Speaker cable.......

kj23

Prominent Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,888
Reaction score
141
Points
330
Just upgraded all my equipment, getting an onkyo 606 and a set of mordaunt alumni 5.1 speakers. I presumed you got cabling with them but apparently not and i'm ignorant of what i need quality and spec wise. I've not measured up yet but i'd guess i need about 20-30m total for hooking them all up.
I was recommended either chord carnival classic or qed original cable.
Any other recommendations or advice on what to get, cost and have you. The ones above seem expensive but would something like this not do the same job, http://www.dvd.co.uk/Hw/Belkin-Pure...M-pin-M-30-5-m-clear/AV23001EA100/product.htm
 
Yeah mate,16 awg will work just as well as the expensive stuff,if you can get the next thickest size,then even better:thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated. It makes a bit more sense now as i've been reading up on the gauges but as always i wasn't sure why some cables are many times more in price than others.
Should i be looking for a different type of cable for the sub?
Also, what about connectors, anything good or bad there to look out for?
 
Hello kj23,

for your sub, you need a coaxial, line-level cable. This is terminated with RCA male plugs. Just one single, mono lead is enough. It should be long enough to allow you playing with the sub's position, since it plays an essential role in the bass performance.

What kind of binding post do the speakers have? If they are regular, 4mm ones, I'd look for some banana plugs. I went for the oehlbach banana tubes, to which I soldered the cable. IMO, they give you the best contact. Otherwise, you can use the bare cable or use crimp banana plugs.

I went for the soldered solution because it reduces the contact surfaces to two (per loudspeaker): one at the amp terminal and one at the loudspeaker; while at the same time providing the largest possible contact surface. I even soldered a Y-splitter (self-made with the very same cable) in order to separately feed tweeter and woofer, thus avoiding additional contact surfaces due to bridges.
 
I dont have the speakers yet, just ordered them yesterday but trying to plan ahead of what i need. To be honest i wouldn't know what a binding post is anyways. Cabling and anything too complicated is kind of lost on me.
 
I dont have the speakers yet, just ordered them yesterday but trying to plan ahead of what i need. To be honest i wouldn't know what a binding post is anyways. Cabling and anything too complicated is kind of lost on me.

:) We all started from there :smashin:

The binding posts are the connectors/terminals (usually) at the back of your amp and loudspeakers, where the cable goes in.

Actually, bare cable pressed in the terminal is not that bad as a connection. It presents some problems, though:

1. Corrosion. That's why the best is to solder to a gold-plated plug, and the terminal should be gold-plated too. With time, corrosion will degrade the quality of the contact.

2. Risk of a short-circuit if one strand touches the other terminal. + and - terminals are close to each other, and this is a common problem. Fortunately, amps have usually some sort of protection to avoid being fried by this.

3. Inconvenience. It is more practical to have a plug.

4. :rolleyes: I am sure there are some more, just can't think of them...

Actually, the best would be to solder the cable directly to your amp and loudspeakers, but that's really inconvenient :D (I am not suggesting you do this, it is just a theoretical argument!).
 
Thanks for the info.
I think i'm ok on cable now, apart from the sub one, not looked in that yet.
Banana plugs make more sense now, not decided on which ones but something like this,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Connector-Sta...yZ116854QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
So, i'll need a pair for each speaker, gah, this cabling is expensive business.

Is something like this ok for a sub or am i paying too much, too little, not good enough quality, connection wise,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5m-PREMIUM-QU...yZ116850QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Thanks for the info.
I think i'm ok on cable now, apart from the sub one, not looked in that yet.
Banana plugs make more sense now, not decided on which ones but something like this,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Connector-Sta...yZ116854QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
So, i'll need a pair for each speaker, gah, this cabling is expensive business.

Is something like this ok for a sub or am i paying too much, too little, not good enough quality, connection wise,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5m-PREMIUM-QU...yZ116850QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


They look good to me :thumbsup:
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom