaker. My power amps have bi-wire posts, so I'm using two runs of 12 gauge cable to my speakers.

PS - I'm in the "dont believe the hype" camp about one cable being superior to another. I hear so many people claim they can hear a difference between one cable over the other yet their rooms are horrible acoustic environments - doesnt make any sense why some folks will plop down $500 for an interconnect but wont treat 1st reflections or get some bass traps in their rooms. Oh well...

[barfle]

Originally Posted by rlpiii

When I was at Best Buy this past weekend, I actually saw that monster is now making power cords for your washer/dryer.
It made me laugh. . . these scammers just don't know when to quit.

That's just sick!

As far as I can tell (and I've been LISTENING to speakers for forty years), almost any heavy guage wire over a short distance will be as good as you can get. I try to have my amps close to the speakers (although I still haven't sprung for powered tri-amped speakers, that IS something I drool over) and run 12 or 14 guage wires.

The original poster noted that there was a concern over hiding the wires. What I've done in my HT is make the entire front wall except the screen out of speaker cloth, and I hid my Altec E8s, the amps and the wiring al behind that. Everything is invisible.

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by rlpiii

When I was at Best Buy this past weekend, I actually saw that monster is now making power cords for your washer/dryer.
It made me laugh. . . these scammers just don't know when to quit.

Hey, Monster Cable knows that "a fool is born every minute", and don't forget, "you can fool all of the people.......} Those sayings alone describe a population which made Mr. Lee very rich, with several Fararris, etc.

And it keeps marketing hypesters employed! And laughing all the way to the bank. They know their audience, they know they are susceptible to the power of suggestion, that they are insecure, that their priorities are upside down and backwards. That ignorance can be bliss, that the are not versed in scientific testing -- their ancestors bought copper bracelets and patent remedies from charlatans, and swore they felt better. Some of them are still buying that stuff when some promoter gets their attention!!
Oh, almost forgot, "fools and their money are soon parted."

If fools were just as successful getting their money's worth, etc., then what would be the rewards, monetary and otherwise, to being wise, or practice sound judgment? There would be little incentive to really use one's mind.

Dave Ladely

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by barfle

That's just sick!

As far as I can tell (and I've been LISTENING to speakers for forty years), almost any heavy guage wire over a short distance will be as good as you can get. I try to have my amps close to the speakers (although I still haven't sprung for powered tri-amped speakers, that IS something I drool over) and run 12 or 14 guage wires.

The original poster noted that there was a concern over hiding the wires. What I've done in my HT is make the entire front wall except the screen out of speaker cloth, and I hid my Altec E8s, the amps and the wiring al behind that. Everything is invisible.

Although, I, too, use 12 guage wire, though I doubt it is necessary for any but very long runs. Considering the total resistance of the wire, its very small. I like welding cable, its very flexible. Gotta admit, thick wire looks good, even on spark plugs!
I do like thicker cables in interconnects, because they don't get tangled very easily. Again, they also look nice. But I get them from www.monoprice.com or Blue Jeans Cable in Seattle, WA.

There was a double blind testing of a score of speaker wires, one of which was to be a joke - coat hangers welded together. Upon checking the results, which were all over the place and fairly equalized, and also showed the coat hangers receiving as many positive votes as any of the others, with comments like, "superior breadth of response, phenomenal dynamics, the most accurate staging, ad nauseum. But, hey, this stuff allows fools to get attention and to wax poetic over a cherished subject dear to their pea pickin' hearts!!