Sub cable length

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

For front speakers, you must keep the speaker cables the same. For surround speakers, it is better to keep them the same, but it is not as important as the front speakers.

No.

http://www.audioholics.com/education...do-they-matter

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by blujacket

No.

http://www.audioholics.com/education...do-they-matter

I am familiar with that article and have read it a few times. In a way, they contradict themselves.

There are NO reasons why cable lengths between pair channels (ie. Main Left, Main Right, Rear Left, Rear Right, etc) need to be kept identical, but avoiding a ratio greater than 4:1 of identical wire gauge is good measure for minimizing RLC losses which can affect system damping factor and attribute to frequency response variations.

Note, simply moving from 12AWG cable to 10AWG cable of similar design reduces resistance by 30% which effectively makes a 50ft 12AWG zip cord cable look like 35ft (assuming all other things equal).

As a rule of thumb, we always recommend keeping cable lengths as minimal as possible, but not too short that it compromises accessibility to equipment.

If it is not that important to keep the front speaker cables the same, then why should we care about keeping them as short as possible?

I still stand by my earlier statement that for front speakers, you should use the same gauge and keep the cable lengths the same. If you buy a pair of speaker cables with banana plugs, they already have the same lenghts. When you make your own, what risk is there in making them equal? We are talking about a couple of ft of difference between the left and right front speakers. This is really a non issue.

[blujacket]

What if your audio rack is closer to your left front speaker? Are you going to coil up the extra wire, or cut it shorter than your right? All my wires are within a few feet of each other, but exact is not a must as you said. I don't see why anyone wouldn't use the same gauge, as it's easier to buy bulk spools.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by blujacket

What if your audio rack is closer to your left front speaker? Are you going to coil up the extra wire, or cut it shorter than your right? All my wires are within a few feet of each other, but exact is not a must as you said. I don't see why anyone wouldn't use the same gauge, as it's easier to buy bulk spools.

My audio rack is closer to the right front speaker than the left, but the speaker cables are 10ft each. Obviously, this is not rocket science and a few feet don't make a lot of difference. However, using 40ft of 18 gauge on one speaker and 8ft of 10 gauge on another is a real experience. I have done that for fun.

The problem with Audioholics is that they spend too much time discussing things that really don't matter. It is a lot more convenient and practical to tell people to keep the speaker cables for front speakers approximately the same.

[Aerodude73]

Thou Dare to Question BIG DADDY ??!!

(jkg of course)

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by aerodude73

Thou Dare to Question BIG DADDY ??!!

(jkg of course)

I agree. Big Daddy is god of audio/video and if you disagree, the real God will strike you.

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I agree. Big Daddy is god of audio/video and if you disagree, the real God will strike you.

A good sense of HUMOR -- such a terrible thing NOT to waste...