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40ft: speaker cable or interconnect?

After reconfiguring my HT my LCR speakers are about 40 feet from my amp (Bryston 5b-st). I used to have 20-25 ft. runs and things sounded good. I used Frank's (Signal Cable) classic speaker cables.

Now that I've added another 15 feet, should I switch over to interconnects and relocate my amp near the speakers? Aesthetically, I prefer not to do this, but if 40 feet of speaker run isn't recommended, I'd consider it. I might also switch over to mono amps if I did this to minimize foot print up front (maybe Nuforce Ref9 or the like.)

Thanks,
John
jkscherk
jkscherk OP
25 posts
 
While my amp is balanced (Bryston 5B-ST) I'm driving it from a Denon 3806 receiver (obviously unbalanced.) I went through a bunch of gear including Outlaw 990, Halo C2, Sherbourne 7/2100A and Gemstone to arrive where I am now. I wanted a good sounding setup while the whole HDMI thing gets settled. Therfore, using balanced would required some new gear (pre/pro and amp for the other channels.)

I've compared the cost between Frank's Analog 2 interconnect and the Basic speaker cable. "Frankly" (couldn't resist) its a wash....the cost is about the same. I'm sure you could spend more in either application if you wanted to.

Thanks for the input so far!!! :-)
tgrisham
1,179 posts
 
The Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 is what I chose because of the same situation. Plain vanilla, but I wanted a shielded cable due to running it very near other interconnects, AC lines and outlets. The cost for 40 foot pair is $110 plus shipping. I placed the amps right next to the speakers and used short speaker cables. It worked for me. If it doesn't suit you, you can return them in 30 days for a full refund. Have fun experimenting!

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm
tonyptony
500 posts
 
John, one thing to keep in mind is the output impedance of your preamp and the input impedance of the amp. I was in the same situation as you last year, and discovered to my dismay that my old amp's input stage oscillated uncontrolably with long ICs. I don't think this will happen with the Bryston, but you may want to call both Bryston and your pre's manufacturer to see if there are any recommendations in this scenario.
jkscherk OP
25 posts
 
I tired last night to get a balanced connector through the flexible conduit but it won't fit. Unbalanced works fine. I don't want to push the wire through and then put a connector on after it passes through. That means I'd need to use unbalanced or speaker level.

Sounds like some thought unbalanced over this long a run is no better than speaker cable. Does that sound like the general consensus?
essentialaudio
1,147 posts
 
I recommend balanced interconnects when using long runs. Single ended ones suffer from high frequency roll-off and also can be much more susceptible to noise, which are significant reasons why balanced connections used exclusively in professional applications.
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