Help with speaker wire

[skipsterut]

I agree with the advice about 1) getting more flexible cable -- especially if you (or anyone else) is going to pulling it though sheetrock, studs, raceways, etc.; 2) get more than you think you'll need (as mentioned in my previous post) -- don't scrimp -- you will use it sometime in your lifetime

I still think the Belden cable from Westlake is probably your best bet if you can get it in time for your project. Did you try calling them to see when they expect delivery of their stock replensihment? When I ordered mine the web site showed only 150' available, but I called to be sure that was true and the guy found he had the same cable in another SKU (500' reels instead of 100' reels) and had plenty on hand. Good service over the phone. Call them and probe a little deeper to see what's in stock and if not in stock -- when is it due to arrive?

Also -- since I didn't use the Belden cable in walls I don't know for sure about its UL rating. Check with Westlake by phone if you're not sure.

 

[jaxvon]

I double checked, and both cables that I linked to in my previous post are CL3 rated, as is the Monster cable I linked to. As far as Monster vs. Belden goes, Monster isn't low quality, and it's honestly equal with Belden. It's just that from places other than eBay, it's rediculously overpriced and I don't agree with their unethical business practices. But when you need nice in-wall cable, sometimes you have to get what will be nicest to work with.

 

[MacManNM]

Guys why are you doing this? Just use 12/2 romex. I've been using it for in wall speaker cable for years. Just use boxes on either end with banana plugs and you are good to go. Plus with the 12/2 the resistance issues arent as big of a deal.

 

[gene]

I just ran 3,000ft of 10/2 Belden cable for my new Audioholics Showcase Home, which is one of the finest speaker cables on the market. However, given the choice to do it all over again, I would have went with 14/4 for pair redundancy purposes. 14/4 gives you an 11AWG equivalent resistance which is still very good for long runs.

 

[MacManNM]

I just ran 3,000ft of 10/2 Belden cable for my new Audioholics Showcase Home, which is one of the finest speaker cables on the market. However, given the choice to do it all over again, I would have went with 14/4 for pair redundancy purposes. 14/4 gives you an 11AWG equivalent resistance which is still very good for long runs.

Yeah but you are still better off with the 10awg, just a bit harder to run. Plus you lost almost an entire Ohm going with the 10.

 

[haastyle]

damn, thanks for all the input guys, I think I will order that beldin cable (65 strand one), a bit more than I thought because everyone suggests that, so around 350 feet, 175 for home theater 175 for upstairs, I am pretty sure that should be plenty.

 

[haastyle]

one more question what about a good place to get optical and component cables?

bluejeans good prices for that?

 

[jaxvon]

For optical cables, I would opt for Parts Express. And depending on what your budget is for component video cables, I would also say Parts Express or Knu Konceptz. Blue Jeans makes awesome quality cables in custom lengths, but they're still kinda expensive (though not Monster Cable expensive). In terms of quality, Blue Jeans is top notch though. And if you're making long runs, it'd be worth it for the construction quality and peace of mind that you're using broadcast quality cabling.

 

[haastyle]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7128477&type=product&id=1109938022588 my friend 1 of these is that quality enough, or should i return it? got it for 35 bucks on discount o0o I am willing to spend more if its worth it because i want quality.

p.s. I will have the video running from teh back of the reciever up the wall and over to the projector thats why i needed 16 feet...i think is a bit overkill in lenght but should be fine, i really need like 10-12 feet

 

[runninkyle17]

Sounds like a great deal. Monster cable usually is not bad in quality at all, it is just way overpriced. The price you said though is very resonable for that length of component cable. Great find!

 

[skipsterut]

AV Cables

I have just bought a bunch of Acoustic Research Pro II cables from beachaudio.com for very reasonable prices, $5.00 flat fee for shipping (UPS ground from CA). AR is a very solid name brand with 3 lines of interconnects -- the Performance Series, Pro II Series and Master Series. The Pro II Series looked like a great value buy to me -- especially compared to Monster and other "high priced spreads" so I went with it.

One thing about looking for AV cables online is that many sites don't provide much detail -- sometimes not even the length. So I used the AR site itself www.araccessories.com to find the cables I wanted, made note of the model number and then went looking for both the best price and a full line of in-stock cables so I could get everything from one source to minimize both my hassle and the shipping costs. I found www.beachaudio.com to have a great lineup of almost all the AR cables. They shipped the same day that I ordered and I had them in 3 days. All cables came in the original retail bubble shell packaging. I'm very pleased with the whole deal so far.

I got --
2 HDMI - 6' ($35.99 ea)
4 Digital optical audio - 6' ($14.99 ea)
1 Subwoofer - 15' w/Y-adapter ($14.99)
1 DVI-HDMI adapter ($27.99)
1 RCA audio Y-adapter - needed for an old mono source ($9.99)

$5.00 shipping

Total cost $189.91 delivered.

See this thread I started for more info http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=111305#post111305

I now have everything hooked up and operational and am very happy with everything so far. The cables have been super. Highly recommended.
Good luck.

 

[maxse]

guys so is this: http://www.westlake-electronic.com/cgi-bin/store.php?search=yes&detail=yes&category=CAB&SUBCAT=BEL-&hits=120&item_no=BEL-13286

speaker cable good enough to wire the speakers in my basement? Is it soft enough? I can really find any info on that. Also I have suspended ceilings in my basement and all the electrical wiring is up there as well. Will this cause any distortion by running the speaker wire there as well? It is really my only option of wiring at this point and I just want to make sure that the cable is going to be shielded enough not to get intereference from the electrical wiring. Or is this a non-issue with speaker wire?

 

[jcPanny]

Belden speaker wire

The belden 14 AWG speaker wire is good stuff. For slightly more flexibility, conside the high strand count version (5100UP). For a high end HT or long runs, consider 12 gauge (5000UP) or 14/4 (5102UP). Using both pairs of 14/4 is equivalent in resistance to 11 gauge wire.
The Belden speaker wire is good enough for the audioholics refrence systems and will meet all building codes.

 

[maxse]

thanks. What is 14/4 though.

I think Im going to go with 12GA just to be safe and need some cable that will be fine to run through a wall should I chose to do so. I really dont undertstand the 5000UP or 5102UP stuff. Could you point me to the right cable that Iwill need so that its is flexible as well as 12GA. Thanks

And also I wont need any tips at the ends right if im just plugging it in to the spring connectors on the speaker and receiver right?

 

[jaxvon]

14/4 means the cable has 4 wires of 14ga thickness. Most people, when they use this cable, use a pair of wires for positive and a pair for negative, giving an effective 11ga cable (even lower resistance than 12ga).

 

[maxse]

cool. Thanks jaxvon;. you have been invaluable I have learned so much. Thank you for helping me out.

 

[beta5alphamu]

www.bluejeanscable.com

 

[jaxvon]

Blue Jeans is great for a lot of stuff, but NOT for buying speaker cable. Their prices are a ripoff compared to Westlake.