Speaker cable: Which 10-gauge? To braid or not to braid?

[Slice]

Application: 2 runs of 10-gauge in bi-wire arrangement (so 4 conductors total per speaker).


1. Would braiding the conductors help electrical performance? (could it hurt?)


2. Any advantage to using, say, Belden 5T00UP vs. basic Stereo King?


3. Should I just use 2 runs of 14-gauge and call it good? (Rotel power amp / Paradigm reference setup)



Any comments or other suggestions are heartily welcomed.


Thanks

- Slice

 

[jaxvon]

Well, two runs of 14ga wire would yield an effective guage of 11, which is still plenty low for resistance. If you think this would be good (I would say so), then just get some Canare 4S11, it's a 4x14ga cable. All the work is done for you!

Of course, why do you want to biwire?

 

[gene]

If you biwire 2 x 14AWG cables then the woofer will only see 14AWG cable resistance, as will the tweeter. You are better off doing a single run of Canare 4s11 like jaxon suggests, so the effective DCR from the cable resistance will be 11AWG for all drivers. Remember the key to minimizing frequency response variations of the loudspeaker/amplifier system is to minimize resistance. The lower the output impedance of the amp, and the lower the cable resistance, the less the system will exhibit frequency response variations when driven by a reactive load impedance such as a loudspeaker.

 

[Slice]

So by extension, wouldn't 4x10-gauge yield even lower resistance? It would seem an improvement over 4x14-gauge the 4S11 offers, but I'm far from being an electrical guru.

And if I do go with 10-gauge, would there be any specific performance differences between Belden twisted pair vs. Stereo King 10-gauge lamp cord? Price difference seems nominal, plus I've searched & Googled but haven't found any specific info comparing 10-gauges.

Anyone running 10-gauge that can comment?

Thanks

- Slice

 

[jaxvon]

True, but the effects are so small that they wouldn't be audible (unless maybe you had a REEEEEEEALLY long cable run). And no, there isn't a difference really between Belden and Sound King, save appearance and flexibility.

 

[Nick250]

So by extension, wouldn't 4x10-gauge yield even lower resistance? It would seem an improvement over 4x14-gauge the 4S11 offers, but I'm far from being an electrical guru.

Anyone running 10-gauge that can comment?

Thanks

- Slice

Even using a single run of 14 guage you are not taxing the capabilities of the speaker wire so there is really no point to going higher except for a really, really long runs (over 50 feet). Think of it this way, would your water pic work better with 20 inch water main coming into your house instead of a 10 incher. Of course the answere is no. The same applies to speaker wire. If you really, really want to you can buy Home Depot 12 guage (i.e. 20 water main).

The thing to remember is that the speaker choice and room acoustics is 90% of what your hear. That is where to spend your time, energy and dollars.

Nick

 

[Grubert]

As I had changed my receiver, and added presence speakers, I ordered some Canare 4S11 for the mains and center, used as jaxvon and Gene have said (join the solid red cable with the clear red cable, and the solid white with the clear white). I don't expect it to sound noticeably better than my previous 12 AWG cable, but this one was too short for comfort for my new setup anyway and I thought, what the heck...

 

[Slice]

Thanks one and all for the reponses so far!

jaxvon - one of the reasons I want to bi-wire: I asked Paradigm tech support about this, and they replied "Bi-wiring can improve clarity and openness with less grain and more solidity to the bass." I don't know what they would have to gain by saying that - they knew I already had all the speakers, they had been straight with me on many other questions, and I figure that they're designed with 4 posts for a reason - so to me it's worth a try.

- Slice

 

[gene]

Bi-wiring can improve clarity and openness with less grain and more solidity to the bass." I don't know what they would have to gain by saying that - they knew I already had all the speakers, they had been straight with me on many other questions, and I figure that they're designed with 4 posts for a reason - so to me it's worth a try.

It keeps their dealers happy that sell exotic cables. Most manufacturers wont even discuss cables, b/c they don't want to infringe on dealer profits. This is why manufacturers usually say "consult with your dealer" when it comes to cables. Most speakers have the 4 terminals for biamping moreso than biwiring.

There is no harm in trying and even if it doesn't make a difference as long as you are happy and feel good about it, go for it.

 

[philh]

"Bi-wiring can improve clarity and openness with less grain and more solidity to the bass." .

- Slice

Can someone explain to me how that tastes? LOL

 

[mtrycrafts]

Most speakers have the 4 terminals for biamping moreso than biwiring. QUOTE]


I think that the 4 terminals are there from the companies to appease the audiophile community and not loose sales beacuse of their lack.
A real bi-amping needs to bypass the crossovers and that is not possible unless you go inside.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I asked Paradigm tech support about this, and they replied "Bi-wiring can improve clarity and openness with less grain and more solidity to the bass."
- Slice

Yes, now it is clear where this came from. Yes, it is also in their speaker booklet.
I am at a loss why this bs is coming from such a great company that has their own research room capable of DBT speaker comparisons and evaluations, participated in the NRC research and is able to evaluate the merits of bi-wiring under DBT protocol yet when I have spoken to them a number of years ago inquiring about their recommendation, if it is based on DBT data, I was told, NO, it is not, no data available.

 

[krabapple]

Yes, now it is clear where this came from. Yes, it is also in their speaker booklet.
I am at a loss why this bs is coming from such a great company that has their own research room capable of DBT speaker comparisons and evaluations, participated in the NRC research and is able to evaluate the merits of bi-wiring under DBT protocol yet when I have spoken to them a number of years ago inquiring about their recommendation, if it is based on DBT data, I was told, NO, it is not, no data available.

My understanding is that reputable speaker companies began adding things like bi-wiring posts and 'speaker spikes' to their products directly in response to positive writups of their supposed benefits by the usual tweak-happy suspects (Stereophile, TAS), . Chalk it up to the tyranny of the marketplace.

 

[Grubert]

I think that the 4 terminals are there from the companies to appease the audiophile community and not loose sales beacuse of their lack.

This has been acknowledged by an engineer from French loudspeaker manufacturer Focal JM Lab.

 

[Slice]

Thanks to everyone who has responded!