[Walt]

Rockinghorse Winner wrote:

I am about to upgrade my system, and I thought I'd start with replacing
my speaker cable and connects. I currently use 14 gauge zip cord and
gold plated Radio Shack interconnects. I have heard all the arguments
pro and con with the speaker cable vs zip cord. I don't wish to revive
that main discussion. I just have a few clarifying questions for the
skeptics out there.

First, supposing the incontrovertible: that for the average speaker
system, perceptible improvement ceases after a minimum of speaker cable
engineering. The question that comes to mind is, what are the minimum
requirements of a speaker cable before the price/performance curve
flattens to negligibility?

Second, what cable do YOU use for the purpose, and does your choice
align with what you advocate publically?

The relevant parameters for speaker cable are

1) DC resistance per foot
2) capacitance per foot
3) Inductance per foot
4) Length of the cable

With those four numbers, you can calculate the response, assuming you
know the impedance of your speakers. The lower the overall capatance,
inductance and resistance, the closer the cable behaves to the ideal
perfectly transparent conductor. The easiest way to achieve this is to
have the cable be short.

In practice, the effects of capacitance and inductance are negligible at
audio frequencies for almost all cables at reasonable lengths ( 50
feet). So, mostly it's the DC resistance that's important. The fatter
the wire, the lower the resistance. 12 gauge is good for up to about 50
feet. 16 gauge is good to about 15 feet. I don't see any reason to go
thinner than 16, and just using 12 gauge everywhere won't break the
bank. That's what I do - zip cord for simple hookups, CL-X rated
jacketed for in-wall.

If you are running esoteric tube amps and electrostatic speakers, you
may want to get out a sharper pencil.

See
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/buyingguides/interconnects/cable_budget.php

//Walt