Speaker Cable Advice Needed

Cicero

Hi,

I want to connect a stero to two wall mounted speakers either side of the room....one cable will need to be approx 9 feet in length- the other will have to be approx 15 feet in length....my questions are:

1. What type of cable do I buy?
2. What problems might I experience with these differing length cables, if any?
3. any other adivce/dos/don'ts etc

cheers in advance:)

cnocbui

The different lengths won't matter and will not affect the sound in any way.

The only two parameters of cables that matter are the thickness of the conductor - as in it being enough to carry the amount of current you are likely to be feeding to the speakers - and how it looks aesthetically if it is conspicuously visible.

The gauge of the wire you will need is determined by the actual maximum output in watts of the device powering the speaker.

Here is a calculator that will tell you what gauge of wire you will need:

http://www.webervst.com/gauge.htm

The most common type of wire is of course speaker wire, but many a speaker has been wired up with lamp flex.

Cicero

perfect little calculator cnocbui....many thanks for that...learnt a lot from what you've said above...making sense now..cheers

Cicero

Update:

Went to a certain well known ' world-electronics' store today but they certainly didn't know a lot about advising me on what speaker cable to buy, considering I went armed with all the information cnocbui provided me with (thanks again for that)

....spent 3.99 per metre on some near-clear wire type cable...figured price might dictate something in terms of quality
..no idea at this point what the guage is (was just taken aback by the lack of knowledge in the shop so forgot to ask- assumed they knew more than I did, but obviously not!!)....so my prepared speach concerning ohms, watts etc so not to look like a total fool, fell on deaf ears.....

Question: sound quality is excellent....however, at high volume and possibly heavy bass, the system shuts off at around 35 of a 65 volume......speakers are Teac LS H 240s ...http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002615YOI/ref=asc_df_B002615YOI552668/?tag=ciaouk-ce-mp-21&creative=7966&creativeASIN=B002615YOI&linkCode=asn

System is a Denon F-107.......https://www.forumhifivisual.co.uk/HiFi_Equipment/Mini_Systems/DENON_DRA_F107DAB__MINI_SYSTEM_DENON_DRA_F107_2520.html

any advice/guidance on the above problem with system shutting off or do you need the exact cable spec before comment?...many thanks:)

Slaphead07

Cicero wrote: »

any advice/guidance on the above problem with system shutting off or do you need the exact cable spec before comment?...many thanks:)

Well the system is 'modest' and probably not able to go very loud - not that 'loud' is any measure if quality. I suspect the amp is cutting out on a protection circuit so as not to damage speakers. You'll just have to live with lower volumes or buy a more powerful setup.
Any decent speaker cable will do you fine and all that stuff about "ohms, watts etc " is largely irrelevant in the real world. In fact the connection between amp and CD player is far more important.

cnocbui

The Denon is rated at 65 wpch. The speakers are only rated at 25w RMS (sort of continuous power level).

If you keep turning up the volume to see how loud they can go you will likely fry the speakers. From the manual:

<When connecting to an amplifier having an output higher
than the maximum rated input of the speaker, be careful not
to exceed the speaker’s maximum input, otherwise it will
damage the speaker.

If the Denon has a protection circuit, it is unlikely to come in before the speakers have been damaged.

The speakers are 86db efficient, meaning for 1 watt of power they will produce 86db of sound level. But to get a 3db increase in sound volume, you need to double the power, so you need two watts to get 89db.....and by the time you get to 25 watts you are only talking about getting 100db from the speakers.

Increasing the sound level by 3db does not sound like doubling the volume to your ears, for that you need a 6db increase - or a quadrupling of power.

You need more efficient speakers with better power handling to go louder.

Cicero

thanks again cnocbui for all ure help on this

Cicero

cnocbui....if I could trouble you for one more question, what speakers would you recommend I consider for this system....even a basic spec would be great...thanks

cnocbui

I can not recommend a particular model as I have not looked at small speakers in ages and there are hundreds available.

Generally, I think you should look for some that have an efficiency of 90 db per watt and an rms power handling capability equivalent or slightly greater than 65 watts.

As a general principle, I would recommend looking at speakers from companies that only, or mainly, make speakers. Makes like B&W, Kef, Klipsch spring to mind.

As an example: http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/b-2-specifications/

These are 92 db efficient and are rated at 75w rms.

They would in theory be capable of producing around 110 db from your denon - which would sound two and a half times as loud as the Teacs do at their 25w max.

This is not a specific recommendation for these speakers, it is just an example of what to look for. Finding small speakers that are efficient is not always easy.

Ricky-Ricardo

Hi Cicero,

I think your Denon system would work a lot better with some good budget speakers by a dedicated speaker manufacturer. I remember people often partnered Denon systems with Mission speakers. One thing though is that your system shouldn’t necessarily be cutting out when you drive it loud unless it is being driven really hard or there is some very sensitive protection circuit that senses the speakers are overloading. You might check if the same effect occurs at a similar volume setting with your old speaker cables. If it isn’t then some fault must lie with the your new cables. Perhaps they have electrical characteristics that are not 100% compatible with your system. They wouldn’t be exotic audiophile litz cables at that price but those can to be dodgy with some amps!