Speaker cables?!?

[JasonM]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this cable as i need some for my new 5.1 setup i just got. Do i really need 4mm? The longest run from the app is going to be 10-11 meters for the rear speakers and the rest is going to be 1-2meters for the rest. Would the 2.5mm be the same sound quality?

I think 2.5mm will be fine for you. I went for 4mm as I was setting up stereo floor standing speakers and thought i'll pay the extra and never worry about picking the 4mm in first place. The change in speaker cable actually made my speakers louder and more fuller sounding, i'm talking subtle but after 3 days of back to back testing the difference was there. I actually wired one speaker only and was switching left / right on the amp to compare the old and new cables. For 3 days I had one side of my room sounding better, then I eventually wired the other side to 4mm DCSK also, then everything matched up in sound again.

Another thing about the DCSK cable, is it's really heavy (compared to most budget cable), especially in the 4mm, yet it's still quite flexible it's easy trunk around my hi-fi rack. Also when people see the hi-fi rack, the 4mm cable looks quality and it fits in with everything else.

What wattage are your speakers, if there just the regular 5.1 wattage type then go 2.5mm, however if there all premium powerful surround (you have a 5 foot foor standing speaker in every corner!), and your trying to get every last ounce of sound quality, then go 4mm.

Did your 5.1 speakers come with any cable? If so discover what size cable that was and use as a guide. My own personal rule is to go one thicker cable size than what the manufacture supplied, for example my office / computer speakers came with 1.5mm, so I used 2.5mm copper in the office and again I got a subtle improvement in those speakers.

 

[robgmun]

What wattage are your speakers, if there just the regular 5.1 wattage type then go 2.5mm, however if there all premium powerful surround (you have a 5 foot foor standing speaker in every corner!), and your trying to get every last ounce of sound quality, then go 4mm.

Did your 5.1 speakers come with any cable? If so discover what size cable that was and use as a guide. My own personal rule is to go one thicker cable size than what the manufacture supplied, for example my office / computer speakers came with 1.5mm, so I used 2.5mm copper in the office and again I got a subtle improvement in those speakers.

Hi JasonM, I really appreciate the quick reply. I went for the Q Acoustics 7000i 5.1 Slim (https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/speaker-packages/q-acoustics-q7000i-5-1-slim-black.html) they're rated at about 100w and 6Ω, no cables supplied as with most packages. The Amp is the Denon AVR-X3500H which outputs 105w per channel. I'm just trying to figure out if we're really going to hear a difference between 2.5mm and 4mm in a room 15ft by 10ft as I have a hardwood floor so no chance to hide cables under the carpet and less thicker ones will be easier to hide.

 

[JasonM]

Hi JasonM, I really appreciate the quick reply. I went for the Q Acoustics 7000i 5.1 Slim (https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/speaker-packages/q-acoustics-q7000i-5-1-slim-black.html) they're rated at about 100w and 6Ω, no cables supplied as with most packages. The Amp is the Denon AVR-X3500H which outputs 105w per channel. I'm just trying to figure out if we're really going to hear a difference between 2.5mm and 4mm in a room 15ft by 10ft as I have a hardwood floor so no chance to hide cables under the carpet and less thicker ones will be easier to hide.

I think you be fine with the 2.5mm pure copper. I looked at your satellite speakers and individually they won't be that powerful. If you have had satellite speakers that were say large floor standing speakers and say 200w each then I would have said maybe 4mm to try and get every last ounce of sound, but your speakers 4mm will be overkill I don't think you'll notice any difference over the 2.5mm.

I just had another think about your setup. You say the rear speakers will have a 11m run, where as the left / right speakers have only a 2m run. This is getting a bit over the top, you could run 4mm DSCK on the longer length cable, and 2.5mm on the shorter run. What this would do is help balance the cable resistance between the speakers, (in a perfect world all the speakers should be on the same length of cable so they are balanced) but it's measuring hairs, and if you notice any difference real world difficult to say, as any difference would be very very minor.

 

[robgmun]

I think you be fine with the 2.5mm pure copper. I looked at your satellite speakers and individually they won't be that powerful. If you have had satellite speakers that were say large floor standing speakers and say 200w each then I would have said maybe 4mm to try and get every last ounce of sound, but your speakers 4mm will be overkill I don't think you'll notice any difference over the 2.5mm.

I just had another think about your setup. You say the rear speakers will have a 11m run, where as the left / right speakers have only a 2m run. This is getting a bit over the top, you could run 4mm DSCK on the longer length cable, and 2.5mm on the shorter run. What this would do is help balance the cable resistance between the speakers, (in a perfect world all the speakers should be on the same length of cable so they are balanced) but it's measuring hairs, and if you notice any difference real world difficult to say, as any difference would be very very minor.

Thanks Jason, i went for the 2.5mm in the end as they are thinner and cheaper. But I'm sure I'll enjoy it all

 

[dowie]

One thing re: speaker cables is the old cables can corrode a bit/connections aren’t so great so when people get a new speaker cable and compare they can actually perceive a difference. This is probably part of the reason why the myths persist, people swear blind that their new monster cable was amazing and enhanced the sound etc... and actually there was a difference but not for the reasons they think.

If you wanted to compare cables you’d be best off re-cutting/stripping the old ones too then blinding yourself and getting someone to connect disconnect in a random order. Perhaps conpare three. Generally there shouldn’t be any differences but there can be with thinner cables and with a long run.

 

[kitfit1]

One thing re: speaker cables is the old cables can corrode a bit/connections aren’t so great so when people get a new speaker cable and compare they can actually perceive a difference. This is probably part of the reason why the myths persist, people swear blind that their new monster cable was amazing and enhanced the sound etc... and actually there was a difference but not for the reasons they think.

If you wanted to compare cables you’d be best off re-cutting/stripping the old ones too then blinding yourself and getting someone to connect disconnect in a random order. Perhaps conpare three. Generally there shouldn’t be any differences but there can be with thinner cables and with a long run.

Just going to add something to that, this was something that i noticed many years ago when i last re-decorated my lounge. I disconnected and removed all my sound system because i was re-painting the ceiling. When i put everything back, suddenly my hi-fi just sounded more like i remember it when first set up.
This got me to thinking "why". On talking to a good friend, who also has a good sound set up, he suggested it might simply be because the connections had been disconnected and reconnected. Every Christmas since then i have turned everything off and disconnected, speaker cables, all the phono cables and the Naim Din cables and cleaned them with IPA pushing the connections in and out to clean the "females" as well. The difference that half an hour or so makes to the listening experience is easily worth more than £3000+ that any new expensive cables could make.