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Speaker cables if your amp isn't between your speakers

Hi, I'm hoping for some advice on upgrading my speaker cables. My amp (and the rest of my equipment) sits to one side of my speakers. This means one  speaker is about four feet from the amp, and the other is 10-12 feet. I'm thinking of upgrading my speaker cables and it seems I either need to buy a set of cables 10-12 feet long or buy cables that can be ordered to length.  Buying a matching pair will obviously cost more and will be less tidy. Ordering specific lengths seems to decrease the choice significantly (at least in Australia where I live). I'm interested in what others have done in this situation. Spend the extra and deal with the mess, or go custom. My speakers are Wilson Audio Duette series 1 and my amp is a Plinius integrated. My current cables are the base model anticables   Thanks in advance. 
daniel_b
daniel_b OP
8 posts
 
Hi all, there are some great suggestions here that have given me plenty to think about. I must say I find speaker cable selection to be one of the hardest parts of this hobby to make sense of! Thanks to all who responded. 
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
A few feet of difference will not make a sound difference. In my rig I have 8 feet on one side and 15 feet on the other. No issue at all with sound quality. Just purchase some bulk Duelund stranded 16 gauge cable in cotton from Parts Connextion. Do not terminate and use the bare tinned wire for best sound quality. It will sound amazing and cost you very little.   This wire beats speaker cables costing more than $2000 a set. Many of us seasoned and experienced Aphiles are onto this secret! Great wire! 
lak's avatar
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lak
4,528 posts
 
+1 grannyring!
daniel_b OP
8 posts
 
Hey @grannyring on your recommendation I've ordered some Duelund cable.  I went for the 12 AWG. Figured it's worth a try and I've got very little to lose. 
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
Good for you. Be sure to twist the positive and negative runs as you make up your cables. The twist should be about every 1.75- 2 inches or so. Use heat shrink on the ends to keep the cable twisted.

Carefully strip the ends without nicking any of the thin strands. Clean the stripped ends with isopropyl alcohol as there will be some dry oil residue on the surface....just a little. Since the wire is tinned no need for any connectors.

They will take some 100 hours to burn in and sound more relaxed and open.

I think your speakers are biwire. If so, rather than making jumpers simply strip enough of the cotton sleeve off to thread through both sets of posts in a continuous run.
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