Tweakers' Asylum

Speaker wire length w/capacitor

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If you have an inline capacitor going to a tweeter, should the opposite wire be lengthened to 'match' the 'length' of the capacitor? If so, how do you figure out how much longer to make the opposite cable?
TIA

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Re: Speaker wire length w/capacitor - andyr 13:27:40 10/09/05 (2)
I agree with Jeffrey that what you're thinking about is several orders of magnitude below the sonic effects of different caps ... or even which way round you connect the cap ... or the wire you used - so there's no need to obsess about it.
However, I'm interested in why you think the wire path on either side of the tweeter needs to be symmetrical? Just focussing on the amp and the tweeter:
* the amp sees "something" between its 'hot' and 'ground' binding posts.
* this "something" is the tweeter driver, the cap or caps & coils in the HP filter and some connecting wire.
* the amp doesn't care in which order these are arranged in the circuit between the 'hot' post and the 'ground' post; it has no concept of symmetry.
* symmetry is only relevant when comparing R channel to L channel.
Regards,
Andy
- While lead length - unclestu52 16:41:34 10/13/05 (1)
  may not make significant difference, gauge difference between positive and negative makes noticeable changes in tonality. More negative=more bass, and vice versa: more positive=more treble. Want your tweeter to integrate better with your midrange? Add another strand to the negative leg and the tweeter will 'work' harder at the lower end of its FR. Want more highs? Add another strand to the positive leg.
  
  Stu
  - Re: While lead length - andyr 20:21:51 10/13/05 (0)
    Hi uncle,
    That's a very interesting proposition you're making ... which I've never come across before.
    As I'm in the middle of rewiring my Maggies, I'd like to understand more! Are you able to explain "how" this works ... rather than simply saying it does?
    One point which confuses me, though, is you saying:
    * Add another strand to the negative leg (of the tweeter wire) if you want your tweeter to integrate better with your midrange.
    * Yet, add another strand to the positive leg if you want more highs?
    So if I do both, I should get more highs AND more lows? But then that means I'll still have equal thicknesses on both legs?
    If I keep adding then, at some stage, having added several strands of wire to both pos & neg legs, I am presumably at a stage where more wire makes no (or an infinitesimal) difference??
    Regards,
    Andy
Hmm...down to the 0.0000001% changes, huh? - jeffreybehr 12:18:03 10/08/05 (5)
I would and do ignore VERY tiny things like that. They're called minutia for good reason. IOW, don't sweat this VERY tiny stuff.
Said another way, the aural difference caused by different capacitors will be about a thousand times as great as that caused by such differences in wire length.
- Re: Hmm...down to the 0.0000001% changes, huh? - Fatty2x4 13:13:02 10/08/05 (4)
  Yeah, I know it's probably not a big deal, but there are people here who probably know some arcane formula to figure out identical signal paths lengths. Since it would take little effort, may as well try to make it as close to perfect before I seal up the box, no?
  - Well, maybe, but how will you measure the length of the capacitor... - jeffreybehr 14:29:48 10/08/05 (3)
    ...since its conductors are LONG lengths of metal foil wrapped around a core?
    - The distance between the leads defines most caps ... - Monkey Bones 13:32:37 10/09/05 (2)
      but the whole question is kind of silly to begin with since there is nothing to be gained by increasing the return path length.
      - Well, maybe that's how YOU 'define most caps', but that's not the ELECTRICAL length... - jeffreybehr 14:46:44 10/09/05 (1)
        
        In Reply to: The distance between the leads defines most caps ... posted by Monkey Bones on October 9, 2005 at 13:32:37:
        
        ...of a capacitor.
        But since we both agree that the entire subject is WAY too arcane to consider seriously, it's a moot point, huh?!?!
        
        Nothing to do with me - just the shortest distance - Monkey Bones 16:07:50 10/09/05 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Well, maybe that's how YOU 'define most caps', but that's not the ELECTRICAL length... posted by jeffreybehr on October 9, 2005 at 14:46:44:
        
        That's why they can have so low impedance at high frequencies. Mostly determined by the lead length and spacing.

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