Speaker Cable for KEF Q900?

[avnetguy]

Also, isn't 12 ga (unless doing a long run) a little overkill?

Steve

 

[FirstReflection]

Yeah, you don't NEED 12 gauge speaker wire if your runs are around 30 feet (where 14 gauge is fine) or under 20 feet (where 16 gauge is fine).

But just try and find some nice, flexible 14 or 16 gauge speaker wire with a black jacket!

Honestly, the black jacket is the main reason I mentioned the Axiom bulk wire. That might seem silly - and it is - but hey, sometimes you just want a black wire, y'know?

It helps that it's super flexible and really nice to work with though. Some speaker wire can be kinda stiff - especially 12 or 10 gauge wire - so it's nice to have a really flexible option that's easier to run and stays where you place it

As to the banana plugs: yeah, I dunno. I haven't had a problem with monoprice's, but since other folks have, I guess maybe it's hit or miss. Bluejeans' banana plugs aren't very expensive, so they're certainly a great option! I haven't used the locking ones, but I can certainly imagine they'd make for an excellent connection.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I've been using monoprice banana plugs for years without any issues.

Maybe it's because I've changed out more speakers and cables than average.

But who is going to debate that BJC plugs are higher quality than Monoprice and many companies?

Sure BJC are more expensive. But they are also higher quality. The question is, do you need the higher quality?

For some of us, the answer is a resounding "Yes".

 

[its phillip]

That's probably true. I bet you have swapped speakers and pulled plugs out at least 10x as much as I have. They probably do get a little loose after awhile

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You have to look at the overall budget.

If your speakers are $3K, you might want to spend more than $20 on cables and plugs. BJC might be a better bet.

Now if your speakers are $400, you might not want to spend $100 on cables and plugs either.

I've had 3 bad coaxial Monoprice interconnects also - connectors probably loose - got no sound at all.

But I guess as many cables as I've bought over the years, the odds of something going wrong is a little higher.

It's just that I've never had any kind of issues with BJC, Outlaw cable, Kimber Kable, Audioquest, Vampire Wire, etc.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

That's probably true. I bet you have swapped speakers and pulled plugs out at least 10x as much as I have. They probably do get a little loose after awhile

I've swapped out speakers and also swapped out cables reusing the same plugs.

With BJC, not an issue.

 

[GranteedEV]

I threw over a dozen Monoprice banana plugs in the trash. I think they suck.

I think they suck too.

But i'll still use them

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think they suck too.

But i'll still use them

Until you graduate.

 

[lsiberian]

So maybe it's just the way I insert and either fold or splay the ends of the copper? But I've found the monoprice banana plugs to be perfectly secure

The type I use have a tendency to unscrew. They still work of course, but they do have the tendency.

Maybe it's because I've changed out more speakers and cables than average.

As have I. This is probably why we've had this experience. If you never swap you might not even notice.

I think they suck too.

But i'll still use them

I'm too cheap to replace them too. I'd rather spend the money on wood or drivers.

 

[GranteedEV]

Until you graduate.

Actually, I'm just lazy/unwilling. It took me like 2 hours that one day when I put all these banana plugs on the wire. I don't want to do it again.

If i were doing it again I'd get these:

DIYCable.com : Intro » Home » Audio Connectors » Exodus Connectors »

And I'd probably just solder them.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Actually, I'm just lazy/unwilling. It took me like 2 hours that one day when I put all these banana plugs on the wire. I don't want to do it again.

If i were doing it again I'd get these:

DIYCable.com : Intro » Home » Audio Connectors » Exodus Connectors »

And I'd probably just solder them.

I'm lazier than you. I'd just get 2 of these cables already terminated with banana for $18 each:

Amazon.com: Cables to Go 29177 Velocity 12 AWG Speaker Cable, Blue (15 Feet/4.57 Meters): Electronics

 

[j_garcia]

Yeah, you don't NEED 12 gauge speaker wire if your runs are around 30 feet (where 14 gauge is fine) or under 20 feet (where 16 gauge is fine).

One additional factor here though. If you have 4 Ohm speakers like I do, all of those lengths are different and much shorter.

 

[avnetguy]

One additional factor here though. If you have 4 Ohm speakers like I do, all of those lengths are different and much shorter.

Do you think you'll be able to hear a difference between 0.048 and 0.076 ohms (~30ft, 12 vs 14 wire) with your 4 ohm speakers?

Steve

 

[j_garcia]

Do you think you'll be able to hear a difference between 0.048 and 0.076 ohms (~30ft, 12 vs 14 wire) with your 4 ohm speakers?

At 30ft probably not, but above 40ft you probably will. There is potentially sufficient resistance over the length of the wire, so yes you will hear the difference because the highs will start to roll off.

Speaker Wire

 

[Irvrobinson]

Yeah, you don't NEED 12 gauge speaker wire if your runs are around 30 feet (where 14 gauge is fine) or under 20 feet (where 16 gauge is fine).

Of course most people don't need 12 gauge! That's why I use 10 gauge for everything, even when I have the amp sitting next to the speaker. For one thing, every one that sees them thinks they're so cool looking. "What are those? Welding cables?" (Except for my dumb-*** audiophile friends, that are appalled by my using simple copper zip cord.)

Zip cord is cheap, so what why not just make resistance a non-factor?

As for connectors, I prefer spades whenever possible. Obviously they're not always practical with multi-channel amps with zillions of inputs and outputs, and only bananas will do. When I do use bananas, like I did on my old Legacy Focus speakers, I have to admit I splurged on WBT Mid-Lines. Over the years I reused them on perhaps five or six sets of cables, and they still work like new with just cheap crimp sleeves. As ATDG said, I wouldn't use them on cheap speakers you were setting and forgetting, but if you have expensive equipment and you change things a lot sometimes a premium product is a better buy.

I also agree with ATDG on Blue Jeans. For all other cables I just call them; I don't even shop around. For live music purposes I see a lot of cheap balanced cables, and many of them have termination issues that cause noise or failure after a while. Cheap isn't everything.

 

[j_garcia]

never had a problem with any BJC plug.

The non locking BJC plugs are identical to the PE plugs; which GLS are pretty much a copy of.

Actually, I'm just lazy/unwilling. It took me like 2 hours that one day when I put all these banana plugs on the wire. I don't want to do it again.

If i were doing it again I'd get these:

DIYCable.com : Intro » Home » Audio Connectors » Exodus Connectors »

And I'd probably just solder them.

Other than hopefully a little strength, soldering doesn't buy you anything. Shrink wrap is a good enough strain relief in most cases.

I use these now on my speakers because my speakers have some unusual split binding posts that caused my locking bananas to break:

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=eKs-BP

 

[DS-21]

I don't like any of the locking banana plugs, because they're all big, long, heavy, and uninsulated. While I've never done it personally, I've seen binding posts shear off AVR's because someone grabbed a banana plug with a long, heavy barrel the wrong way. I also prefer plastic barrels, because I want electrical connections to be insulated up to the actual contact point.

The bananas I use have a sawtooth spring like the Knu ones above, and just enough metal behind them to support dual set screws, in plastic barrels. They do have hideous Nakamichi branding, though. Not the best quality. The threads on the barrels are poorly done, and the set screws often jam if you try to unscrew them. But they're good enough, I guess, considering that at a $19.99 shipped from a U.S. source (an eBay seller) for a 24-pack I consider them disposable anyway.

With DIY or bespoke speakers, there's no reason to waste time on such a Rube Goldberg mess as a binding post/banana plug pairing. A modern SpeakOn is far superior (positive locking, quick disconnect, multiple poles in one connection, compact, inherently insulated), and cheaper, too.

 

[Irvrobinson]

With DIY or bespoke speakers, there's no reason to waste time on such a Rube Goldberg mess as a binding post/banana plug pairing. A modern SpeakOn is far superior (positive locking, quick disconnect, multiple poles in one connection, compact, inherently insulated), and cheaper, too.

I agree. The problem is that any speaker that needs to sell into the audiophile market (most bespoke speakers) won't sell with SpeakONs. A pity, due to the advantages you list.

 

[DS-21]

The bananas I use have a sawtooth spring like the Knu ones above, and just enough metal behind them to support dual set screws, in plastic barrels. They do have hideous Nakamichi branding, though. Not the best quality. The threads on the barrels are poorly done, and the set screws often jam if you try to unscrew them. But they're good enough, I guess, considering that at a $19.99 shipped from a U.S. source (an eBay seller) for a 24-pack I consider them disposable anyway.

Just an update. I recently tossed a handful of these into the trash.

One lost contact, and upon removing it, I notice that the barrels of several others were kinked.

Therefore, I do not recommend the "Nakamichi" sawtooth bananas. Even at a buck twenty-five a pop, I think they are poor value. Perhaps their conventional leaf-spring ones are more reliable, and sawtooth bananas are generally poor. I don't know.

I ended up replacing them with the "GE" compression-fit spade lugs that are $5/2pk at Home Depot; Irv Robinson recommended them in another post on this forum. They appear to be solid, high-quality pieces.
Spades do take more time to use than bananas, so I generally don't prefer them. But a secondary reason for my choosing spades here is because my current amp is very deep. Bananas stick out, and spades do not, so I saved some space behind the amp by switching to spades (as well as RCA cables with shorter-than-normal barrels).