Speaker wiring

[mtschust]

I have a pair of Athena Audition AS-B1 bookshelf size speakers on the way. This is my first time hooking up my own speakers and I am wondering what kind of wiring to use, or if anyone has suggestions. They will be my main speakers and the only speakers being used in a 2x100W setup. They are going to be connected to an Onkyo TX-8511.

Also, should I upgrade my A/V inter/connections? All im using now is a standrd A/V connection cable that came with my cd player and VCR.

Thanks

 

[Leprkon]

Also, should I upgrade my A/V inter/connections? All im using now is a standrd A/V connection cable that came with my cd player and VCR.

Thanks

"upgrade" is a relative term... your best bet is to go to the nearest Walmart and pick up a set of Phillips Gold or RCA interconnects. They are well-built with good shielding and solid, gold-plated connections. either will have audible or visible differences in quality than what you are currently using.

They are also about $ 12 to $20 a set, depending on which particular set you need.

They will be every bit as good as the M cables at a fraction of the price.

 

[Dumar]

With regards to your speaker wire, try to get your hands on some twisted 12 or 14 gauge (twisting offers better defense against EMI). If you can't find twisted, just some clear jacket zip cord in 12 or 14 gauge works fine. In either case, keep the wire away from AC and other cabling. You might find the 12 gauge a little harder to work with depending on the type of binding posts on your equipment.

The above assumes the speakers not a long distance away from the amp.

Have fun.

 

[mtschust]

Tips on wiring

Thanks for all of the advice. I have another begginer question here. What is the best way to ensure accurate cabling and isolation of all my power cords. I am working with a small space and my speakers are not more than 10 feet from my receiver. What kind of methods would you suggest?

Thanks for the help!

 

[jaxvon]

There's an article called "Bulletproofing Your System from Interference" on this kind of stuff in the cable section of the site. I'm too lazy to link it. Anyway, the general idea is to keep your power cords as far away as you can from all the other cables. If you must cross the cables, do so at 90 degree angles. If you can, use zip ties or velcro ties to create cable bundles and run your power cords in one trunk to your surge protector/power conditioner and then do the same thing with your other cables running them to their respective places.

 

[RuSsMaN]

At your pricepoint, your speaker wire should be 14 or 16/2 lamp cord. Not HD or Lowes speaker wire, straight lamp cord. You won't notice a difference with your setup, unless you want to drop down substantially more wampum.

As far as interconnects go, try entry level AR, Dayton, or Signal Cable.

Cheers,
Russ