Tri Wire With Different Gauge Runs

[rj22]

I would really appreciate some advise.
I am planning to build speakers cables consisting of three runs per channel.
1 x 12 gauge copper run for the woofers, 1 x 16 gauge copper run for the mids and 1 x 20 gauge solid silver for the tweeters. The cables will be 10 foot long each side.
My only concern is will the amplifiers signal hit the drivers all at the same time or will i have severe phase shift i think the term is due to the different cable thickness and material

any advice appreciated before assembly commences.

Speakers are Tri Wirable Linn Espeks

regards

rj22

 

[mulester7]

I would really appreciate some advise from some experienced engineers or DIYers.
I am planning to build speakers cables consisting of three runs per channel.
1 x 12 gauge copper run for the woofers, 1 x 16 gauge copper run for the mids and 1 x 20 gauge solid silver for the tweeters
My only concern is will the amplifiers signal hit the drivers all at the same time or will i have severe phase shift i think the term is due to the different cable thickness and material

any advice appreciated before assembly commences.

Speakers are Tri Wirable Linn Espeks

regards

rj22

......solid silver speaker-wire for the tweeters, huh?....interesting....even conductant electrity flow is lightening-fast through silver....if you notice anything, it will probably be in the brilliance of the tweeter....it could have less raspy/distortion, and really we shouldn't even call it a raspy it's so slight, but if you hear a difference in the very highest brilliance of the tweeter, you have to call it something, haha, and quite probably it will take the silver wire to know you had something bad....it's all about realism, RJ22....I would be especially interested in a report from you on the listening of the silver wire to your tweeter, AB'ing the silver wire against copper....and, it's for sure you ain't runnin' that silver speaker-wire very far, unless you're actually Donald Trump hiding behind a handle at Audioholics.com....RJ22, please report back on this thread......

 

[jaxvon]

I don't think you should have phase shift as long as the cables you're using aren't of a ridiculous geometry that creates a ton of inductance and/or capacitance. Furthermore, I would personally shy away from 20ga wire in any speaker wire application. Despite the fact that it's silver wire, it will still have far greater resistance than a 16ga or 12ga wire. Though not at a 10ft length, such a configuration at larger lengths could audibly and measurably attenuate the signal going to the tweeter, resulting in "recessed" highs.

 

[Nick250]

IMO you are over complicating the wire issue. Get some basic 12 or 14 guage copper wire and use it to wire your speakers. There is no advantage to doing otherwise.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker wire sugestion

Try this, 14/4 and 14/2 speaker wire from Belden. Total cost, about $10 for two 10 foot speaker cables. Put some techflex and some nice bananas on it and it will look and sound great.

By the way, unless you are bi-amping or tri-amping (different amp for woofer, mid, and tweeter) than there will be no audible benefit over a single pair of #14 or #12 coppor speaker wire.

http://www.westlake-electronic.com/cgi-bin/store.php?search=yes&detail=yes&and=1&category=CAB&SUBCAT=all&keywords=belden%20510%20up&item_no=BEL-13318

http://www.westlake-electronic.com/cgi-bin/store.php?search=yes&detail=yes&and=1&category=CAB&SUBCAT=all&keywords=belden%20510%20up&item_no=BEL-13297

 

[j_garcia]

By the way, unless you are bi-amping or tri-amping (different amp for woofer, mid, and tweeter) than there will be no audible benefit over a single pair of #14 or #12 coppor speaker wire.

I agree. Are you actually using separate amps for each driver?

 

[mtrycrafts]

I would really appreciate some advise.
I am planning to build speakers cables consisting of three runs per channel.
1 x 12 gauge copper run for the woofers, 1 x 16 gauge copper run for the mids and 1 x 20 gauge solid silver for the tweeters. The cables will be 10 foot long each side.
My only concern is will the amplifiers signal hit the drivers all at the same time or will i have severe phase shift i think the term is due to the different cable thickness and material

any advice appreciated before assembly commences.

Speakers are Tri Wirable Linn Espeks

regards

rj22

You have come to the right place in audioland

As you can gather from the other posts, you are creating a problem where none exists. Tri-wiring is really silly unless you have active crossovers and amps for each driver.

And, silver is over rated in audio with a 6% gain in conductivity. Going from 14ga to 12ga copper wire gives you a 20% increase in conductivity and is less expensive.

Using 20 ga makes no sense as well. No good reson for it: forget the skin effect as an audible factor.
In the end, that 12ga or 14 ga, and even 16ga for a 10ft run is more than sufficient. Don't forget, audio has its own myths, bs, and voodoo in the closet.

 

[rj22]

Hi

The set up i have in mind is an intergrated amp to run the tweeters (solid silver) and mids (16 gauge copper) , and via the pre out of this amp having a power amp to run the woofers via a 12 gauge copper wire.



Musical fidelity A3.2 Intergrated and Musical Fidelity A3 Power Amp

 

[Nick250]

Hi

The set up i have in mind is an intergrated amp to run the tweeters (solid silver) and mids (16 gauge copper) , and via the pre out of this amp having a power amp to run the woofers via a 12 gauge copper wire.

Musical fidelity A3.2 Intergrated and Musical Fidelity A3 Power Amp

With all due respect, you have already asked this very question in your first post of this thread and have gotten well thought and accurate responses. Is there something in the responses that you do not understand?

 

[rj22]

Youre right there is some great info here to take into account before proceeding with my cables.

thankyou for all the above responses.

regards

rj22

 

[Ryan_Lilly]

all opinions aside, electrical signal travels at 60-80% of the speed of light, there will be no difference in phase unless one cable is thousands of feet longer than the other. Bi-Amping is a good idea, but you probably won't notice the diference in bi-wiring the mids and tweeter, but if you want to do it, go ahead, although 20ga is a little small but a tweeter doesnt see much power. Tell us how it turns out.

 

[rj22]

I would be especially interested in a report from you on the listening of the silver wire to your tweeter, AB'ing the silver wire against copper....and, it's for sure you ain't runnin' that silver speaker-wire very far, unless you're actually Donald Trump hiding behind a handle at Audioholics.com....RJ22, please report back on this thread......[/QUOTE]


The cables are completed, the final combination was this.
From the integrated amp there is 1 x run of solid 24 gauge silver coupled with 1 x run of 20 gauge solid silver to the tweeters and 1 x run of 16 gauge stranded copper going to the mids.
From the power amp there is 1 x run of 12 gauge stranded copper going to the woofers.

The sound......... if I listen to jazz (bebop style) and female vocals eg (Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing) the extra brightness/detail from the tweeter is great. if I whack on The Red Hot Chilli Peppers Blood Sugar Baby or anything similar that may have not been recorded that well, the mid range goes missing and it's a little disjointed sounding. Have not had time to listen to any classical but will start with Rimsky Korsakov Scheherazade when I do.

Compared to my multiple run 10 year old solid core 18 gauge copper from mission... This cable was probably a better all-rounder.

It's early days and have not been able crank it right up but i think i can live with them.

I am only pleased that with all the marketing hype out there and big $$'s for everything that has Hi Fi in the name that I had fun making something myself. I needed longer cables and this kept me busy for a while.

I will be asking all you knowledgeable members the best way to integrate a stereo system with a home theatre amp and extra speakers next...

Had a listen to Keb Mo this morning.......it's all good