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Speaker cable length for L/R channels critical?

I have a good system that utilizes some older discontinued speaker cable that I like a lot. It is 10 feet in length and I need that length to reach the left speaker. The amp is not (and cannot be) located center between the speakers.
The problem is I wish to biwire and have an opportunity to buy a 6 foot pair. The question is this: Can I run both 10 foot cables to the left speaker and run the 6 foot pair to right without any wierd effects like "ghosting" or have one channel be clearer or louder than the other? Any ideas? Thanx
ceb222
barrelchief
290 posts
 
Recommedations have always been to keep the cable lengths the same, regardless of speaker distance from your amp. It has to do with keeping the timing the same between your left and right channels.
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
At the speed that sound travels, I'm not sure you could hear any "timing" differences in 4ft of cable. I've done it both ways without hearing any differences. However, if the cable differences were say, 10ft or more, there may be some audible timing issues. Recommendations seem to be to keep everything as symetrical and equal as possible (cable length, toe-in, speaker types, etc).
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Mt10425...At the speed sound travels, (about 1000 ft/sec) a 10 foot difference would matter. But what travels in speaker cables is electricity, not sound, and at about 982 Million feet per second there will be no measurable timing difference between speakers. Loudness, and tonal quality will get you an argument about 10 feet. (But the same would be true about 6 inches!)
morbius396c
134 posts
 
The speed of light in a vacuum is 974 million feet
per second.

Electricity in copper travels at about 94% of the speed of
light in a vacuum.

Therefore, the signal travels at 916 million feet per
second in the cable.

Therefore, the difference in timing for a 4 foot difference
in cable length is about 4 nanoseconds[ billionths of a second ].

An easy rule of thumb is to remember that light travels
about 1 foot per nanosecond.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
In context of speaker wires, the difference between 982 Million feet per second, and 916 Million feet per second is something that only a Physicist would worry about :)
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