Long interconnects or speaker cables?


I've just purchased a new amp and may need to reconfigure my listening room and I'm wondering, which is better a long interconnect run and short speaker cables or the opposite? I'm running the preamp out jacks of a Bryston B-60 into a conrad-johnson premiere 11a.
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Showing 3 responses by redkiwi

With long ICs you tend to pick up more grain than with short ICs, less so with balanced ICs. With long speaker cables you tend to lose immediacy and soundstage size compared with short speaker cables. You will also hear more of the speaker cable's "sound" the more of it is used (not so noticeable with ICs). On balance the preferable trade off is long ICs and short speaker cables, as Tom_nice says, but is usually more expensive (ie. an extra foot of interconnect is usually dearer than an extra foot of speaker cable, at similar quality levels). Be sure you take the time to get an interconnect you really like since that is where your money will be going.
Samir. My experience with the Wireworld speaker cables is that they are of at least moderate capacitance. I wonder if the longer length is therefore giving you a more relaxed and distant sound (or to put it another way, a less forward sound) and that this is what you prefer? Can you describe what you like about the longer length and the amp you are using? I am interested because I have had the opposite experience when shortening Wireworld Gold Eclipse - ie. I liked shorter lengths, but this was because I preferred the greater immediacy.