bulk speak cable - lack of specs.

[autumnwillow]

http://denon.jp/company/release/ak1500f_3000f.html

I'm planning to buy that bulk speaker cable and then pairs of banana plugs for my first home theater..

The problem is.. why does it not say how many AWG it is? Or is there a way to compute it manually?

Thanks
Audiophyte

 

[Adam]

I used Google to translate the page, so the information that I had might not match the original. There are some dimensions, but with the translation, I'm unsure if you could compute the effective AWG or not.

I'd suggest contacting Denon (I saw a phone number, but they probably have an e-mail address, as well) to ask them about the effective AWG.

A couple of questions for you. That speaker wire is flat for running under carpet - do you need that flatness? It likely will cost you extra for that form factor. Also, do you have your mind set on buying Denon-branded cable, or would you be open to buying other cable? You certainly don't need to get fancy or expensive speaker cable - you can if you want, but you can get the same performance from less expensive cable.

Adam

 

[autumnwillow]

I used Google to translate the page, so the information that I had might not match the original. There are some dimensions, but with the translation, I'm unsure if you could compute the effective AWG or not.

I'd suggest contacting Denon (I saw a phone number, but they probably have an e-mail address, as well) to ask them about the effective AWG.

A couple of questions for you. That speaker wire is flat for running under carpet - do you need that flatness? It likely will cost you extra for that form factor. Also, do you have your mind set on buying Denon-branded cable, or would you be open to buying other cable? You certainly don't need to get fancy or expensive speaker cable - you can if you want, but you can get the same performance from less expensive cable.

Adam

I don't need its flatness, but it seems so hard to find a cheap quality cable here in Japan.
No, I am open for other brands, but most cables available in your area isn't available here. Monster cable and audio-technica is available, jvc, denon, etc.

A list of good brand names would be nice, ill try to search over the internet if they are available here in Japan.

Thank you for your reply Adam,
Keita

 

[autumnwillow]

How about dayton?

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=www.baysidenet.jp&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ja&tl=en
http://tomoca-shop.jp/shopbrand/046/X/

 

[Adam]

Keita,

Hi. I think the website at the link here is excellent in discussing speaker wire. I highly recommend giving it a quick read. It won't take long, and it can save you some money.

I'd say to not worry much about which brand you buy. For me, speaker wire comes down to two things:
1. Performance - how well if works
2. Aesthetics - how nicely it looks

For performance (as explained in the linked site above), you just need to have a good electrical connection without too much resistance. You don't need special speaker wire for that. You can use any suitable electrical wire that has the proper gauge. For example, you can (and people have) use the same wires that are used as power cords for lamps. Really, any electrical wire is fine (again, as long as it is thick enough).

Aesthetics is totally up to you. Some people pay more for cable that looks nice to them. I've done that, but I like having my components look nice. How something looks is where the different brands of cable might make a difference.

I hope that helps. If I can find any wires that I'd recommend that are for sale over in Japan, I'll let you know.

Adam

 

[autumnwillow]

Nice.

Great advice! I guess ill go with Dayton's cables and banana plugs.
I still have a few more days to wait and buy those cables, i'm still waiting for my klipsch speakers to arrive.

Thanks!

 

[Adam]

Always happy to help if I can. Enjoy your new system!

 

[autumnwillow]

How about subwoofer cables and optical cables?
What qualities or specs should I be looking for?

Thanks~

 

[Adam]

How about subwoofer cables and optical cables?
What qualities or specs should I be looking for?

It's always nice to get cables that have quality construction, but you don't need to get the famous name brands to get that quality (at least here in the USA). One aspect of quality construction is having the connectors on each end be well attached. That's not necessarily something that can be seen or felt, but I figured that I'd mention it. Unless you're buying really bad cables, you shouldn't have to worry about it. You will also want (of course) to get wires that are long enough.

For a line-level subwoofer cable (the cables with RCA connectors on each end), you can use any RCA cable. I'd recommend getting a "video" cable over a regular "audio" cable, though, because video cables have more shielding. You can also buy cables that are marketed as subwoofer cables. The reason to get a good quality cable here is that the amplifier in the subwoofer is amplifying whatever signal it receives at the RCA inputs. If a connector works loose or something else in the cable goes wrong, there can be an electrical signal input into the sub amp that might cause some problems. I think that's rare, but I wanted to mention it. I don't know anyone that's ever had a problem like that, but it was mentioned by the company that I bought my sub from (SVS). Here is an example of a good cable at Monoprice.come, but I'm guessing that you can't order it from Monoprice. I'm linking to it to show the cable and give some idea of pricing. For reference, Monster brand subwoofer cables in the USA might sell for $15 to $20 for a similar length.

For optical cables, there really aren't any specs that come to mind. I've used expensive cables and cheap cables - they both work great. They are just a fiber optic cable with a connector on either end. Here is an example of a pretty nice and inexpensive one from Monoprice. For reference, Monster brand optical cables in the USA might sell for about $25 for a similar length.