Speaker cable for B&W 685 S2

srikar2011

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Hi friends,

Suggest me good budget speaker cables that suits my B&W 685 S2 speakers. I like warm sound. Budget 3 to 8k. I am open for used cables within Bangalore.

Regards
Srikar
 
Get The Chord Company Clearway for Rs 610/mtr from ProFx Bangalore. The Clearway beats the competition thrice it's price hands down. Look for reviews in Google!
 
Lamp cord a.k.a electrical wire (good quality) is the Swiss equivalent of speaker cables. Honestly neutral, as it should be.
Check if you can source good quality 2.5 sq mm electrical wire (brands like Finolex, Havells, etc) from your local electrical store.
Cost will work out to a fraction of branded speaker wire.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Hi,

There are lots of brands out there and ample reviews available over google.

Depending on the distance of speakers from the amp/avr, you need to first decide the gauge..this would be from 14AWG to 16AWG......it would be mentioned in the operations or setup manual provided with the speakers...

I have been using a Taiwan based brand 16AWG for the past 5 years now and there is no issue or loss in output....
 
If you want big and fuller soundstage, cable more than 14 awg or more(thicker) is proffered.
 
Lower awg cables are thicker. Thicker cables less resistance better. 12 awg to 14 awg depending on length of cable and impedance of speakers.
 
Gauge or Cable thickness has nothing to do with fuller or thinner sound. It's all about the quality of the copper and the insulation. This is where the difference lies. Insulation and the type of insulation used and the copper quality in either multi strand or solid core is detrimental to the quality of sound. For short runs of 2.5 mtrs on either side won't make any difference whether the cable is 12,14 or 16 AWG but the insulation and the quality of the copper definitely will. Do buy good quality banana or spade connectors too. Only long runs or over 20 mtrs will be benefitted from lower AWG cables.
 
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Most cables have oxygen free copper 99.99 percent pure. And insulation is more important for in wall mounting. Insulation and shielding is more important for low level signals like turntable to preamplifier and preamplifier to power amplifier.

Silver is a better conductor but there is no significant difference in audio. The things that matter are resistance and impedance.

You are correct that there is no significant difference for short runs of 12 14 or 16 awg. However if you have a lower impedance speaker and use thin wires you can hear the difference in blind AB tests.

You are also correct that the terminations should be good and secure otherwise resistance or loose connections at the termination will definitely deteriorate audio quality.
 
Gauge or Cable thickness has nothing to do with fuller or thinner sound.
There is an audible difference. OFC cable with different gauge sound different.
Sound with 11 AWG sounds fuller to my ear.14 awg is good enough for bookshelfs. 16 awg not great for music.If you compare seriously then certainly can notice.
Cables compared-
Supra classic 4 and smaller.
Monoprice
DAC speaker cables
Audioquest 14/2

and some others.
 
You are correct that there is no significant difference for short runs of 12 14 or 16 awg. However if you have a lower impedance speaker and use thin wires you can hear the difference in blind AB tests.
Even with short lengths ,12 awg DAC and Supra classic 4 (11awg) both sounded fuller and Audioquest 14/2 soundstage was less.The sound quality of Audioquest was superior,but lost in terms of overall sound field.All cables tested without banana plugs.
 
Hi with my experience "cat5 speaker cable" is one of best cable :D further details you can find on following link: DIY Cat5 Speaker Cables and TNT tripleT more forum. I had used run my TANNOY GRF Memory HE drive by 845B Tube Mono power amp. You can find my system on following thread: http://www.hifivision.com/introductions/63058-my-audio-room.html. To be note; My home theatre completely used CAT6 cable for 7.1 speaker system. I use BELDEN Cat5 made from US, this pure OFC copper cable. I not sure commercial cable in local can meet US standard.
My wife is specialist braiding Cat5 speaker cables, I will posting next week the picture of my speaker cable. :yahoo: Rajkumar
 
Hi with my experience "cat5 speaker cable" is one of best cable :D I use BELDEN Cat5 made from US, this pure OFC copper cable. I not sure commercial cable in local can meet US standard.
My wife is specialist braiding Cat5 speaker cables, I will posting next week the picture of my speaker cable. :yahoo: Rajkumar

The DIY link suggests to avoid lengths more than 8 feet for the CAT cable. What is the longest length of the braided CAT cable in your HT set up?
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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