Guage Only?

[o51974]

10 guage Sound King from partsexpress.com is the one that I'd like to get. Does it make sense to go with the speaker cable just because it has the relatively lower guage than the others? Please bear in mind that I am not an engineer. Thank you. I'd appreciate some feedback.

 

[gene]

Yes wire gauge is the predominant metric in speaker cables. You want a cable with the lowest DC resistance. Also, the conductors should be as close together as possible, but not too extreme such as a flat ribbon cable due to excessive capacitance. I recommend perusing our cable article, but Sound King 10AWG is an excellent suggestion. Its funny how much I promote their cable and they wont even send me a free 10ft sample to measure However, I did measure their 12AWG cable and it was fine.

Audioholics Cable Articles

 

[o51974]

Thanks, Gene. Have you come across any site that has pictures of how to do this properly?

Thanks again.

 

[Dan Banquer]

DIY Speaker Cable

Go Here: http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/interconnects/DIY_speaker_cables.html
Dan Banquer

 

[hopjohn]

One thing that might be added to the DIY speaker cable instructions is that you should avoid touching the exposed wire with your hands, fingers etc. The oils from your hands will cause your connections to oxidize more quickly. Yet, you have in the instructions someone twisting the wire ends with their fingers.

 

[Dan Banquer]

Speaker cable

I'm having a hard time with this one. The cable is literally crimped into the banana plug which will force itself well past my dirty grubby hand grease and into the wire. If you have a chance take a look at a connection like this after a few years. You will most likely find that were the wire meets the banana plug or spade lug (if you take it apart) will be pretty clean as opposed to the exposed wire without the insulation. That's if your using copper wire that's not tinned.
If your worried about it use gloves.
d.b.
P.S. I'm surprised no one has recommended I get a manicure.

 

[o51974]

I also have read a lot of bad things on banana plugs. Just curious if the spade or banana plug...etc has any guage specifications. Put it this way, what would be the criteria of choosing spade or banana plug. BTW, can I also do the subwoofer cable myself?

Thanks for all the tips above.

 

[Shinerman]

I also have read a lot of bad things on banana plugs. Just curious if the spade or banana plug...etc has any guage specifications. Put it this way, what would be the criteria of choosing spade or banana plug. BTW, can I also do the subwoofer cable myself?

Thanks for all the tips above.

What bad things? I have always considered Bananas to work very well. Sure there are cheap ones that sometimes don't offer a good connection but that can be said about any terminator. No connector is going to give you better sound. They will give you convenience and looks though. That's about it. Some people think Bananas or Spade improve sound. That's just not the case. Bananas are very easy to connect and disconnect and offer a good contact surface. Spades offer the best contact surface but are sometimes a pain in the arse to connect and disconnect. Also, spade are sometimes very hard and even impossible to connect to today's A/V receivers that have jammed packed back panels. There simply is not room. Bananas seem to be the best connector for receivers simply because of the minimal space needed. Same will apply for speakers but there is usually more room around the binding posts on speakers. I doubt there is any difference in performance between spades and bananas assuming they are of good quality and provide good contact/fit.

As far as DIY cables, you can make just about any cable yourself, it just depends on your ability. Sub cables are usually standard RCA type cable.
I use standard Radio Shack Gold single audio patch lines for my subs. The term "SUB Cable" is just a marketing term.

Shinerman

 

[o51974]

Thanks for your info. As a newbie, I am glad that I did not get into a wrong forum. Like lots of newbie out there, I am confused with "marketing terms". Obviously, the "SUB cable" is the one trap that I fell into.

I am also concerned with what's the right way to do "it". Unless I am given all kinds of cables in front of me to play and test with, I simply don't know if I do a bad job or make a wrong choice on cables...etc.

Just curious, what makes you choose the radio shack one?

 

[Shinerman]

Thanks for your info. As a newbie, I am glad that I did not get into a wrong forum. Like lots of newbie out there, I am confused with "marketing terms". Obviously, the "SUB cable" is the one trap that I fell into.

I am also concerned with what's the right way to do "it". Unless I am given all kinds of cables in front of me to play and test with, I simply don't know if I do a bad job or make a wrong choice on cables...etc.

Just curious, what makes you choose the radio shack one?

Cables are a big trap in the audio world. Some swear that they make differences. Others, myself included, swear they don't. There are intense discussions/wars about this all over audio forums. One thing is for sure, most boutique cables are way way over priced. Monster Cable is a good example of this and they are extremely inexpensive compared to some. There are 3ft cables than run into the thousands of dollars. They look awesome but how much are looks worth?

My best advise and other will probably chime in for and against as well, don't spend a whole lot on cables. Radio Shack Gold Series, AR, Dayton, lower priced Monster, RCA, Pheonix Gold, etc. can all be had a good values. Generally under $30 or so. Then there is the "next" level up where cables run about $50 to $100. These are expensive to me but for some they are a good value and I do think generally they are. There are some good advertisers on this site than have some really nice cables that won't break the bank. Personally, I like Radio Shack Gold series because they are well made physically and there is a store about 1 mile from my house. And, they are pretty cheap. I don't think I have ever paid more than about $25 to $30 for a cable.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Shinerman

 

[vandyman]

10 guage is good

This website is a breath of fresh air! You might try Belden 5T00UP 10 awg twisted pair cable. Very inexpensive and available from Bluejeans cable. The numbers are good and I prefer the Gray jacket. I bought some and terminated it myself with Spade lugs although bare wire works fine just a little maintenance with cleaner once in a while. I did a comparison with Acoustic Zen Satori. THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE! Except the Belden costs $40 including connectors and heat shrink.and the AZ $1200.