Help with speaker cable, building my first real system

[dvon1981]

So I've Googled around for hours now and I feel like I know less than before I started. I made the decision to make an investment and built myself a nice system from the ground up.

It will be comprised of:

Amp: NAD 356 BEE DAC

Turntable: Rega RP3 w/ Elys 2

Phono Stage: Clear Audio Basic (picked one up pre-owned)

Speakers: Audio Physic Classic 10's


What I'm stumped on now is speaker cable, the price ranges are massive and I really don't know what's snake oil vs real benefit. Is my system high end enough that speaker cable becomes a weak link? Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in, just trying to figure this all out.

 

[Steve81]

Hi Dvon,

You can find a wire table here:
Speaker Cable Gauge (AWG) Guidelines & Recommendations | Audioholics
For referenece, your speakers are 4 ohm nominal with a 4.1 ohm minimum impedance. Outside of aesthetics, there's nothing to gain by stepping up to "high end" wire.

 

[Pyrrho]

... Is my system high end enough that speaker cable becomes a weak link? ...

No matter how high end a system is, there is no reason to ever spend more than a dollar a foot for speaker wire. Here is another wire link:

Speaker Wire

I strongly recommend reading it all. There is quite a lot of BS in audio, and many people selling wires are ready to part suckers from their money.

 

[mtrycrafts]

So I've Googled around for hours now and I feel like I know less than before I started. I made the decision to make an investment and built myself a nice system from the ground up.
...
What I'm stumped on now is speaker cable, the price ranges are massive and I really don't know what's snake oil vs real benefit. Is my system high end enough that speaker cable becomes a weak link? Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in, just trying to figure this all out.

Hi, and welcome.

From your subject line I get the impression that you have something but you consider it less than a 'real system.' If this is the case, you must have some speaker cables. Perhaps what you have may work just as well as some new cables?

 

[dvon1981]

Hi, and welcome.

From your subject line I get the impression that you have something but you consider it less than a 'real system.' If this is the case, you must have some speaker cables. Perhaps what you have may work just as well as some new cables?

Right now I have an onkyo receiver running to a pair of Boston acoustics speakers running monster XP wire. It's probably about 13 years old.

 

[ImcLoud]

I know a lot of guys say "the wire doesn't matter' BUT I have had speaker cables make a difference in sound, mostly because of bad connections and sub par materials, so it can make a difference... But I agree Don't spend more than a couple bucks a foot MAX...
The other issue and more important is aesthetics, you want something nice, with nice plug ends that don't have frayed wire sticking out of them... At the very minimum I would use a decent cable and tin the ends before you connect them...

Knu concepts karma cable is really nice stuff, I make my own cables with the karma cable, the sewell banana ends, shrink wrap, KNu Konceptz cable pants, and techflex there are a couple threads on here on how to do it, it ends up costing around $15 a cable depending on the length...
But if you want them done Parts express used to sell a decent cable {dayton, but they don't have many left" and emotivas cables are good for the money, but you best bet is to make them your self... Monoprice is also a good place to buy cables... Just depends on what you are looking for the end result to look like and what you want to spend, as far as audio quality it doenst take much...

unless you want some audioquest wild woods, best sound EVER - AUDIOQUEST WILD WOOD SPEAKER CABLES (PR) at Music Direct LOL , make sure to scroll down in that link and get the 10footers they are only $22K each... I wish if they ever actually sold a pair of them?

Seriously though check out mono price and knu concepts, if you are going to use tech flex to cover them the mono price is nice,
sewell sells banana plugs for $28 for 24 Amazon.com : Sewell Direct SW-29863-12 Deadbolt Banana Plugs, 12-Pair : Electronics

wire pants- Amazon.com : Speaker Wire Pants 12 Gauge Y Boot -10 Pack : Electronics

tech flex {3/8 or 1/2 works nice for speaker wires and they have a ton of colors} 3 8 Braided Expandable Sleeving Rattlesnake Techflex 25ft | eBay

same seller sells the shrink tube, a lifetimes worth for $5 and he has other colors 1 4 3 8 1 2 3 4 1 0 Heat Shrink Tubing Black 4 ft Each | eBay

then just the cable Amazon.com: KnuKonceptz Kord Kable 12 Gauge Copper Speaker Wire - 50 Feet: Electronics
Amazon.com: Monoprice 100ft 14AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation): Electronics
there are a ton of options for the cable, just depends on what you want...

this way will cost you $6.65 plus .90 per foot, per cable - so a 12 foot cable will cost you $6.65 + (.90x12) = $17.47 which comes out to $1.47 per foot using the knu cable, {the longer the cable the less per foot it will cost}...
I made the cables for my 2 channel system and it cost me around $25, for my home theater it cost me $60 {but one of my cables is 20 feet long}...

So in closing you may not NEED a new cable, but I find with a nice music system, its nice to have banana plugs, covered cables, and wire pants {even though it wont change you sound quality, it looks good and makes connecting and disconnecting easier, some say banana plugs add resistance, but I have never heard a diff. either way}.. the same things go for running speaker cables on the carpet, I use risers on my 2.2 system but that is more to separate the audio cables from the power cables and again it looks good...

 

[Pyrrho]

Right now I have an onkyo receiver running to a pair of Boston acoustics speakers running monster XP wire. It's probably about 13 years old.

You can use that wire. There is no need to replace it, unless you need something longer than what you have. I recommend avoiding Monster Cable because of price, but once you have it, there is no reason not to use it. Old wire works fine; it never wears out. Of course, if you abuse it and damage it, then you may need to replace it, but decently constructed wire that you take care of can last longer than your life.

 

[fmw]

It's all snake oil. Those who hear differences are experiencing hearing bias, not any difference in sound. Copper simply doesn't do anything other than conduct electricity. Choose something that is 14 ga or larger. Monoprice is as good a place as any. As Pyrrho says, what you have will work fine. No need at all to spend more money.

 

[dvon1981]

Thanks for the responses, seems like as long as the cable is of decent guage then I'm really fine with whatever. Thanks for saving me lots of money.