Cable choice for long cable runs

[HPK]

I need to run 45-65 ft. long cables from my receiver to my front left/right and center channel speakers and to my subwoofer. The actual length will depend on how I end up doing the wiring. I would like to get some input on what cables to choose.

My front speakers are bi-wireable and I am considering the following options for them:
1) Canare 4S11 quad 14 gauge cables in bi-wired configuration
2) Belden 5000 series 12 gauge cable without bi-wiring
3) Canare 4S11 quad 14 gauge cables without bi-wiring

As I understand it, option 3 reduces the gauge to 11 while option 1 does not. Is this correct? Which of the three would be best for very long runs? For the center channel, I am essentially considering Belden 5000 series 12 gauge cable. These are all available at Blue Jeans cable.

Should I be looking at some other choices? Any input is much appreciated.

Thanks,

HPK

 

[nibhaz]

1) Canare 4S11 quad 14 gauge cables in bi-wired configuration

Bi-wiring doesn't really provide any benifits...it's more or less just marketing hype, however bi-amping is another story

2) Belden 5000 series 12 gauge cable without bi-wiring

Do to the length of the runs you are planning the larger the gauge of wire you use the better. The Belden 10-gauge 5T00UP is $.57/ft at blue jeans.

3) Canare 4S11 quad 14 gauge cables without bi-wiring

The Canare 4S11 is $1.05/ft…why spend the extra cash, if you can get a excellent ten gauge for almost half the cost?


Lastly, you might want to consider a roll of Sound King 10 GA form parts express if you feel comfortable terminating your own wires

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=3&ObjectGroup_ID=374&sm=1&so=2

 

[jaxvon]

Well, the 4S11 is $1.05 a foot from BlueJeans. But, you can get much better prices at Westlake Electronic. While the 4S11 has higher capacitance than the Belden, it has better noise rejection because of the geometry. I'd personally go for the 4S11 in a non-bi-wired configuration given your choices. However, Belden also offers a 10ga cable similar to the 12ga you listed which can be purchased here. Great price, and even less resistance than the Canare.

 

[HPK]

Jaxvon,

Thanks for the excellent tips about Westlake electronic. I went through some similar calculations to those shown on this site for all the cable articles. I checked my numbers by making sure I could recreate some of the numbers posted on the speaker cable faceoff article. The following tables capture what I found in my comparison between Belden 5T00UP (10AWG) and Canare 4S11. The first table shows the insertion loss and the second the total loss at 20 kHz.

Insertion loss (dB) | 50 feet 60 feet 70 feet
-----------------------------------------------------
Belden | -0.11 -0.13 -0.155
Canare | -0.28 -0.33 -0.385

Loss at 20 kHz(dB)| 50 feet 60 feet 70 feet
-----------------------------------------------------
Belden | -0.345 -0.45 -0.555
Canare | -0.5 -0.65 -0.8

Hence, given the price for the Belden (0.24/ft) versus the Canare (0.63/ft), the choice is quite clear.

Thanks to you, I will be saving a pot of money and thanks to the Audioholics site and their excellent articles, I am able to make informed choices.

HPK