Is it better getting closer?

[ED K]

Even though the sound is great now, I was interested in knowing if anyone has experience in moving the amp closer to the speaker. I currently have a pair of Bryston 7B-SST monoblocks driving a pair of B&W 802Ds with 12ft good quality speaker cables. Would it be better to shorten the speaker cables, say to 2ft, and increase the balanced input to the amp to 10ft?

[miner]

I will take a stab; IMHO, shorter IC is better than shorter speaker cables. 12 ft is not abnormally far. I currently am running 2-25' lengths of run-of-the-mill biwire cable and sound/quailty is good.

[worldys]

I will take a stab; IMHO, shorter IC is better than shorter speaker cables.

funny because i always thought it was the other way around, longer ics better than longer speaker cables, isn't part of the advantage of having monoblocks is to position very close to the speaker? thought it had something to do with a current vs. signal loss correlation, but i am no engineer, does anyone know which is better?

if it doesn't make a sonic difference, interconnects are usually cheaper by foot than speaker cable

[Karma]

HI All,
I don't have a solid opinion. I have had systems set up both ways. Usually, the set up was driven by convenience and physical room limitations. I have always thought that the small interconnect line level signals were more fragile than the hefty, high voltage, high current speaker signals. But, if pressed I would have to concede that this is just my opinion.

In general, keeping all cables as short as possible is best. This one of the best justifications for remote controls. That and maintaining one's standing in the couch potato community. I'm a member in good standing. They allow the entire system to be physically close together.

I do know that you will get strong opinions on both sides of the issue. One thing is for sure true. Balanced inputs and outputs on modern equipment came about primarily because of the current practice of having long, noise prone interconnects.

Sparky

[Race Car Driver]

I know some say shorter speaker wire the better, i IMO i dont know how you would hear a difference in cutting down from 12-2 feet on your speaker wire, keeping everything else the same, same kind of wire and all.

All just my opinion.
When I move my equipment for a better layout to keep the room cleaner, I will have short 2-3 foot signal cables, with about 20 foot 12 gauge monster speaker wire.

[Eliav]

IMHO interconnections are conveying a much weaker signal generated by a weak source (relatively weak pre/pro power unit). this is why longer ICs are more likely to cause significant signal decay . With speaker cables, being driven by a pwoerful source ( the power amp), the decay is less significant unless being conveyed through extremely long cables.
Eliav

[NonSense]

funny because i always thought it was the other way around, longer ics better than longer speaker cables, isn't part of the advantage of having monoblocks is to position very close to the speaker? thought it had something to do with a current vs. signal loss correlation, but i am no engineer, does anyone know which is better?

if it doesn't make a sonic difference, interconnects are usually cheaper by foot than speaker cable

I'm sure there are several good reasons for companies to make mono blocks, including the one you mentioned, but near the top of the list of reasons you will likely find channel separation. Mono blocks are the ultimate in L/R separation. Separate power supplies, no chance of circuit interaction, and the possibility of using separate dedicated circuits from the electrical panel. IMO, they don't necessarily need to be placed near the speaker to enhance a systems performance. I think it may be system/situation dependant.

I would also argue the generalization that interconnects are not always cheaper by the foot. A 10 foot pair of speaker cables are much more common than a 10 foot pair of balanced interconnect. With economies of scale playing a huge role in pricing. I would argue that you may find a better deal looking for a 1 meter pair of interconnect and a 12 foot pair of speaker cables than if you needed a 1 meter pair of speaker cable and a 12 foot pair of balanced interconnect. The 12' interconnect would likely be a custom order and not a standard package length.

Either way I wouldn't let the cost of the cabling influence the decision if one configuration outperformed the other. I would likely pay the penalty to get the performance.

[Sim reality]

I think this is drifting into the realm of theoretically versus practically...

Theorectically a good quality IC will always give a better output signal then a unshielded wire pair used in speakers...

Practically speaking, 80-90% of the noise in good IC creeps in where the IC terminates. Which means if you can locate the Amps in the least electically noisy environment, with the shortest runs (so that is less energy loss due to resistance) you should get the best performance.

What that means in your setup really depends on you.

[Briz vegas]

Nonsense
Surely it is not a good idea to mix metric interconnects with imperial speaker cable! :rofl: Sorry, could not resist that one.

Like many things in hifi maybe the solution is to borrow the interconnects and cables from you local friendly hifi retailer and compare the two at home. Maybe there is no difference between the two as the overall distance is the same and the signal degradation is minimal due to the quality of the cables and ICs you are using.

[Kobus]

HI All,
I have always thought that the small interconnect line level signals were more fragile than the hefty, high voltage, high current speaker signals. Sparky

I agree with this and will be hard pressed to believe otherwise. The logic is right.

Kobus

[ED K]

Thanks for the comments. I think I will keep the CD player I have now and save my penneys for a very good DAC.
Any suggestions on the DAC? Even though the cost is out there, I'm looking at the Mac DAC.

[ED K]

opps,,,,wrong thread!