Best Budget Audiophile Speaker Cable?

[Big Jim 007]

I'm curios as to what some of you guys & gals think is the best Budget Audiophile quality Speaker Cable?

I like the Kimber 4PR wire as it just seems to deliver the goods no matter what I use it with. Also high the list is Audioquest Type 4. Both can be had with proper terminations for under $100.00 a 8' pair and rival cable costing many x more.

What are your favorites?

[gigidy5]

12 gauge lamp wire tinned:D:D:D

[Big Jim 007]

12 gauge lamp wire tinned:D:D:D

Time Warp:D:D:D

[gigidy5]

Time Warp:D:D:D

Time warp?

[Mister Pig]

I like this one alot. Its a hybrid, silver over copper. But its a double coat of silver, and it makes a difference. Nice detail, a light and airy presentation. Has most of the strengths of a good silver wire, at a decent price. Can get an 8 foot pair with terminations for about $140.

Regards
Mister Pig

[Kaffeen]

A couple pairs of jumper cables, $60 at Autozone.

[blownsi]

10 ga Belden 5T00UP gets the job done for me.

[Zilch]

The cheap stuff from Home Depot.

Stick masking tape on it says "Audiophile Grade..." :p:

[Face]

Goertz Flatwire or for silver, a foil inductor made into speaker cable.

[gyusher]

The cheap stuff from Home Depot.

Stick masking tape on it says "Audiophile Grade..." :p:


No fooling. . .14/4 or 12/2 SO or SJ cord from HD is flexibale and damned hard to beat at any price. The best part is it cost very little.

I just completly rewired my HT setup with 14/2 and 14/4 (rears, longer run twist 2 of the 4 together if so desired) and the sound quality is great. My runs are not real long or I would have gone with 12ga or lower (number).

I have a buddy who listens to speaker wire and inter connects for a living. He uses this wire only terminates it nicely and he has a 'printer' that prints his logo on the wire. . . Works for him.

I'm not a wire basher. I know there are differences that some can hear better than others but differences just the same. . .

[gogofast]

belden is my choice.

i've tried audioquest, kimber, and etc, not too much difference.
with techflex and heat shrinks, they 'look' audiophile grade, too.:D

[ValvTubeHead]

I bought a pile of these a while back...they use to offer 25ft lengths for $7.99
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

[gearhound]

12awg Beldon 5T00UP

Steve

[soundmotor]

A couple pairs of jumper cables, $60 at Autozone.

wiNnAr!!!

No problem with current carrying or not enough skin for high frequency work.

:banana:

[6bang]

I bought a pile of these a while back...they use to offer 25ft lengths for $7.99
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

Just ordered 40 feet for a twenty six dollar bill shipped. 10 feet =$4.99.Thanks for the tip!:banana:

[Inspiribomb]

I love my Zebra cables. I bought an 8' pair and IIRC they were around $100/pair. They are top-notch quality, highly recommended.

[Celt]

Time warp?

It's just a jump to the left...

[MunkeyQ]

Gale 315 cable - it's only £4($8)/metre, and it's really thick. :D I bought a bag of odd lengths in a sale, so it worked out at about £1/metre. Not bad.

[MeatLoaf]

lamp wire ftw

[lunchmeat]

12ga. landscape wire

[pauldrewry]

Here is the link to increadable DIY cables:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/triple_t_e.html

after making them, they sounded better then my Monster cables and my Ixos cables, which have recieved rave reviews from What HiFi. It's also fun. Be careful the looks are not pretty. :banana:

[gogofast]

I love my Zebra cables. I bought an 8' pair and IIRC they were around $100/pair. They are top-notch quality, highly recommended.

i tried them and loved it, but $80-$100/pair was still little too much for me. so i bought the belden wire - same type they use, and saved me lot$$$ of money.:thmbsp:

[pbda]

Blue Jeans Cable, 12 gauge. 61 cents per foot.

[Windwalker]

Thrift store computer power cords
if you look hard enough many are beldin cable
the better ones are 14/3
6' lengths usually for $1.25 or so

and it's GREEN

[twitch54]

Frank @ Signal Cables makes excellent and affordable products, IMO

[Rybeam]

A 20 KHz signal is over a mile long, traveling at near the speed of light. In other words lamp cord or silver fancy pants wire makes not one bit of difference. Buy Radio Shack lamp cord and spend the money you save on more records. IMO

[slackers]

Here's another DIY cable: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/whitelightning/moonshine.html

Haven't tried it yet, but I may.

[legalalien]

I've tried in chronological order Kimber 4PR, Audioquest type 4+, Signal Cable Classic and the current Mapleshade Golden Helix ($85 for an 8ft. pair). To me the Mapleshades are the best under a 100 buck cables out there although a lot of audiofiles look at how skinny they are and figure they can't be any good but you won't find much negative written about them and a whole lot of positive.

[Urizen]

I bought a pile of these a while back...they use to offer 25ft lengths for $7.99
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

I have a 10 ft. pair coming, just for kicks, at $4.99 ea. That's cheap for 12g shielded wire w/bananas.

Thanks for the link.

[Mchaz]

It's just a jump to the left...

AND A STEP TO THE RI-RI-RIEEE-IGHT!...

I'm currently using ethernet cable with the solids and stripes twisted together separately to make for 2 conductors per cable. I got the ethernet cable years ago from construction leftovers. I just got a box of Honeywell (box labeled Genesis) in-wall audio cable for free. There are four 16 awg stranded copper conductors in the jacket. There must be 100 ft. left in the box, and again it was leftover from construction. With all four of the conductors twisted together it looks like it will make a pretty beefy cable. :thmbsp: Oh yeah, its labeled applications are "high-end audio transmissions, stereo, professional audio and studio requirements". Is that audiophile enough?

My point is that you can get some pretty nice cable for free or very cheap, and have fun comparing. However, I have never noted much of a difference between speaker cabling as long as it was of sufficient gauge. Admittedly, if I had runs over 10 ft. maybe my opinion would change.

[Zeromancer]

I have a 10 ft. pair coming, just for kicks, at $4.99 ea. That's cheap for 12g shielded wire w/bananas.

Thanks for the link.
I just ordered the same for my vintage system.
Damn good price!

[whyaskit]

I always liked the Kimber PR4 I had. I have recently really liked plain ole 18 gauge solid core copper hook up wire. A 15' spool for just a few bucks. For me, solid core is where its at. I have some custom made silver solid core that are killer. For solid silver, not a bad price. Not as cheap as the copper, but well worth the price.

However, for $4.99 each, I may have to try that 12g wire listed earlier.

[Elfasto]

I've tried regular 12 ga primary wire, 14 ga lamp wire, and these fancy Acoustic Research 12 ga wires with the nylon core.

Not a lick of difference.

[Tapehead47]

I bought a pile of these a while back...they use to offer 25ft lengths for $7.99
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

Yes, me too, Valv.

Bought about 5 sets of differing lenghts. I don't know if the 12ga Monster/Phillips it replaced added up to any significant difference. I just felt like I was doing something to upgrade. I liked the banana plugs.

Previously I used lamp cord from the Home Depot. Before that, in the 60's and 70's I used bell wire, which was probably like 20 ga. Now THAT's ridiculous!!

Rick

[ValvTubeHead]

$1.99ea for 10 footers...? couldn't resist, had to add a few more to my pile in this length. Crazy good deal for what you get.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

[Zeromancer]

I always liked the Kimber PR4 I had. I have recently really liked plain ole 18 gauge solid core copper hook up wire. A 15' spool for just a few bucks. For me, solid core is where its at. I have some custom made silver solid core that are killer. For solid silver, not a bad price. Not as cheap as the copper, but well worth the price.

However, for $4.99 each, I may have to try that 12g wire listed earlier.
mine came in the mail yesterday
I ordered 2 - 10' ones. Great quality and price.

[Zeromancer]

$1.99ea for 10 footers...? couldn't resist, had to add a few more to my pile in this length. Crazy good deal for what you get.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106
wtf price went down even more :scratch2:

[ValvTubeHead]

wtf price went down even more :scratch2:

wtf indeed...seen it happen before, but didn't think they could go even lower

[Fisherdude]

Just bought four sets of 10' speaker cables for $7.96 + $5.95 shipping!!

12 AWG oxygen-free copper
Banana-to-banana
Gold plated connectors

That's $160.00 OFF the regular price! Couldn't pass them up!

[Will V.]

wtf indeed...seen it happen before, but didn't think they could go even lower

Wow, I just ordered a big bunch of those. I was going to go DIY, but you can't do a DIY project any cheaper, unless you're picking up cable at SA or GW, and even then... not sure!

Problem is, some of my vintage speakers need spade connectors, so I'm not sure what I'll do. I could just cut a couple of ends off, and tin the bare wire.

[Will V.]

That's $160.00 OFF the regular price!

Yeah? I saved over $550! I might have gone a little crazy.

[Fisherdude]

Yeah? I saved over $550! I might have gone a little crazy.

We could save thousands!:D

Yup, the 10' were regularly $41.99, closeout at $1.99.

[westend]

I bought a pile of these a while back...they use to offer 25ft lengths for $7.99
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106 Have you ever had the unused connection side act as a RF receptor?

[Fisherdude]

Have you ever had the unused connection side act as a RF receptor?

What unused connection side?

[westend]

What unused connection side?The banana speaker cable and combination RCA jack that was linked to by valvtubehead from Musician's friend: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

[Will V.]

We could save thousands!:D

I bought cables for speakers I don't even own yet!

Seriously, I am under the impression those banana connectors can be "stacked" so you could feasibly use two cables to make a 20-foot run, am I correct?

[Will V.]

The banana speaker cable and combination RCA jack

I think that's a female banana connector, so you can connect two cables together. Or whatever.

[Urizen]

wtf price went down even more :scratch2:

Really. The ol' saying "the early bird gets the worm" doesn't apply here, eh?:D Still cheap, though.

I just spoke with M/F customer service, and they credited me the difference. Good folks. I've used them many times over the years.

Thanks for the headsup, Fisherdude.

[Fisherdude]

Yep, no RCA jacks on these cables. Just bananas on both ends, with a female to connect one cable to another, if desired.

[Fisherdude]

Really. The ol' saying "the early bird gets the worm" doesn't apply here, eh?:D Still cheap, though.

I just spoke with M/F customer service, and they credited me the difference. Good folks. I've used them many times over the years.

Seriously? Wow, that's amazing!

I prolly wouldn't wait for it to go to 99 cents, tho...:D

[Will V.]

I've dealt with MF before, they are good. Kinda like the Wal-Mart of music gear, though.

[that70sguy]

Just ordered 40 feet for a twenty six dollar bill shipped. 10 feet =$4.99.Thanks for the tip!:banana:

The website has it at $1.99 for 10 ft. I just ordered 8 - 10' lengths (with banana plug connectors) for $21.87 total.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

[123dme]

Myself I'd go with the Signal. AQ type 4 is also very good.

http://www.signalcable.com

[hellhound94]

My recommended best speaker cable for the money: 14-gauge zip cord (also known as lamp cord) available (cut to length) at virtually any hardware store in the U.S. It's very unobtrusive and very strong...and it will outlast any piece of equipment you use it with as well as it's owner.

[Will V.]

My recommended best speaker cable for the money: 14-gauge zip cord (also known as lamp cord) available (cut to length) at virtually any hardware store in the U.S. It's very unobtrusive and very strong...and it will outlast any piece of equipment you use it with as well as it's owner.

Yeah, but the cable from MF is a pretty sweet deal... 12-gauge, 19.9 cents per foot, and it includes gold-plated stackable banana connectors. Hard to compete with that.

[Windwalker]

Yeah, but that's cable from MF is a pretty sweet deal... 12-gauge, 19.9 cents per foot, and it includes gold-plated stackable banana connectors. Hard to compete with that.


Hard to go wrong at that kind of price and with consolidated shipping
6 of each ordered

[mwicks]

Too bad shipping to Canada is like 30 bucks :(........

[jdrum1]

Wow thats a steal. I don't need any more cable, but I need to order a drum head......so might as well and some on the order!

I am using the white lightenings. Sound good to me, but I have never had "real" cables to compare them to.

[Arkay]

I started with basic "audio type" 12-gauge twisted-strand OFC cable, the kind that comes in a transparent casing. Basically nicely upgraded lamp cord, and it did the job nicely.

After a while, I started trying DIY braids using CAT5/ethernet computer wire. You can get some very decent results with that stuff, too, and I'm still using it in my office. If you buy whole box/coil from a computer-supply place, it is very cheap. Sometimes you can even get discarded coils or partial coils after they finish wiring office buildings, for peanuts or for free.

I also have some flat-ribbon type cables made from fine OFC copper, and including one pair made of multi-stranded pure silver wires. These were picked up secondhand from a dealer at the audio flea market. Currently they are in use with the DCM TF-700s, where they seem to be a nice match. I didn't like them as much with the DQ-12s as with the DCMs.

On occasion, I buy interesting-looking wires from secondhand audio shops or even more cheaply from the scrap-metal recyclers and experiment with them as speaker wires, or sometimes (if they are coaxial types) interconnects. Most of those scrap-wire experiments are disappointing, but it is fun to try, and hear the results. I have got some good, heavy-duty and shielded power cords there, though. Those usually seem to "work" fine. Also really heavy-duty grounding wire. My system is full of "overkill" in those respects. :D

A few days ago, I picked up a small coil of Tara Labs Klara Prism "pressure stranded speaker cable". Some guys I've known for years (maybe 15 or more) run a secondhand-goods shop not too far from where I live. [Well, in Hong Kong nothing is really "too far", but...] At least one of them used to be an electronics repairman, so they always have some gear, cables, CDs, etc... for sale. I helped a friend decide to buy some speakers from them recently, and they sold him some of this Tara Labs cable to go with the speakers. On a whim, I asked them what they wanted for the rest of the coil. They had measured it out for him between their arms, one meter at a time. I started measuring it the same way, but spreading my arms a bit further apart than they did. They counted six arm-spreads, and adding a foot per spread to account for the greater angle I used, they figured it was 24 feet, and knocked the price down much further because I'm an old friend and had just helped them close a sale and was buying the last remnant of a coil that had already more than paid for itself. What I didn't tell them is my sleeve length is over 39 inches, and I was actually measuring six-foot lengths with each arm-spread. I now have 36 feet of Tara Labs speaker cable --albeit the lower-end stuff from their line-- to play with, for a fraction of the usual price. :D

I will experiment with this Tara Labs stuff more formally one day soon, comparing it directly in "blind" tests to the other wires I have and perhaps try some bi-wiring experiments, too. If it turns out to be markedly superior, then I might buy some better-quality Tara labs cable for my main system, but my ears will have to prove a real superiority to me, first. It sure seems like good stuff so far, though!

[AU20K]

I'm curios as to what some of you guys & gals think is the best Budget Audiophile quality Speaker Cable?

I like the Kimber 4PR wire as it just seems to deliver the goods no matter what I use it with. Also high the list is Audioquest Type 4. Both can be had with proper terminations for under $100.00 a 8' pair and rival cable costing many x more.

What are your favorites?

Ya interested in damn good diy?

[dew042]

I like the Kimber 4PR wire as it just seems to deliver the goods no matter what I use it with. Also high the list is Audioquest Type 4. Both can be had with proper terminations for under $100.00 a 8' pair and rival cable costing many x more.

Can't agree more. I got a pair as a throw in with some subwoofers and its the first speaker wire I ever noticed a difference with. Since then I now have three sets. Love em.

dew.

[Urizen]

Fast shipping, too!

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k199/Urizen_2006/cable1.jpg

[Zeromancer]

Really. The ol' saying "the early bird gets the worm" doesn't apply here, eh?:D Still cheap, though.

I just spoke with M/F customer service, and they credited me the difference. Good folks. I've used them many times over the years.

Thanks for the headsup, Fisherdude.
Wow, I'm going to call them up and see if they will credit me the difference also.
If not, it was still a deal at $4.99 for 10'.

[Will V.]

Fast shipping, too!

They look nice! Have you tried them yet? Thoughts? I'm now wondering if I should have ordered more than fourteen of them.

[Urizen]

They look nice! Have you tried them yet? Thoughts?

Not yet. I'm revamping my BR system in the next few days and plan to use them there. I wish I'd ordered another set. They would be ideal for shotgunning to bi-wireable speakers.

[ValvTubeHead]

They look nice! Have you tried them yet? Thoughts? I'm now wondering if I should have ordered more than fourteen of them.

The only minor issue ive had is the right-angle plugs can make a tight squeeze on the back of some equipment, where the sockets are packed together; eg. receivers. Nevertheless, they do flex easy enough...all connections made, no worries.

I'd previously ordered (10)5', (2)10' and (2)25' at higher price ($4.99-10.99 deal way back when, a few months). Just ordered (10) 10' this morning...the 5footers can be a little short sometimes in my setup.

[Fisherdude]

Really. The ol' saying "the early bird gets the worm" doesn't apply here, eh?:D Still cheap, though.

I just spoke with M/F customer service, and they credited me the difference. Good folks. I've used them many times over the years.

Thanks for the headsup, Fisherdude.

Wow, I'm going to call them up and see if they will credit me the difference also.
If not, it was still a deal at $4.99 for 10'.

I wonder if they're scratching their heads, wondering where all this sudden new interest is coming from? Grumpy, this might be a good time to hit them up and see if they want to become a sponsor!:thmbsp:

[6bang]

I wonder if they're scratching their heads, wondering where all this sudden new interest is coming from? :thmbsp:

I am now swimming in these things...

[TheCrunge]

Ok this might be a stupid question. I am someone who has never really payed attention to cables. I have a new pair of Infinity Primus 162's. They have a screw in the back without a hole in it. Is it possible to connect banana plugs to this (should I just unscrew it and plug the bananas into the hole my wire would usually be in)? Or would I be better off getting some Walmart extension cord and soldering some spades to the end of that?

[MRX37]

Extension cords...

[Urizen]

They have a screw in the back without a hole in it.

Some binding post have "plugs" on the end, which pop out. Try removing one and see what the end of the post looks like, and whether it will accept bananas.

[Big Jim 007]

Ya interested in damn good diy?


Not really, as I'm pleased with what I have...I've listened to the really high-end stuff and while it was good, it wasn't enough for me to reach deeeeeep into the pockets (past the lint) to go after.

Speaker wire does make a difference because it acts like a capacitor and the less capacitance the better. It's not about the speed of sound or any of that jazz. But the less length you can get away with the better....

[markus]

I am a cheap bastard . . . . .

usually, I use Radio Shack Lampcord 16 or 18 gauge . . .

last year, my good AK friend mhardy gave me a set of DIY Cat 5 speaker cable - great stuff :thmbsp:

I'm lucky to spend $30 on a tube amp or pair of speakers . . cables for me are not a priority.

[blazen69]

Buy some zip chord and terminate with Deltron bananas.
They are the best imho. I find the connector makes the biggest difference.
Just my opinion and you know what they say about those.:D

[TheCrunge]

I guess I will have to look at my binding posts. I would like to get a pair of these, I figure they have to be at least a little better than my home depot wire.

Blazen, what is the Zip Chord you are talking about. Just curious.

If none of these things works out, I am going to try to get a Walmart Extension Cord tomorrow and find some cheap spades (Radioshack maybe) that I can pick up and play around with for now. Even if I can only crimp them for now. Although I do have a good amount of shrink tubing around at home.

[joeab]

Smite me if im wrong, but surly its just the resistance of the cable that matters... so if you get thick copper cable.... of any brand or make it will give you awsome sound ;)


Just for gods sake DO NOT EVERY buy poundland speaker wire..... i ended up using mine for a washing like ;)

[westend]

Conductance and inductance are also two attributes that are important.

[Fisherdude]

Conductance is simply the reciprocal of resistance. 1/R.

[john_w]

Smite me if im wrong, but surly its just the resistance of the cable that matters... so if you get thick copper cable.... of any brand or make it will give you awsome sound ;)


Just for gods sake DO NOT EVERY buy poundland speaker wire..... i ended up using mine for a washing like ;)


Conductance and inductance are also two attributes that are important.

Conductance is simply the reciprocal of resistance. 1/R.


Joeab - maybe it's me but I did not get your last sentance.

In any case, capacitance was mentioned previously and that's also important. I suspect that's what westend meant. To "recap": Resistance, capacitance and inductance are important factors, the latter two are dynamic and affect the dynamics of the music. Resistance is static and its affects are negligable. Not to be confused with overall impedance, of which resistance is only one component.

Regardless, if you're talking "budget" I'd say anything beyond good old 14 gauge copper stranded wire (excluding Monster cable - which IMO is way overpriced) is really getting into diminishing returns.

So, I guess my conclusion would be ....

LEEEETS DOOOO THE TIIIME WAAARP AGA-AIN!!!! :banana::banana::banana:

[joeab]

Joeab - maybe it's me but I did not get your last sentance.


ahh Poundland is a shop here in england where everything is a pound (thats about 2 bucks) and you can get 12 feet of THE WORST EVERY speaker wire....

:D the joy ;)

[blazen69]

What i meant to say was any decent quality spool wire with the Deltrons will
do. I hate to say this but i am using the dollar a foot Monster stuff with
the Deltron bananas and the sound doesn't leave me wanting for much.
I despise Monster as a company but some of their stuff ain't half bad.

[TheCrunge]

I really wish I could just roll with those nice cheap cables and be done with it. Stupid Infinity and their lack of banana support.

[TheCrunge]

Well I picked up the extension cord from Walmart today. I also got a cheap pack of spades. However the spades fit into neither my speaker nor my receiver. I can use banana's in the receiver, but the Infinities have these stupid giant binding posts on them that are basically a solid screw covering a post with a small hole on the post for wire.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what kind of terminations I should be using here?

[Will V.]

Well I picked up the extension cord from Walmart today. I also got a cheap pack of spades. However the spades fit into neither my speaker nor my receiver. I can use banana's in the receiver, but the Infinities have these stupid giant binding posts on them that are basically a solid screw covering a post with a small hole on the post for wire.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what kind of terminations I should be using here?

Are those not 5-way binding posts? Sounds like that's what they are. I think you can use banana plugs in the small hole, can't you? Do they not also have a banana female on the end? I think spade connectors should work, but you might need to find ones large enough for the post. You can just use bare or tinned wire, though.

[TheCrunge]

I have bare wire for now. I need to tin it however. I need to try'n find a nice cheap soldering iron in the next week and some cheap solder. They sound good so far though.

Any suggestions for cheap bananas? Everywhere I see them, you need to order in bulk quantities or pay $5 for shipping on $2 worth of tiny connectors.

[Will V.]

I don't know where to get cheap banana connectors. To tin your speaker wire ends, though, just go to Radio Shack and get a cheap soldering iron and some silver solder. Maybe about $15.

[Elfasto]

Go to NAPA, get some large connectors that will fit under the binding post cap. They work well, tougher than hell, and you can cut some extra wire so it pokes out of the crimp and you dab a bit of solder there. Easy, cheap, reliable.

If I can run 50 amps @ 14.4 volts thru those automotive connectors running hydraulic powerpacks, then they are more than suitable for audio. They aren't the prettiest to look at, but function over form sometimes has to prevail.

[Will V.]

Can you be more specific about the type of automotive connectors to look for? They sound interesting.

[Elfasto]

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/05_electricalcon_B.gif

It's a spade terminal, just like the 2nd and 3rd from the top of the picture, but without the flanges. The locking spade terminals would probably work well. They come in either insulated or non-insulated. If you purchase the non-insulated spades then get a few pieces of heat shrink tubing to go over the crimp area of the connector.

Depending on your wire, AWG 10-12 connectors would be up your alley, but 14-16 are pretty common as well. 14 AWG would be ample for most amps.

[Paul C]

I go to the Automotive section of Walmart, the car stereo section, and buy the spools of Royal Cable Company speaker wire.

It has a heavy transparent vinyl jacket that is very flexible and polarity is clearly marked. It looks like the "high priced spread".

I also use this in my crossovers and driver hookup inside speaker cabinets.

[westend]

I go to the Automotive section of Walmart, the car stereo section, and buy the spools of Royal Cable Company speaker wire.

It has a heavy transparent vinyl jacket that is very flexible and polarity is clearly marked. It looks like the "high priced spread".

I also use this in my crossovers and driver hookup inside speaker cabinets.Same here. Best I've found.

[mwicks]

I tried some Wal Mart car speaker wire and found it produced a really sharp, unflattering high end and sucked out midrange on both my system. Is the stuff you guys are using the copper/silver stuff with silver and blue coatings? The wire I got was 16 gauge too (just to clarify).

[Zilch]

Measure.... :banghead:

[mplsbob]

I suggest you go big (14gauge or 12gauge) before you spend buckets on the nuances of different cables. A 10-foot run of Belden 5000 12gauge will cost you about $6. See what that gets you before spending too much.

As an aside: I walk cautiously into cable purchases as I usually don't hear too many differences, but I did when I nominally upped wire gauge from 14 to 12 for my home theater receiver, a Pioneer Elite mid-fi receiver spec'd at 140 w/ch. Weighing half that of a vintage 2-channel claiming the same, it's charged with driving 5,6,7 speakers. That's a lot more work, with a much smaller power supply. The more you can get the speaker wire out of the way (thicker wire) on taxed systems, the better. I always recommend the thickest wire possible, especially for notoriously underpowered home theater receivers that already can sound like they're running uphill the entire time.

[deeder7001]

I just use the cheap 16gauge stuff from RS. Sounds fine to me. 50ft for $12(or w/e it was).

[Art K.]

Best buy = Tributaries 14 gauge biwire...little over $1 a foot...truly a bargain!

[TheCrunge]

I made the Walmart Extension cord cables up last week and they sound pretty good so far. My only problems involve tinning the ends of them (which should be easier if I get some rosin core solder and better flux).

The only thing I have left is to find some of these soldering supplies (to add to my nice $6 harbor freight soldering iron) and possibly some cheap bananas that will work for me in the future.

[Russellc]

Here is the link to increadable DIY cables:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/triple_t_e.html

after making them, they sounded better then my Monster cables and my Ixos cables, which have recieved rave reviews from What HiFi. It's also fun. Be careful the looks are not pretty. :banana:

This actually works very well. I am using 25 ft runs. Use plenum type cat 5....I braided 3 runs instead of 6 like in your post, but the 6 is dandy for bi wire.

Russellc

[ValvTubeHead]

Looks like the 10'fters went fast:scratch2: hehe, 5's are still dirt cheap.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Dual-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=336106

Some might be interested in these flavors (10' lengths still available @$1.99ea):

speakon to banana:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Speakon-to-Banana-Speaker-Cable-25?sku=330202

1/4"male to banana:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-14-to-Banana-Speaker-Cable?sku=330203



my stash $25.85 delivered :tresbon: :

http://www.mediamulch.com/images/Audiofile/Hi-Fi%20set/mfcable.jpg

[mwicks]

I've gotta put in a vote for Mapleshade Golden Helix being the BEST speaker wires I've used as of yet. I've compared them next to Monster Standard, generic speaker wire, Kimber 4TC and the Planet Waves 12 gauge and none come NEAR close to the Mapleshade's realistic sound. Seriously worth a go if you're willing to spend around 100 bucks on a pair of cables.

[dmax99]

Cat 5e is working for me.