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Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?

76.100.161.27
Posted on October 16, 2009 at 17:46:11
dmzwizard@yahoo.com
Audiophile

Posts: 50
Location: Washington, D. C.
Joined: May 6, 2004
 This is kind of an add-on to my cable suspension question posted in the Tweakers Asylum. Is an 8 foot length, per speaker, really the minimum length for optimal sound reproduction? I have two mono block amps about three feet from each speaker and it seems silly to me to have all that extra cable snaking around back their, with the two power cords and interconnect cables and all of their various RFI/EMI fields having a bandwidth orgy. Routing is a headache and since the area is open behind the speakers and somewhat of a pass-through, its also a ripped out cable/tripping hazard waiting to happen. Once again, Mapleshade as well as, many, many others swear by the 8 foot minimum. If that is the consensus opinion fine, I'll do the utmost, to get the best sound that I can and deal with the extra cabling.
Opinions and suggestions would be helpful, since I'm currently looking into getting a new set of speaker cables.
Thanks to all.

Listen up, you young wippersnappers..., posted on October 20, 2009 at 14:46:33
Allen Wright
Manufacturer

Posts: 4737
Location: Schaffhausen
Joined: January 31, 2002
 ...don't you know your audio history?

Mapleshade didn't invent the 8 ft cable idea, it came MUCH earlier, like in the 70's, from Robert Fulton, the father of audiophile cables.

I interviewed Mr Fulton at the '82 CES in Chicargo, and he told me the story of finding out how much cables affected the sound of a system. This interview is reproduced in the "Supercables CookBook" if anyone is interested.

Regards, Allen (vacuum State)

OK grandad, given my speaker cables are only 8-12" long, what deleterious effects will this be causing? nt, posted on October 25, 2009 at 15:47:13
andyr
Audiophile

Posts: 6564
Location: Melbourne
Joined: September 2, 2000
 .


You'll need a medium to ask Robert Fulton..., posted on October 26, 2009 at 15:28:16
Allen Wright
Manufacturer

Posts: 4737
Location: Schaffhausen
Joined: January 31, 2002
 ...but to me there is unavoidable losses in such long lengths. I never said I agree with his idea, I go for the shortest cables possible.

Regards, Allen (Vacuum State)

RE: Listen up, you young wippersnappers..., posted on October 23, 2009 at 13:58:21
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 5945
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 As I recall the Fulton cable was a lager gague (lower nuber) stranded silver coat coper cable. The only simialrity it had with modern cables is that it was expesnive. If we are to assume that there really has been progress, he did not get everything right!

Can you ealaborate on his reasoning?

Dave

I was only correcting those who were assigning the idea..., posted on October 26, 2009 at 15:30:35
Allen Wright
Manufacturer

Posts: 4737
Location: Schaffhausen
Joined: January 31, 2002
 ...to the wrong inventor.

Never said I agreed with it - as I don't.

Never found out why he felt 8 ft (or multiples of 8 ft) was optimum.

REgards, Allen (Vacuum State)
RE: I was only correcting those who were assigning the idea..., posted on October 27, 2009 at 21:23:51
wirewizard
Manufacturer

Posts: 181
Location: N.E. ,Ohio
Joined: July 3, 2009
Contributor
  Since: September 18, 2009
 Hello Allen,

Don't take this the wrong way but you are not allowed to use the name of your website in your tag line.

All for the love of music :-)
RE: Listen up, you young wippersnappers..., posted on October 21, 2009 at 06:33:11
Sondek
Audiophile

Posts: 1072
Location: Ft. Worth
Joined: May 17, 2000
 Did Mr. Fulton's work with cables come before or after he developed the steamboat?

Sorry, but I'm a sucker for a straight-line.

RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 20, 2009 at 05:36:11
Cpwill
Audiophile

Posts: 166
Location: DC
Joined: December 22, 2003
 While JimL's formula is an undisputed fact, I offer another piece of math to explain the 8' minimum theory. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of several Mapleshade products, especially their music, but:
L + x = $ + y, where L= cable length, $ = manufacturer's profit, and x and y are both positive integers.

8 ft. max. has been..., posted on October 19, 2009 at 15:18:51
Duster
Audiophile

Posts: 6820
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
 ...my POV towards the notion of longest before becoming a questionable speaker cable length. "Too short" only applies to specific design/make/model cables in general, IME. YMMV...

Transparent seems to think so... N/T, posted on October 19, 2009 at 10:08:04
panhead
Audiophile

Posts: 320
Location: chicago
Joined: January 20, 2007
 ?

RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 18, 2009 at 07:17:00
Wasatch
Audiophile

Posts: 146
Location: Layton, Utah
Joined: December 15, 2008
 My SRs are 6', sound very nice to me.

Not Magic, Voodoo, posted on October 17, 2009 at 14:24:53
Dynaudio_Rules
Audiophile

Posts: 5606
Location: Georgia
Joined: April 1, 2005
 There are tons of very expensive powered professional speakers on the market. This means speakers with internal amps and wire probably no more than a few feet [3] inside. Could it be that the maker of these 3,000 watt, more than $300,000 Adam Loudspeakers did not know that they are doing? Or that they crammed more than 8ft of wire inside for each driver, to hit a small bit wire companies magic 8ft number?

Think about it....



Scrutiny Strengthens The Truth and Breaks Down Lies 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 17, 2009 at 08:37:44
mitch2
Audiophile

Posts: 610
Joined: August 28, 2001
 "Mapleshade as well as, many, many others swear by the 8 foot minimum."

Not sure who the "many, many others" are??? However, I too will cough loudly while calling bulls**t! If you follow the formula postulated by JimL, you will do just fine.

I've had long and short..., posted on October 17, 2009 at 08:22:33
clio09
Audiophile

Posts: 1028
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Joined: January 29, 2006
 Some cables like OCOS which I currently have in my system are designed for use with long lengths in mind. Mine are 18 ft. If there is a sound degradation due to length I don't hear it. On the other hand I've also used 6' Grover Huffman cables and long balanced interconnects. Didn't hear any sonic degradation in this scenario either.

RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 17, 2009 at 05:24:39
SgreenP@MSN.com
Audiophile

Posts: 576
Joined: April 23, 2007
 I have my amp between my two speakers with very long balanced interconnects between my preamp and the amp. The speaker cables are about 3 feet on each side...sounds great.

RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 16, 2009 at 22:09:57
JimL
Audiophile

Posts: 3351
Location: New Mexico
Joined: November 24, 2002
 As a matter of fact there is a magic number. Not only that, there is a simple mathematical formula which precisely defines that magic number. Here it is:

L ≥ D, where

L = the length of the cable, and

D = the distance between the amplifier output terminals and the speaker terminals.

Speaker cables which violate this formula have a drastic reduction in sound quality, not to mention sound. :-)

Now there's an objective fact about audio!, posted on October 18, 2009 at 09:29:09
Jay Buridan
Audiophile

Posts: 1593
Location: Michigan
Joined: January 21, 2004
 Bravo!

RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 16, 2009 at 20:52:27
musetap
Audiophile

Posts: 6376
Location: San Francisco
Joined: July 8, 2003
Contributor
  Since: January 28, 2004
 I had 8' Mapleshade (regular and plus versions) in my system at various times. Very good cable.

I had 5' VH Audio CheLA in my system for a lot longer than the Mapleshade. Great cable.

I have Audioquest Mont Blanc bi-wired 72v DBS speaker cable in my system now and it's been there longest and is the BEST cable in my system so far. It is 4' long. So far, half the 8' length is my magic number.

I don't think any of this is actually attributable to the length of the speaker cable(s), but more to the design and match of the cable with my components. It is ironic though given the Mapleshade tout.

As long as the cable physically/comfortably reaches the desired destinations, your capacitance and such is ok, and the cable is properly supported, you should be fine.

“ Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination. ” -Michael McClure
RE: Speaker cable length_ Is the magic number really no less than 8 ft.?, posted on October 16, 2009 at 20:28:09
JoKath
Dealer

Posts: 408
Location: Ontario
Joined: March 20, 2006
 What a load of c**p. The shorter the better with speaker cables.
I suppose someone will come up with some screwball theory on this. It might make for a good laugh.

If you were selling cables, it might make more sense, posted on October 17, 2009 at 13:42:04
beach cruiser
Audiophile

Posts: 2612
Location: so cal
Joined: September 24, 2003
 Perhaps Mapleshade is sincere, I don't want to kick them around.

But , one can see that if you had a bunch of cables for sale, a suggestion that your current cables are proven to be of an incorrect length might get some e interest from the bandwagon types, lord knows this hobby is always searching. Who knows, they might even get some good cables in the bargain, although they might be a little long for some folk's needs.

IDK, I’ve never had cables longer than 6ft. nt, posted on October 16, 2009 at 18:58:59
jupiterboy
Audiophile

Posts: 315
Location: Western New York
Joined: June 7, 2009
Contributor
  Since: August 25, 2009
 nt

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