CAT 5 as speaker wire?

[desmo900rider]

Who has opinions about using CAT 5 cable for speakers? It seems that I have been hearing about people using it more and it seems to make sense...high enough quality copper to carry data...obviously I'm talking about using one cable per speaker and using four of each wire to create + and -...

Thoughts?

 

[MDS]

Answered in the other thread. There is no need to post the same question in multiple forums.

 

[desmo900rider]

Sorry about that, I realized I posted in the wrong forum and tried to delete the post, but could only edit...

Thanks for your reply though...

 

[Resident Loser]

Try as I might...

...to find the other post...NG, so sorry if this is repetitive...

FYI, it isn't the quality of the copper that allows for data transmission, it's the wire configuration, as in TPI or Twists Per Inch that aids in cohesive signaling...Unfortunately the more TPI, the more capacitance in the wire and in some cases that can be problematic with some amplifier/speaker combos...If you care to do some DIY, you'll probably be better off doing some investigation into existing recipes than going it alone...

Sorry I don't have any links to provide...I'm not a big believer in the whole mythology, I subscribe to the wire is wire school of thought...

jimHJJ(...as of yet, haven't seen anything to dispel that notion...)

 

[desmo900rider]

I'm not a big believer in the whole mythology, I subscribe to the wire is wire school of thought...

jimHJJ(...as of yet, haven't seen anything to dispel that notion...)

That seems to make sense, thanks...it seems like a bit too much work to make the CAT 5 work...so when you say wire is wire, are you of the belief that using heavy gauge lamp cord, or something similar should do the trick?

 

[AVRat]

Yes, been using it since the early 80's. Just p/u some of the 12 gauge stuff @ Home Depot.

 

[Resident Loser]

That's pretty much...

That seems to make sense, thanks...it seems like a bit too much work to make the CAT 5 work...so when you say wire is wire, are you of the belief that using heavy gauge lamp cord, or something similar should do the trick?

...the consensus at this site, there are other sites that would ban me for saying wire is wire but that's a whole 'nother bucket of fish...

For speakers, depending on length, anything larger than 16 ga. should do it...The longer the wire the heavier the gauge i.e 14...12...10...I use 10ga. jacketed PA wire, but my speakers are in another room remote from my gear, 50ft/ch as the wire-lice roam...

For ICs well made and reasonably priced ones are available at a fraction of the price of the cottage-industry boutique cables...even cheaper if you DIY it...bulk coax and good quality connectors and a little hands on and you're in business...

jimHJJ(...good luck and good listening...)

 

[mtrycrafts]

are you of the belief ...

Well, audio has a science part to it, beyond just belief side
So, we don't really have to believe but is knowable

 

[2fast2]

How about NMB (solid core) 14 ga wire? Would that conduct speaker signal OK?

 

[Jack Hammer]

I use cat5 for my zone 2. I got the cheapest stuff I could find at HD and ran about 45 feet of it from my amp to the speakers. I'm only using one of the cat5's wires for each speaker cable in the run, I didn't twist anything or combine wires and I just ignored the extra wire. I have no complaints about the sound. FTR, I'm using some cheap $20 Insignia speakers from BB and it's in my bathroom, so I'm not looking for (or caring about) perfection of sound.

I doubt I'd see any noticeable improvement by using a "better" quality wire for this application. Many people have reported being satisfied with cat5 in a twisted configuration for their mains. I think you'll be happy.

Jack

 

[j_garcia]

How about NMB (solid core) 14 ga wire? Would that conduct speaker signal OK?

Yes it works fine, the problem is, it isn't flexible and pretty much conducts the same as flexible stranded wire.

Cat5 will work, but it isn't going to improve anything.

 

[audiorookie]

I used cat 3 cable and it worked just fine..untill i got my 14 awg wire.
It was a quick fix for my new years perty...

 

[Ampdog]

As folks said, all this has been posted before, but not everyone has the time to read all posts. So from my side (an EE) just for completeness' sake:

Their is no remote technical evidence that wire makes a difference in speaker cable, i.e. that R, L and C come even close to playing a role. (I presume one is not talking about flea gauge.) There is not even evidence that all this "oxygen-free" spiel is always there or makes a difference. Some investigators discovered that certain fancy external covers only hide lawn mower wire.

I respect everybody's experience, but experience has shown that that can be highly subjective, so. If long lengths are used try to ascertain that your cable won't have a higher resistance than say 5% of the speaker impedance - this data is obtainable.