Speaker cable lengths.

Whilst I have some foo (?lish) cables I think I'd have politely excused myself from the "dem" after 2 minutes of that nonsense.
Although I'd have liked to listen to the rest.
 
zanash said:
I recently install four systems in a house ..

<Snip>

when setting up gear I don't offer comments on the sound to the owner, but wil offer sugestions as to the direction to go to achieve best performance with the gear available and within a predetermined budget

<Snip>

I fitted a set of ic using platinum conductors against the yellow paciffics [richer sound]
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Just to be clear, was this chap a friend you were helping out, or did you get paid some cash to install these systems? The way you write makes it sound as though you have done this sort of thing more than once or twice as a bit of side business. That's fine, but it does make your comments a little less neutral than when I thought you had 'closed shop'.
 
Well I'm strapped into a calibrated jig, within an environmentally controlled room, sunk by a few floors into the ground to minimise vibration, I employed a technician to provide constant verification that my head stays exactly equidistant from both speakers. This is checked using a highly sensitive digital micrometer strapped to my face.

I've been trying different length cables and comparing the results to moving my head by a few microns.

The difference at 21.5 microns is indeed clearly noticeable, if you are thinking about changing your cable lengths I strongly urge you to reconsider! If there is no other option then you must adjust your seating position to compensate otherwise your music will be RUINED.

P.s. the airlock can be annoying at first and don't even think about having a hot drink, the radiant heat is enough alter the size of the metalwork which will wreak havoc with your listening experience. Also my head keeps going out of calibration.
 
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zanash said:
just goes to show ...no wonder !


79strand is not neutral ....... its sound thick warm and turgid, with an unpeasent hard edge imo. As for the generic stuff all my sample sound truley appalling ...may be you've been luck and got a good set ?



unless specialy treated copper and especially stranded copper canbe considered to have a hump [can't be true as cables can only take away not add ...but for the purpose of the discussion] in the upper bass often with a warm soft presentation

the higher the strand count the bigger the percieved hump in the upper bass...

silver plating the strand s will add a rising treble giving perhaps the very worst combination of both copper and silver propeties .

sold core and litz copper varrients keep the warm and rosy glow to the sound but have an extended bass or rather smooths the hump down through the mid to lower bass ....

silver ...in comparision is smooth buttery effortless though does lack bottom end add dymamic and natural but of course the down side is prohbitive cost

then again none of you can tell the difference anyway ......

one of the very best speaker cables can be bought from wilco...twin and earth
15amp type ......

I recently install four systems in a house ..all the components had been collected by the chaps uncle over the forty years ...upgrading amp and speaker regularly but never selling the old gear ....when cd came along he had a steady stream of different units ...anyway that set the scene .....

in amongst this cornucopia of gear .....were speaker cables of all vintages and costs ..79 strand qed and generic ..along with several gale types in that horid flesh coloured plastic .....

we set up the best system ..marantz 6001 cdp b&w dm2 rotel amp can remember the designation but only a couple of years old ....

so heres the rub ...the chap in to music but not hifi .....

we sat and listened .... he felt something was not right .....

swapping out the 79 strand for the gale .... differences were obvious to him ....

[when setting up gear I don't offer comments on the sound to the owner , but wil offer sugestions as to the dirrection to go to achieve best performance with the gear available and within a predetermined budget]

but still not right ......we tried a set of silver plated something or other qed spiral ? they didn't last long ...

so a quick trip to wilco and he's the happy owner of 2 x 5m of very nice solid core copper [note the eart was connected up to increase the crossectional area of the negative ..the difference is small but in this case worthwhile ]

moral of the story .....that obvious !

when we had the next two systems setup using slightly lesser gear marantz 5000cdp marantz amp of same vintage in a monster case and danish tangent speakers , and finally a ferrogaph amp with little warfdales on tall stands [diamonds ?] with an aging denon cdp ...

the qed and gale cables were used in those .

Back to the main system we dropped out the 6001 and swapped for my quad 99cdp2 ...he was gob smacked at the change he thought all cdp's were a muchness [like some on here !] ....then playing the same track for about the 30th time that day I fitted a set of ic using platinum conductors against the yellow paciffics [richer sound] .... even I was suprised ...gone were the harsh metalic notes no hard digitalness ........just very peasent and absorbing music .

so why is it that someone how only listens to music and is not hifi knowledgable...can hear what some members present say dosn't exist..can't exist ?

beats me
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More utter hogwash. Purely opinion.

And opinions are like assholes....everyone has one.

Chris
 
Back when Naim was having trouble making those Sinclair power amp circuits work without becoming some kind of short-term space heater, it might have been possible that uneven cable lengths made a difference. But that's nigh on 35 years ago. Certainly if you used a Litz wire design on the end of an early Naim amp, the length of the cable made a difference between an amplifier that was working and one that was smoking, because any length of Litz wire would have been potentially fatal to the amp design.

The modern reason for using identical lengths just comes down to practicality; internet dealers aren't prepared to sell cables cut off the reel and want packaged cables. Cables are sold in pairs, and asking for 3m one side and 6m the other is like walking into a shoe shop and asking for a size 8 left foot and a size 13 right.

Different length cables are also impossible to resell, second-hand. So no-one's going to like the idea, even if it saves a bob or two (or in the case of Nordost Odin, saves you a few tens of thousands of pounds).
 
I have not read all this thread but to answer the OPs question it makes no difference.
I have one side at 2m and the other 4m. I use NVA LS1 and Mr Dunn confirmed it would be fine.
 
Fnuckle said:
Back when Naim was having trouble making those Sinclair power amp circuits work without becoming some kind of short-term space heater, it might have been possible that uneven cable lengths made a difference. But that's nigh on 35 years ago. Certainly if you used a Litz wire design on the end of an early Naim amp, the length of the cable made a difference between an amplifier that was working and one that was smoking, because any length of Litz wire would have been potentially fatal to the amp design.

The modern reason for using identical lengths just comes down to practicality; internet dealers aren't prepared to sell cables cut off the reel and want packaged cables. Cables are sold in pairs, and asking for 3m one side and 6m the other is like walking into a shoe shop and asking for a size 8 left foot and a size 13 right.

Different length cables are also impossible to resell, second-hand. So no-one's going to like the idea, even if it saves a bob or two (or in the case of Nordost Odin, saves you a few tens of thousands of pounds).
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I think that sums things up perfectly.

BTW, I have some of that old Monitor Audio Litz cable. It came free with a pair of Rogers Export Monitors I picked up recently. Looks beautiful with all those plaited green and copper strands. I wouldn't let it near an amplifier though.
 

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