The following is a thread from AVS forum that was helpful in determining the appropriate length of speaker wire to use in our HT install.
THREAD : speaker wire length question
Started at 01-27-07 05:00 PM by karrman
Visit at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=795693
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[Post 1]
Author : karrman
Date : 01-27-07 05:00 PM
Title : speaker wire length question
This is probably a pedestrian question for most of you but it has puzzled me for a couple days.
Years ago when I bought my first good sound system, there seemed to be a big deal about having speaker wires that were identical lengths (i.e. 10 foot pair). In looking through the threads here, it does NOT seem this is a consideration in home theater construction.
Is there any sense in having the front speaker wires being identical lengths--or the surrounds?
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[Post 2]
Author : usualsuspects
Date : 01-27-07 05:36 PM
The biggest reason this is no longer (:)) an issue is that receivers/processors have level and delay adjustments per channel. Say you have a significantly different length of wire on each speaker - does not matter if you are using a sound meter and setting the levels to be the same per channel. I think the old stereo "wire should be the same length" was a non-issue anyway for vast majority of installations. I can see that if you were using 20ga wiring and had runs of 5 feet and another of 40 feet on low impedance speakers it would be an issue, but I doubt that anyone who had 20ga wire worried about the length of the legs anyway. Yes, I think it was worth making both left and right speaker wires the same length if you are an obsessive audiophile (redundant? no offense intended - it describes me :) ) with 2 channel amp/preamp - why not get every little thing you can cheaply tweak done.
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[Post 3]
Author : Kal Rubinson
Date : 01-27-07 07:16 PM
[QUOTE=usualsuspects]The biggest reason this is no longer (:)) an issue is that receivers/processors have level and delay adjustments per channel.[/QUOTE]
I think the old stereo "wire should be the same length" was a non-issue anyway for vast majority of installations.Why didn't you say so to begin with. It never was an issue. The difference in arrival time for a signal, at close to the speed of light, to traverse a 5' vs a 40' length of wire is less than the human brain can discern. A significant reduction in level is unlikely unless inadequate wire gauge is being used. So, adjustments for level and delay are not needed.
Yes, I think it was worth making both left and right speaker wires the same length if you are an obsessive audiophile (redundant? no offense intended - it describes me :) ) with 2 channel amp/preamp - why not get every little thing you can cheaply tweak done.And not for multichannel? :D
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[Post 4]
Author : Kevin Graf
Date : 01-27-07 08:09 PM
When Grace Hooper (the COBAL & computer BUG lady) gave speeches. She would pass out a nano-second to the audience. It was a 10 inch piece of small wire.
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[Post 5]
Author : misterkit
Date : 01-27-07 08:43 PM
I'd be more concerned with signal degredation than a delay in sound.
The receiver's delay settings are more for adjusting/accomodating the differences in distances between the speakers and the listener. In an ideal setup, all speakers would be equidistant from the listener. Since most of us cant set up rooms in this manner the need for a delay is required.
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[Post 6]
Author : ChrisWiggles
Date : 01-27-07 10:35 PM
[QUOTE=karrman]This is probably a pedestrian question for most of you but it has puzzled me for a couple days.
Years ago when I bought my first good sound system, there seemed to be a big deal about having speaker wires that were identical lengths (i.e. 10 foot pair). In looking through the threads here, it does NOT seem this is a consideration in home theater construction.
Is there any sense in having the front speaker wires being identical lengths--or the surrounds?[/QUOTE]
That big deal was nonsense. There never was a rational reason for that. The only time it would become an issue is if one speaker wire was miles longer than the other. Electrons move in a wire at near the speed of light, and the characteristics (impedance etc) of wire at short lengths is really negligible. So it never should have been a big deal at all. And that hasn't changed.
usualsuspects ideas have no basis in things like 'reality'.
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[Post 7]
Author : usualsuspects
Date : 01-27-07 11:38 PM
Really? So Low impedance speakers + high amplifier power + small gauge wire + significantly different wire length per channel = no effect? Interesting. Did not know that I could use any wire at any length in any scenario and have zero consequences. Guess I was wrong.
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[Post 8]
Author : Kal Rubinson
Date : 01-27-07 11:44 PM
[QUOTE=usualsuspects]Really? So Low impedance speakers + high amplifier power + small gauge wire + significantly different wire length per channel = no effect? Interesting. Did not know that I could use any wire at any length in any scenario and have zero consequences. Guess I was wrong.[/QUOTE]Well, if you use crappy and inappropriate cables, all bets are off. OTOH, with decent cables, differences in length are irrelevant unless, as I said, the differences are many times greater than the major dimensions of most homes.
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[Post 9]
Author : usualsuspects
Date : 01-27-07 11:54 PM
I think it was pretty clear that my example of 20ga in my first post eluded to idea of inadequate wiring size being the issue here, and the the vast majority of installs would have no problem because they had sufficient current carrying capacity. Is it me, or did everyone else miss the point here? Perhaps I should not have said anything about delays in digital receivers - I realize that has nothing to do with the issue, it is just a part of channel adjustments in modern pre/pros or receivers. I get it that wire length difference is a tiny factor assuming that the wire gauge is adequate. Wow, the sharks are out tonight.
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[Post 10]
Author : Kal Rubinson
Date : 01-28-07 12:01 AM
It's a slow night here.
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[Post 11]
Author : karrman
Date : 01-28-07 12:27 AM
Title : Thanks
Thanks all. I enjoyed the responses and appreciated the info.
It sounds like my 12 gauge wire should be find at all different lengths. :)
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The messages has been download from AVS Forum at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb at 28.01.2007 12:28:03
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