What speaker wires to use

Forums › Home Theatre (incl HTPC) › What speaker wires to use

Wheelbarrow01

882 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 778

Trusted

Chorus

Topic # 202013 13-Sep-2016 18:38

OK, so gradually unboxing my new toys and setting it all up:

Marantz SR5010 amp
B&W 685 fronts, 686 rears and HTM62 centre.

Based on this equipment, can someone in the know recommend what size speaker wire I should be using?

The guy at Smiths City today recommended a Pudney cable but when I got it home it looks woefully inadequate- I am pretty sure he only recommended it as it was the biggest they had in stock. I only went there cos it was my lunch break and it was close to work.

I prefer not to go to somewhere like Harvey Norman as they will just try to sell me the stuff with the biggest mark-up...

Not looking to spend a fortune but I'm not cheap either - I just want something middle of the road that will do justice to all the money I just spent lol.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

benpearce

28 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 7

Reply # 1628812 13-Sep-2016 18:40

How about these guys - http://www.jaycar.co.nz/search?text=speaker+wire&CSRFToken=25fe2eb4-4e11-410d-9920-5d773ccab0c3

richms

21537 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4389

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 1628813 13-Sep-2016 18:41

order it from surplustronics - Im using some 1.5mm2 stuff which is more than adequate.

https://surplustronics.co.nz/products/7865-speaker-cable-kit-2-x-15mm

Richard rich.ms

Dunnersfella

3411 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 481

Reply # 1629112 14-Sep-2016 09:58

One person supports this post

Just have a look at the cable you buy (in person, not on-line as the pics don't always show what you're getting) and make sure it's not a copper / alloy mix. Shonky manufacturers will save money by reducing the amount of (relatively) expensive copper content and substituting in alloy. This leads to a cable that 'greens' / corrodes, and in the process changes the ability for the cable to deliver the signal to the speaker.

So basically, cheap cable can be a crap-shoot unless you get to eye-ball it first.

ubergeeknz

3343 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1089

Trusted

Vocus

Reply # 1629117 14-Sep-2016 10:05

One person supports this post

Wheelbarrow01: The guy at Smiths City today recommended a Pudney cable but when I got it home it looks woefully inadequate

What's the cross section of copper? I would say as long as it is a reasonable quality copper cable, it will be just fine.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/speakers-when-is-good-enough-enough.2512/page-2#post-15412 < is good reading on speaker wire. TL;DR: basically anything works perfectly fine

Batman

Mad Scientist
19116 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2484

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1629148 14-Sep-2016 10:32

Get 14 (over kill but if same price why not!) or 16 AWG wire from Bunnings or if someone resell stuff on monoprice on ebay.

Seriously, unless your system Setup is worth 100,000$ don't worry too much about the cables. Sub needs to be shielded however i mean the sub cable.

Swype on iOS is detrimental to accurate typing. Apologies in advance.

WyleECoyoteNZ

486 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 110

Reply # 1629152 14-Sep-2016 10:42

I can't remember what cable I used when I built up my system years ago (10), but the advice I got was not to skimp on cable.

When I built my system, (Originally Marantz SR5400 AV Receiver, Marantz DV4300 DVD, Marantz CC4300 5 disc CD all going to Mission speakers M35 Fronts, M30 Rears and M3C1 centre) cable came in at about 10% of the total cost.

The Receiver and DVD player have long since being replaced, but the speakers and cable have stayed the same

Jase2985

7775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2565

Subscriber

Reply # 1630589 15-Sep-2016 01:04

joker97:Seriously, unless your system Setup is worth 100,000$ don't worry too much about the cables. Sub needs to be shielded however i mean the sub cable.

need, no, recommended yes. Depends on where the cable runs

spearsniper

130 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 59

Reply # 1630631 15-Sep-2016 08:38

I went from using very expensive cables on my Polk LS90's, to using TPS cable, and there was no noticeable difference. I sold the big monster cables, and stayed with the $1.50/meter mains cabling. If I were to do it again, it would be a trip down to Cory's to get more mains cabling.

33coupe

623 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 36

Reply # 1644192 2-Oct-2016 15:33

One person supports this post

After much research, I decided I didn't want three cable to be the weak link in my setup, and it's something I'll keep forever and no need to change/upgrade.

I got my speaker and sub cable from the below:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/indexmob.htm

Very thick & good quality

DarthKermit

4482 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2477

Trusted

Reply # 1644194 2-Oct-2016 15:44

One person supports this post

I seem to remember an audio experiment where they compared some very expensive brand name speaker cable to an unbent coat hanger and there was no appreciable difference. A lot of the hype is probably just marketing bullsh!t.

jarledb

Webhead
2125 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 691

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1644286 2-Oct-2016 17:35

One person supports this post

It's just a way to make more money for the Hi-Fi asylum peddlers. But if it makes you feel good - then by all means waste your money.

Love
A sound engineer

Jarle on Twitter - Senson NZ - WordPress experts

richms

21537 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4389

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 1644287 2-Oct-2016 17:37

One person supports this post

Spend your money on the terminations on speaker wire, that is where things go wrong with the crap terminals on most gear.

Richard rich.ms

Sideface

4303 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2568

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1644292 2-Oct-2016 17:48

DarthKermit:

I seem to remember an audio experiment where they compared some very expensive brand name speaker cable to an unbent coat hanger and there was no appreciable difference. A lot of the hype is probably just marketing bullsh!t.

The unbent coat hanger probably sounded OK because it was thick wire, and was very short.

For anything longer than a coat hanger, I would recommend thick braided pure copper wire with good quality terminations.

Yes, there is a lot of BS in high-end audio, but good cables do make an audible difference with a good system, specially with long cable runs &/or low impedance loudspeakers.

DISCLOSURE: My audio system cost more than my new car. I like it that way. Cars are a waste of money.

Sideface

gumboot19

47 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 9

Reply # 1644363 2-Oct-2016 20:17

+1 for "Spearsniper".

I did exactly the same, sold the big-name brand multi-strand stuff and went to TPS.

Did a fair bit of reading and research and listening on lower end stereo systems

Seemed much smoother to my ears on my old Polk speakers.

jonathan18

3107 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 769

Reply # 1644593 3-Oct-2016 11:00

33coupe: After much research, I decided I didn't want three cable to be the weak link in my setup, and it's something I'll keep forever and no need to change/upgrade.

I got my speaker and sub cable from the below:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/indexmob.htm

Very thick & good quality

I did the same about three years ago, as I needed to wire the 7.1 system in the external HT, as well as the two outdoor speakers under the HT's veranda - buying that much decent-quality cable was expensive here, so I got it from the above site. (Also wanted a decent diameter cable, given it's a fair length by the time you get the cable to the rear surrounds.) I'm pretty sure they shipped directly to NZ, so no need to use YouShop or similar.

Would purchase from them again.