Advice on speaker cables.
Hello. First time post here and I understand there’s no definitive answer, just looking for advice. I have a midrange system to me anyway and most of it was purchased new recently after giving up on repair of vintage gear. I’ve been using the same 12 gauge Apature copper speaker wire since 1982 and figured I would upgrade. I didn’t realize the hole I was going down. I’ve tried Blue Jean 10 white sounded dull, as well as WBC 7 gauge which I somewhat liked except bass seemed boomy at the expense of treble and midrange. Cables I’ve been advised to try are Kimber 4pr or 8pr as well as Audio Analysis oval 12. I’ve only used bare wire in the past not sure if that matters. My system is Yamaha as1200, Cxn100 streamer, Rotel 1572 mkii cd, Nakamichi oms1a cd. Speakers are Polk monitor 10a I bought new in 1982 with recently upgraded clarity cap crossovers. All interconnects are WBC. Appreciate any advice on speaker cables. Thank you.
@audphile1 thanks for clarifying that. Although I’ve had audio equipment for a long time, I’m definitely a novice. I went down a rabbit hole when my Yamaha a-960 I had listened to occasionally since 1982 couldn’t be repaired at least locally. I started by replacing the amp followed by other new components and have become somewhat obsessed with the hobby now. I placed an order of demo 8pr directly from Kimber with bananas. I have 30 days hopefully they aren’t to harsh with my peerless tweeters. I was going to connect them both lol. I don’t hate the 40 year old Apature wire but it was chopped up into unequal lengths sometime back. The two other cables I had tried both had bananas. I hope it’s not just bare wire that works best with those old speakers. The crossovers are new but I made the mistake of leaving the original binding posts. Thanks to everyone for the different recommendations and all are still being considered. Also as a newbie here I appreciate everyone’s kindness on a subject I realize can be controversial. Thanks again. |
@kmm84 congrats on the kimbers! |
I finally found a copy of the video that was created showing me demonstrating damping factor with speaker cables. Take a look, and then still try to believe that good cables don't matter, I dare ya :) Also this same problem exists with any cable driving a transducer, whether it be a speaker or a headphone driver, or ? https://danacables.com/2026/02/07/danacable_livedemo_rmaf2013/ |
My solution a month ago for speaker wire and interconnects was to upgrade to active speakers. XLR from DAC to speakers, no analog crossover, each driver has dedicated amp, DSP options for the room. Not everyone's preference but the change in audio for me was an eye opener. I don't see myself ever going back to separate components, wiring. Added bonus is no more clutter. |
