If a cable HAS to be long(er); do you believe it should be the Speaker Cable or IC

[Uberbrown]

So we have all been exposed to several ideas...

1) That the component stack should not be between the speakers, because it harms the soundstage.

2) That cables can introduce interference and/or become a bottleneck for the system performance if not of superior make and design.

3) That the shorter the run of cables, the better.

Etc...

So here is a scenario. You have a pair of speakers (dont we all?), and you set them up carefully so they are optimized for reproducing sound. You can either...

A) Put the amplifier between the speakers, resulting in a necessary LONG(er) IC running from the Pre/Pro...

Or...

B) Put nothing between the speakers, resulting in a necessary LONG(er) speaker cable run from the amplifier.

(I have been by some that one desires to keep speaker cables as short as possible, but then the amp is plopped in the middle of the floor. A layout compromise that is willing to be made if necessary, but will this affect soundstage?)

The question is...which one is prefered. Long(er) IC (balanced in this scenario) or Long(er) speaker cables? Which one will yield a greater performance from the gear?

Ub

[PHC1]

Longer speaker cables only if you are willing to pay for the better speaker cables. If you look at the specs, you will often see that the resistance can be 7 to 10x as much with the different levels of cables and that is per each meter. Capacitance will also vary. Some network box cables can compensate for the length but in any case, it will cost you...

[Uberbrown]

So would you agree that short runs are always preferred, but long runs are allowed if the cable is of a certain quality?

In other Words...

Will a short run with primo cable still trump a long run with primo cable?

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

So would you agree that short runs are always preferred, but long runs are allowed if the cable is of a certain quality?

In other Words...

Will a short run with primo cable still trump a long run with primo cable?

As with most cable related topics, there is no consensus as to the answer. I will give you my opinion. If possible use long balanced interconnects running from your pre located off to the side to your amps located close to your speakers. Use shorter speaker cables from the amps to your speakers. This may be less expensive too as speaker cable usually costs more too and especially if it is bi-wire.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

So would you agree that short runs are always preferred, but long runs are allowed if the cable is of a certain quality?

In other Words...

Will a short run with primo cable still trump a long run with primo cable?

Shorter runs are preferred all things considered. In the recording industry, it is not unlikely to see very long runs of balanced cables to microphones and if you think about it, you are listening to a recording made with long balanced cables. I would keep the speaker cable short and use the balance cables if possible. This option will be best unless you want to pay out the wazoo for speaker cables that will truly perform while being very long.

[Uberbrown]

Bravo...
Very helpful!...

I am just in my head and on paper going through the possible configurations, and how that may or may not translate in a house down the line.

I am thinking to stay in the 2m-3m range with the cables.
Sound OK?

Then I suppose the IC (Balanced) would be in the 5+ meter range if needed.

[Masterlu]

I concur with Serge on this one too!

Long high-end speaker cables can get insanely expensive!

[jdandy]

And long high-end balanced interconnect can get insanely expensive, too. As an example, a one meter pair of balanced Transparent Reference XL interconnects run around $8K. What would that look like at five meters?

[salmtpa]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

So we have all been exposed to several ideas...

1) That the component stack should not be between the speakers, because it harms the soundstage.


Ub

I would qualify that by saying it does not apply to dipolar speakers, which have an hourglass or figure-8 type radiation pattern with nulls on each side of the loudspeaker. I have Magnepan MG3.6s and my rack and plasma are between the speakers. Due to the null there is no splash off the plasma and the soundstage and imaging in my room is pretty sweet, with a rock solid center image.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by jdandy

And long high-end balanced interconnect can get insanely expensive, too. As an example, a one meter pair of balanced Transparent Reference XL interconnects run around $8K. What would that look like at five meters?

Some charge you much more for every .5 meters, some don't, Transparent's bulk of cost is the first meter, after that you get a break.