cat 5 as speaker cable question

ThriceNightly

ThriceNightly

ThriceNightly

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30 Nov 2003
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ok this is pushing it a bit but would it be possible to use a single cat5 cable to power a single speaker i.e if i split the 8 wires between the 2 speaker poles.

I only want to power a single pod style speaker in a kitchen and will be connecting via a seperate zone off my denon 3805.

cheers :)
 
thanks for prompt replies.

I already have redundant cat 5 running under lounge, hallway to loft hence hoping to use it instead as speaker cable. I actually have 2 x cat 5 cables and am hoping to power a single bose cube speaker http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOSE-DUAL-CUB...5QQihZ010QQcategoryZ14996QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem in both the kitchen and bathroom, hence checking wether it is feasible to use one cable to power one speaker. the denon is able to act as multi room amp.

note if use proper speaker cable or t&e will involve having floorboards up and chasing walls (again) hence seeing if i can take advantage of redundant cable which is already there.
 
Yeah this works well. I use 1 cable for 2 speakers (2 conductors per speaker terminal) when I've got people round and we want some music in the garden. Works a treat :)

If you're using 1 cable per speaker, strip it back a bit, twist all the coloured wires together and use for one terminal, and all the white ones for the other.

I have also made some cables up for my home cinema using 3 lengths of cat5e per speaker in a bi-wire arrangement. Sounds good!
 
monkeyspank said:
I have also made some cables up for my home cinema using 3 lengths of cat5e per speaker in a bi-wire arrangement. Sounds good!
Click to expand...

How accurate with the cable lenghts do you need to be? I'm in the proces of doing this and do not want to be in the postition of having to measure several meters of cable down to the exact mm.
 
Someone else asked, and my answer is not at all. You can use different lengths with no issues. I wouldn't reccomend 100m runs or anything though :)
 
Kronologic said:
How accurate with the cable lenghts do you need to be? I'm in the proces of doing this and do not want to be in the postition of having to measure several meters of cable down to the exact mm.
Click to expand...

Not at all. I braided 3 cables together to twice the length I wanted (using releasable cable ties to hold it all together as I went), then chopped the ends striaght and cut in the middle to give 2 equal lengths.

The length of the cables braided was about 0.7 times the length of unbraided cable if I remember rightly. It doesn't really matter if you do it how I did. I only wasted about 4 metres, no biggie.

Even if you want to cut all the bits to the right size first then it's easy. Measure a distance from the box and cut each bit. Then tidy up all the ends after it's been braided.
 
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if they arent the same length you wont be able to join them all up when you terminate them (separate solid+striped inners), you will just have to cut the others back to the shortest one to join them ,so aslong as the shortest one reaches where you want you are ok (i think thats what you are asking ).

for the original question, i had no problems doing a single run for my surrounds.
 
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pugster said:
if they arent the same length you wont be able to join them all up when you terminate them (separate solid+striped inners), you will just have to cut the others back to the shortest one to join them ,so aslong as the shortest one reaches where you want you are ok (i think thats what you are asking ).

for the original question, i had no problems doing a single run for my surrounds.
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I'm talking millimeters rather than centimeters or meters difference. also when braiding them how can you possibly know if one cable is longer than another at the end? it is possible for inconsistant braiding to cause a slight varience in lengths - Just cutting them off will give you a cabel thats the same lenght, but each strand could be different.

I just want to ensure that if I go to the hassle of braiding several wires that I wont suffer a degraded signal because I CBA to ensure they were excactly the same length.
 
Kronologic said:
Sorry I asked the question badly. I suck at asking questions ;)

When braiding 3 cables together, do those 3 cables need to be identical in length or can there be slight variances?
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no problem, just trim the 2 longest ones to match the short one after you have braided. It doesn't matter if they are a few mm out.
 
:confused: ,each strand will be level where you make the cut ,millimeters wont be a prob tho ,braiding is easy level them up on one end and start from the middle (tape the middle and work from centre out on each side) ,if you try working from one end you end up in a right tangle :p
 
pugster said:
:confused: ,each strand will be level where you make the cut ,millimeters wont be a prob tho ,braiding is easy level them up on one end and start from the middle (tape the middle and work from centre out on each side) ,if you try working from one end you end up in a right tangle :p
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Middle? Did you not read my aversion to measuring things ;)(well cables).

I have already braided a cable end to end, you are right it does get a bit tangally.

I probably wont be cutting the cables as they were aquired from work and will be approx the nessisary lenght when braided... Actually they will be too long, but not by much... I hope...
 
you dont have to measure anything with any degree of accuracy ,just run one cable to where it has to go (add 6'' per mtr to compensate for the braid) then measure the other 2 lengths off the first one ,no tape measure needed :p

for braiding in the middle i should have added anything over 3mtrs in length. anything less is ok to start at one end,ive made a few 5mtr runs,you get some great blisters :D ,went to silver anniversary in the end as you could keep a suspension bridge up with the cat5's :p
 
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Re: Braiding - I wouldn't bother. I found it FAR too time-consuming, not to mention hard on the fingers.

See here:

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/interconnects/DIYSpeakerCablesp1.html

Results here:

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/interconnects/DIYSpeakerCablesp4.html

I'm using V1 for my setup (4 twisted cables) per speaker.

I use code VB20W from a high-street electronics store for my solid core cat5e speaker runs.

I am going to use this stuff for my home cinema system too, albeit only 1 piece of cat5 for the rears.
 
Jimbo Mahoney said:
Re: Braiding - I wouldn't bother. I found it FAR too time-consuming, not to mention hard on the fingers.

See here:

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/interconnects/DIYSpeakerCablesp1.html

Results here:

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/interconnects/DIYSpeakerCablesp4.html

I'm using V1 for my setup (4 twisted cables) per speaker.

I use code VB20W from a high-street electronics store for my solid core cat5e speaker runs.

I am going to use this stuff for my home cinema system too, albeit only 1 piece of cat5 for the rears.
Click to expand...


How do you prevent the V1 from retwisiting itself into a mess. I was going to do this but I realised when you twist a cable it will need to be kept tort or have some sort of cover put on it to prevent it twist/tangleing itself. So I thought braiding would be easier, as :o I can braid quite well :o and my missus can braid even better and faster than I can...
 
If you dont want to braid it just use some tape or cable ties every 10 cm or so. I braided 20 metres worth and that didnt take too long once you get in the swing of it.
 
I found braiding a nightmare. Coupled with the fact that, in theory, the 4 twisted strands are better, I went for them.

Kronologic said:
How do you prevent the V1 from retwisiting itself into a mess.
Click to expand...

Dunno, but mine are taped at each end and seem fine. If you try it you'll see.
 
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