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June 8, 2014 - 3:31pm
#1
for inexpensive 10 gauge speaker wire... blue jeans cable?
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....it is worth $20 just to find out.
BlueJeans is the the 'working man's" brand of cables.
I recommend them for common sense, real-world wires that deliver good craftsmanship & value.
I use Mapleshade Double Helix.
Had them for 6 years.
I have a friend who reviews equipment all the time.
He has brought over all kinds stuff that I have tried in my own system.
One set was nearly $4k.
The difference was so minimal as to be essentially indistinguishable.
But that is just my experience.
I am sure there many others with differing views.
Bill - on the Hill
Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
- just an βONβ switch, Please -
Low electrical resistance is the primary performance characteristic to look for in speaker cables, in my opinion. To put it very simply it's a combination of amplifier output and cable resistance, that along with the speaker impedance that determines the damping factor. I think this is why the owners manual that came with my speakers contained a strong warning to keep loop cable resistance below .07 ohms.
Thus I chose 10 gauge cables, for the 12 Ft length I needed. The nice thing about Blue Jeans Cable's version is the ability to specify ultrasonically welded terminals in spade or banana configuration. There is not a better terminal attachment method than ultrasonic welding, again in my opinion. I do have a background in this process, and my experience is that you get the benefits of a true weld without fillers, and without the adverse affects of more common metal welding processes. It's the best method if you find you do need terminals on your wire.
For an 8 foot run, 14 gauge wire is adequate. It would probably be a complete waste of money to buy 10 gauge wire.
You can buy 50 feet of pure copper 12 gauge speaker wire from Monoprice for less than $20 (Monoprice #2747). That is what I would suggest. It also is polarity-marked, which is helpful.
10 feet of #12 wire has .0158 ohms of resistance, which is infinitesimal compared to a 4 ohm speaker.
Most speakers and amplifiers have 3-way binding posts, which allow the stripped bare wire to be inserted through the hole in the post and tightened to make a firm connection. Using bare wire ends eliminates any concerns about termination.
I'm going to keep the 14 gauge wire that I'm currently using. folks in another forum said also that my wire for my conditions is "more than adequate". thanks, john