NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/rec/audio/17677

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-02 | 7.0 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!att!allegra!alice!andrew
From: [e-mail] (Andrew Hume)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Speaker wires
Summary: read the FAQ
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 2 Jan 93 23:48:44 GMT
Article-I.D.: alice.24536
References: <[e-mail]>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill NJ
Lines: 121

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Thomas Wong) writes:
>
> Can anyone describe the differences between speaker wires? What
> characteristic should we pay most attention to? What is a good gauge to
> use....etc? Thanks.
>
> Thomas.


    for your edification i replay the relevant part of teh FAQ.

16.0 Wire
    More than any other topic, speaker cables and equipment interconnects
    seem to use up rec.audio bandwidth echoing the same theoretical
    arguments, testimonials, and opinions.  Controversy can be stimulating,
    educational, and also amusing.  Please try to keep postings aimed at one
    of those three goals, and avoid the insults and emotion.  Also, try to
    avoid echoing a common position or principal, as described below.

16.1 Do speaker cables matter?
    Cables are connectors attached to wires. Wires generally have multiple
    conductors optionally surrounded by a shield and outer insulative
    covering. Cables can introduce noise into the signal, act as a filter
    (and thus change the frequency response of the system), and provide
    non-linearities from improper (intermittent/loose) connections to or
    between the connectors.

    It is quite scientifically conceivable that some cables do cause a
    difference in sound, because of the differences in DC resistance,
    interconductor capacitance, and connector attachment alone.  The effects
    of exotic conductor weaving and materials are not so well established.
    In general, these effects (once we eliminate DC resistance), seem to be
    small. However, if your system is at least fairly good, then some folks
    have observed (although not in an experimental, double-blind sense)
    significant differences in system performance with different cables.
    The effects are said to be quite system specific; the only real
    guideline is to try them and see which ones seem to sound better in
    your system.

    Roughly speaking, the price ranges for speaker cables is low
    (under $1/ft), medium (under $6-8/ft), and high (up to $100/ft and
    more). Try to arrange it so you can trial such cables; at several
    hundred dollars per set, experiments can be expensive.

    In any system or experiment, it is essential that the differences
    between cables be separated from the differences between connectors.

    You should have an EXTREMELY solid connection between cable and
    speaker.  Speakers operate at very low impedances, so that bad
    connections will create significant artifacts or signal losses at any
    power level.  For example, if the connection has a linear resistance
    of just 1 ohm, the speaker damping factor will be dramatically
    reduced, making bass muddy.  If the connection contains imperfect
    metal oxides, then a slightly rectifying junction will block the signal,
    producing compression, distortion, and other non-linear effects.

16.2 What speaker cables are commercially available and how good are they?
    There is a wide range of speaker wire available, ranging from
    30ga zip cord (~$.10/ft) to exotic wires costing over $300/ft.
    The material used ranges from copper to oxygen-free copper (OFC)
    to silver. (There are a bunch of others as well.)

16.3 What can I use for budget speaker cables?
    First, a few words on terminology.  Wire is sized by AWG or BS gage
    number.  Larger numbers represent smaller wire.  AWG 40 (also called
    40 gage) is as fine as human hair.  AWG 12 is 2mm or .081" diameter.
    Some wire is classified as solid, because it contains one strand per
    conductor.  Other wire is called stranded, because it consists of
    many strands per conductor.  Stranded wire is far more flexible than
    solid wire.  Most wire is made from drawn copper.  Some wire is sold
    that is claimed to be made with a process that produces oxygen-free
    copper.  Oxygen-free copper has a different metallurgical structure
    than common copper and may or may not conduct current better.

    Some critical listeners have reported excellent sound from large
    diameter solid copper wire, such as home wiring "Romex 12-2".  At least
    one expert has said that common 18-gage solid copper hook-up wire sold
    by Radio Shack also works very well.  Also recommended on a budget is
    Sound King wire, a 12 gage oxygen free copper stranded cable.  This is
    available from MCM Electronics for $.39/ft.

    The scientific literature indicates that small gauge wire generally
    sounds worse than large gauge and that resistance-related effects of
    the cable can be eliminated by using at least 12 gage wire, particularly
    for long runs.  Of course, shorter runs are always preferred, because
    they come much closer to the ideal zero-length wire, with no resistance,
    no capacitance, no inductance, and no change in signal.

16.4 What can I use for budget speaker connectors?
    The worst connectors are push-down, or spring terminals.  Screw
    terminals with solid copper wire are much better.  Gold-plated binding
    posts and gold spade lugs are inexpensive by audiophile standards and
    are extremely stable.  Binding posts with spade lugs can be tightened
    to get a very good mechanical joint, and may offer the lowest
    electrical resistance of any connector.

    Gold plated banana plugs and jacks are also very good speaker terminals.
    Good ones are more expensive than gold spade lugs, however, they also
    provide a bigger area of contact, and are more convenient when you must
    frequently reconfigure the system.  Banana plugs should be periodically
    monitored for corrosion and loss of spring tension.  Monster offers a
    banana-plug connector with an expanding center pin that forms an even
    better connection than common gold banana plugs.  At approximately $25
    per pair, the Monster banana plugs aren't a budget connector.

    All else equal, connectors with gold surfaces are better than
    connectors with any other surface.  This is for two reasons.  First,
    gold is extremely inert, meaning that unless gold is exposed to very
    harsh chemicals or harsh vapors, it will not corrode or oxidize.  It
    will remain a pure, low-resistance conductor.  Second, gold is quite
    soft, so that if a gold-plated connector is squeezed between two
    metal surfaces, it will deform slightly to fill scratches and voids,
    giving a very broad, low-resistance contact area.

    Corrosion of connectors is often a problem. Gold-plated terminals
    and connectors somewhat avoid this problem; problems with other
    connectors can be mitigated by unplugging and replugging the connector
    on a regular basis, cleaning the contact areas with a pencil eraser,
    or by using a contact enhancer such as Cramolin or Tweek.  When you
    use a contact enhancer, be very sure to follow the directions, and
    avoid spreading enhancer about your equipment.