6-8 feet? Any decent 16 gauge speaker wire ought to do.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#thetruth

I tried a 10 gauge zip cord and my friend's MIT 750E cables in my system. I heard NO difference. I find there is a much bigger difference when using different interconnects than speaker cables.

Speaker cables connect amplifiers to the speakers. Interconnect cables connect various components to one another such as CD player to the pre-amp, a preamp to the amplifier, etc.

For me, cables and interconnects are just a bit of nice polishing shine on a system that I am otherwise pleased with - and finding the right cables for a system takes effort.

With the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn't worry about cables for now and put any "extra" money you have into more music or a romantic evening. Fuss over wire when you have concluded that your system is as good as you can otherwise make it (speaker setup, etc.) and have truly extra money lying around to play with. The yuck/buck ratio when buying wire is low, at least for me.

(good political similes by the way.)

Quote:
I wouldn't worry about cables for now and put any "extra" money you have into more music or a romantic evening. Fuss over wire when you have concluded that your system is as good as you can otherwise make it (speaker setup, etc.) and have truly extra money lying around to play with.

Wise words by Elk, as always. I'd check out Anti-Cables if I were you. They'll only run you 10 bucks a foot plus 25 for spade termination & 45 for bananas. So you'll get your 6' speaker cable set for $85.

http://www.anticables.com/

A great budget speaker cable is Cardas Twinlink. Very warm w/ excellent midrange. They cost more than Anti-Cables, but I can personally recommend them as I'd used them for a while. They sounded excellent with my Harbeth speakers (British), so I'm sure they'll be great with your British ProAcs... sorry to be so racist! =) I couldn't fault them at all... if you get them new from Cardas, request BFA termination. Much better contact with terminals... I don't think Cardas charges extra over the regular bananas...

Also, look on audiogon.com. You'll get better prices & cables sound better used, broken-in anyways...

> But, how much do I need to spend on speaker wire? I need to go about 6-8
> feet from my integrated Marantz PM7001 amp to my ProAc Tabblette
> speakers.

It depends what the speaker wire is going to mean to you.

For example, if the possession of good wire in the eyes of the audiophile community is important to you then I would recommend listening to the recommendations of audiophiles and going with whatever explanation seems convincing to you.

On the other hand, if you are not going to be emotionally involved with the cable (people are usually emotionally involved with the luxury goods they purchase) or cannot bring yourself to believe in the properties audiophile cables then I would suggest buying a suitable length of cable from an electrical or hardware shop. The problem with buying cable from an audiophile shop is that the markup is almost always large compared with the main products because of the way marketing of audiophile cables works. However, you can use this to your advantage if buying a set of speakers because the store owners will usually jump at the chance of including cables when haggling the price down.

A word of warning if you do opt for an audiophile cable: audiophiles usually do not appreciate how they are viewed by nonaudiophiles and, particularly, those with a technical understanding of audio. Denon of all companies has recently introduced an audiophile cable into their range (it would be interesting to know why given what it has inevitably started to do to the Denon brand image) and the customer reviews on Amazon are perhaps a wise and amusing read (for nonaudiophiles):

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM

Try the Supra Ply 3.4/S if you have the possibility. It' a open and dynamic wire suited for the marantz. It's not expensive either.

Blue Jeans Cable seems to be a popular choice for the budget-minded:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

nice link, andy19191. Here's an excerpt of what person "G.P." says about the interconnect:

"If I could use a rusty boxcutter to carve a new orifice in my body that's compatible with this link cable, I would already be doing it. I can just imagine the pure musical goodness that would flow through this cable into the wound and fill me completely -- like white, holy light. Holding this cable in my hands actually makes me feel that much closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. I only make $6.25/hr at Jack In The Box, but I saved up for three months so I could have this cable. It sits in a shrine I constructed next to my futon in Mother's basement.
I only gave it four stars in my review because I can't find music that is worthy enough to flow through this utterly perfect interconnect."

I bought a set of the Cardis twinlinks used from used cable.com

http://www.usedcable.com/

Very good cables and at about 1/2 off.

Good call, JIMV. They really are fantastic for the money, even better at 1/2 off!

andy19191 nailed it right IMO.

as a music lover, composer and owner of a music production studio, i recommend oxygen-free, triple-wrapped double-insulated Sonically Shielded AmpliSized Egyptian Llama cables..

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

i'm not saying you should actually be using coat hangers, but the cables that came with your setup are probably just fine. but hey, if you're drowning in money dude, go ahead with the "hi-fi" wires..

sarcasm is considered as being civil, right?

As you hearing becomes more attuned to what the Proac's and the amp do, you will find that placing better wire in the system becomes a 'noticeable' thing.

I find that the Anti-cables are a good place to start. That's the kind of thing I'd be making for myself (sort-of*) if I wasn't already as far along in my 'audio quest' as I now am. I'm at the point now that listening to a good system hooked up with 'lamp cord is akin to being smeared in shite, then gasoline... and then set of fire and dragged behind a truck.

I'm not serious, but if I had to choose between the two (bad wire on a good system or the above mentioned torture)...I just might actually hesitate for a second or two.

*I have an EXCELLENT geometry and design that is definitely 100% DIY-able, and someday hope to share it. It has about 15 years of thinking on electrical function tied up in it.