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Post by minthral on Jan 24, 2016 21:19:09 GMT -5
I'm using normal 12 gauge speaker wire with banana plugs and decided to get interconnect cables for the L C R speakers. I was going to do this mainly for looks, but am wondering are there any sound benefits?
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 30, 2016 14:13:54 GMT -5
minthralInterconnect cables, as in RCA cables? How will you connect them to your amp and speakers? And, what is it about the looks of the rca's that you like? There are plenty of attractive speaker cables. I like the look of Emotiva's personally. Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 30, 2016 14:24:58 GMT -5
I just had an odd interconnect issue. I have XLR's from my XMC to my xpa-5, and my sister called Thursday to say there was hardly any sound coming out and there were red lights on "that box on the lower left". That would be the xpa-5 and its fault lights. I told her to turn it off and leave it alone.
I got home from work, turned it on, and everything worked fine for 5 minutes. Then the center channel showed a fault light. I turned it off and back on and all was fine....for several minutes until 3 of 5 channel showed fault lights. These three channels were using Parts Express XLR's and the other two are using Emotiva XLR's. So,I have pulled the Parts Express XLR's and am using rca's. So far, so good.
I had a fault light once before with the Parts Express XLR's, but unplugging it and plugging it back in made it go away until now. But this time, they are out for good. I ordered 5 new 0.5 meter XLR's from monoprice (want all 0.5 meter and the Emotiva are 1 meter).
Mark
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 30, 2016 15:09:56 GMT -5
I just had an odd interconnect issue. I have XLR's from my XMC to my xpa-5, and my sister called Thursday to say there was hardly any sound coming out and there were red lights on "that box on the lower left". That would be the xpa-5 and its fault lights. I told her to turn it off and leave it alone. I got home from work, turned it on, and everything worked fine for 5 minutes. Then the center channel showed a fault light. I turned it off and back on and all was fine....for several minutes until 3 of 5 channel showed fault lights. These three channels were using Parts Express XLR's and the other two are using Emotiva XLR's. So,I have pulled the Parts Express XLR's and am using rca's. So far, so good. I had a fault light once before with the Parts Express XLR's, but unplugging it and plugging it back in made it go away until now. But this time, they are out for good. I ordered 5 new 0.5 meter XLR's from monoprice (want all 0.5 meter and the Emotiva are 1 meter). Mark I thought Monoprice's XLR's are delineated in feet, not meters. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 30, 2016 15:17:54 GMT -5
I thought Monoprice's XLR's are delineated in feet, not meters. Yes, they are. I hope that does not alter the sound. Do you think it will? I bought the "1.5 foot" cables. I sure hope they sound as good as the 0.5 meter cables that others sell. I once read that cables sold in English distance units can introduce more jitter than those sold in Metric distance units. I am extremely concerned about jitter, especially with my cables that carry analog signals. Given my concern on this, I did talk with Monoprice rep's before I bought. We had a wonderful 2 hour conversation about the theory and risks and potential solutions. They assured me that the aircraft grade copper & special in-line jitter eliminator-thingies they use will ensure that all jitter is eliminated, as well as any bitter taste in the coffee my wife brews. So, I think I should be good to go. Mark |
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 30, 2016 15:23:06 GMT -5
I thought Monoprice's XLR's are delineated in feet, not meters. Yes, they are. I hope that does not alter the sound. Do you think it will? I bought the "1.5 foot" cables. I sure hope they sound as good as the 0.5 meter cables that others sell. I once read that cables sold in English distance units can introduce more jitter than those sold in Metric distance units. I am extremely concerned about jitter, especially with my cables that carry analog signals. Given my concern on this, I did talk with Monoprice rep's before I bought. We had a wonderful 2 hour conversation about the theory and risks and potential solutions. They assured me that the aircraft grade copper & special in-line jitter eliminator-thingies they use will ensure that all jitter is eliminated, as well as any bitter taste in the coffee my wife brews. So, I think I should be good to go. Mark Well couple of things - did you discuss the use of test files with the rep? And also, you're talking about more than 1.5" of difference in cable length. It's better to pay more to get that extra 1.5" instead of going the cheap Monoprice route. That said, on a serious note I did have some defective Monoprice XLR's so make sure you test the resistance with a multimeter when you get them. If they test okay, use of cable risers would still be advisable. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 30, 2016 16:22:01 GMT -5
monkumonkuCan you advice me on what inductance my cable risers should have? Mark
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Post by audiobill on Jan 30, 2016 16:24:17 GMT -5
And be sure to brush them in Welch's grape jelly. No other brand or flavor.
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Post by DavidR on Jan 30, 2016 18:44:02 GMT -5
I'm thinking the OP meant speaker cables with banana ends vs 'regular' speaker wire.
Speaker cables are a dressed up version of 'regular' speaker wire IMO.
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Post by MusicHead on Jan 30, 2016 19:34:32 GMT -5
I thought Monoprice's XLR's are delineated in feet, not meters. Yes, they are. I hope that does not alter the sound. Do you think it will? I bought the "1.5 foot" cables. I sure hope they sound as good as the 0.5 meter cables that others sell. I once read that cables sold in English distance units can introduce more jitter than those sold in Metric distance units. I am extremely concerned about jitter, especially with my cables that carry analog signals. Given my concern on this, I did talk with Monoprice rep's before I bought. We had a wonderful 2 hour conversation about the theory and risks and potential solutions. They assured me that the aircraft grade copper & special in-line jitter eliminator-thingies they use will ensure that all jitter is eliminated, as well as any bitter taste in the coffee my wife brews. So, I think I should be good to go. Mark Mixing English and Metric units can really produce bad results.. :-) mars.nasa.gov/msp98/news/mco990930.html |
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Jan 30, 2016 20:24:06 GMT -5
monkumonkuCan you advice me on what inductance my cable risers should have? Mark Good question Mark, this I've got to hear!!  |
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hemster
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Post by hemster on Jan 30, 2016 23:07:37 GMT -5
monkumonku Can you advice me on what inductance my cable risers should have? Mark Good question Mark, this I've got to hear!! Wouldn't it depend on whether the cable risers are plastic or polystyrene cups?  For a good match with Emotiva gear, use the ones below:  |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 30, 2016 23:29:11 GMT -5
Good question Mark, this I've got to hear!! Wouldn't it depend on whether the cable risers are plastic or polystyrene cups? For a good match with Emotiva gear, use the ones below: Thats just cruel to show those hight teck risers!! Especially when I can't get one!!  |
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 31, 2016 0:26:54 GMT -5
Good question Mark, this I've got to hear!! Wouldn't it depend on whether the cable risers are plastic or polystyrene cups? For a good match with Emotiva gear, use the ones below: Well I sure couldn't come up with a better answer than that one. Ported ceramic risers are the best! Only suggestion I would make is you should try them upside-down as well or even mix and match to make sure the phase is correct. It's like speaker toe-in; you gotta experiment with it! |
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Post by minthral on Feb 1, 2016 9:38:59 GMT -5
To clarify, I was referring to speaker cables, as in the connection from amp to speaker. I bought some X SS cables (12 gauge with heavy duty tight banana plug connectors...2 meter for L and R; 1 meter for C). I am curious if these are supposed to improve sound quality or it really doesn't matter. I read somewhere that the problem with using plain speaker wire COULD be that the connection to the speaker or amp is poor even if the wire is great...this could cause a bottleneck for sound quality.
Honestly, I don't notice a difference after using X SS, but perhaps I am getting peace of mind that the speaker cable isn't a problem.
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Post by DavidR on Feb 1, 2016 9:43:32 GMT -5
To clarify, I was referring to speaker cables, as in the connection from amp to speaker. I bought some X SS cables (12 gauge with heavy duty tight banana plug connectors...2 meter for L and R; 1 meter for C). I am curious if these are supposed to improve sound quality or it really doesn't matter. I read somewhere that the problem with using plain speaker wire COULD be that the connection to the speaker or amp is poor even if the wire is great...this could cause a bottleneck for sound quality. Honestly, I don't notice a difference after using X SS, but perhaps I am getting peace of mind that the speaker cable isn't a problem. I spend some time on The Classic Speaker Pages where there are a few audio engineers. They won't spend a nickle for anything not needed. They use 16 ga. lamp zipcord and even steel crimp-on ring connectors. They state it makes no difference to use anything fancy. |
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Post by lionear on Feb 1, 2016 12:06:45 GMT -5
I'd try lamp cord for a few months. Then switch to a different brand of lamp cord or Romex wire and listen to that for a few months. Or power extension cord - whatever is cheap and handy.
If you don't hear a difference then you don't have to worry about the cable - any cable will do. If, however, you hear a difference, then you can try out different cables and see which one you like. No one can answer this question for you - you'll have to do this for yourself. And you can take your time about it. Price is no indicator of whether something will suit your preferences.
A friend of mine brought over some lamp cord that was made in China. It had a "copper" lead, and a "silver" lead. Given the price of the cord, there surely wasn't any silver, and probably very little copper, too. But the sound was fantastic - much better than a hi-fi brand cable that I was using up to that point! Unfortunately, we cannot get any more of the cord - we searched on Google for the brand that was printed on the cable, but we got nothing. (My friend theorized that the fact that the two leads were not the same material had something to do with the good sound. A few hi-fi brands appear to be doing that. I don't know and I don't really care about the "why".)
I eventually found a better cable - one that didn't roll off the high frequencies - but I keep the lamp cord cable as a secondary reference.
(There are some considerations - if your speaker wire has very high capacitance then your amp may run into problems with things like oscillation. But I don't think you have to worry about damage if you use "normal" wire. And amps like Emotiva's will probably shut down safely before they sustain damage, even if they do run into problems.)
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