Recommend cables to use for VT-12

[Zoma]

I'm planning on getting the VT-12 setup next month, and I'm looking for some decent cables for it. Enthusiasts online generally seem to think Monster is overpriced. Someone suggested to me that I get 100' of Sound King 12 ga. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Lwang]

Home Depot's 14 guage cable got a pretty good review in TAS. It should be a good buy regardless whether you think it makes a difference.

[cschang]

Sound King is fine...so is the stuff from Home Depot.

[Retread]

Home Depot's 14 guage cable got a pretty good review in TAS. It should be a good buy regardless whether you think it makes a difference.

I have a LOT of distance between my receiver and some of the speakers, so I bought 12GA "speaker wire" from Home Depot. It fits neatly into the solderless banana plugs.

Speaker connections are low impedance circuits and not susceptible to interference. Further, at audio frequencies, there is no skin-effect, so the only effect of concern is resistance loss in the cables. Resistance losses are strictly a function of the resistivity of the material and the cross section of the conductor. So, unless one wants to buy cables made of solid silver, plain copper cables of large cross-section (i.e., low guage) are the way to go. Anything more (including solid silver) is a waste of money. Plain and simple, in spite of the hype.

[Lwang]

I have a LOT of distance between my receiver and some of the speakers, so I bought 12GA "speaker wire" from Home Depot. It fits neatly into the solderless banana plugs.

Speaker connections are low impedance circuits and not susceptible to interference. Further, at audio frequencies, there is no skin-effect, so the only effect of concern is resistance loss in the cables. Resistance losses are strictly a function of the resistivity of the material and the cross section of the conductor. So, unless one wants to buy cables made of solid silver, plain copper cables of large cross-section (i.e., low guage) are the way to go. Anything more (including solid silver) is a waste of money. Plain and simple, in spite of the hype.
There is inductance an capacitance to take into as factors when looking at cables. But for equipment of this design and price, it will probably be of no difference.

[Retread]

There is inductance an capacitance to take into as factors when looking at cables. But for equipment of this design and price, it will probably be of no difference.

In the absolute sense, there are both capacitance and inductance. However, at audio frequencies and speaker impedances, both inductance and capacitance are far, far below the level of negligibility.

[Lwang]

In the absolute sense, there are both capacitance and inductance. However, at audio frequencies and speaker impedances, both inductance and capacitance are far, far below the level of negligibility.
In this case with these easy to drive one way speakers, it would not be an issue. But that is not always the case if you throw in ESL and/or tube amps into the picture.

[Retread]

In this case with these easy to drive one way speakers, it would not be an issue. But that is not always the case if you throw in ESL and/or tube amps into the picture.

Why would tube amps make a difference when driving the VT-12? The speakers are very low impedance, so in order to drive power into the speakers, the amp must have very low output impedance. The inductive impedance of copper cables is orders of magnitude lower than either, and the capacitive impedance across the conductors is orders of magnitude higher than either. What is the mechanism by which an effect at audio frequencies on VT-12 impedance-level can occur?

[Lwang]

Why would tube amps make a difference when driving the VT-12? The speakers are very low impedance, so in order to drive power into the speakers, the amp must have very low output impedance. The inductive impedance of copper cables is orders of magnitude lower than either, and the capacitive impedance across the conductors is orders of magnitude higher than either. What is the mechanism by which an effect at audio frequencies on VT-12 impedance-level can occur?

I think I mentioned that it does not apply in the VT-12's case:

But for equipment of this design and price, it will probably be of no difference

[Retread]

I think I mentioned that it does not apply in the VT-12's case:

But for equipment of this design and price, it will probably be of no difference

I'm probing the earlier statement, "In this case with these easy to drive one way speakers, it would not be an issue. But that is not always the case if you throw in ESL and/or tube amps into the picture."

You said it would not always be the case if you throw in tube amps.

Regardless of price, if you have any conventional speaker, what would be the mechanism in which the capacitance and/or inductance of conventional "speaker wire" would make any practical difference?

I think the only parameters that matter are resistivity, cross-section, and length, i.e., resistance between the amp and speaker.