Guys, I am in the process of upgrading my onkyo system 22 gauge speaker wire to something thicker. Do all the wires have to be the same length? For example, I need about 6' wire to run to my center channel but 35' to the farthest surround speaker.
Will there be a noticeable delay if all the wires are different lengths? Or should I just break down and make all the wire length 30'.
Thanks in advance
Caliking
03-07-04, 01:56 AM
it is best for at least your fronts to be same length as R and L. your rears same length also.
WojtekZ
03-07-04, 02:49 AM
Do a quick google search using the following terms:
"speaker cable length delay"
The general consensus is that cable length makes no distance. On the other hand, using a sound meter to calibrate your system can make a big difference.
gotapex
03-07-04, 03:23 AM
Nah, cables do not have to be the same length. Just get something of proper gauge for your required length and you should be fine.
If you're worried about the sound delay on your rear speakers, electricity moves through wires near the speed of light, so simply move your head closer to the rear speakers by like a billionth of an inch. ;)
asabase
03-07-04, 08:24 AM
Length won't affect delay at all. If the distances are significantly different, the output levels will vary. But that is easily fixed with a balance adjustment in the receiver.
SFranke
03-07-04, 04:24 PM
Electrons move through wire at a speed ~10^8 m/s, nearly equivalent to the speed of light in a vacuum.
iove
03-07-04, 04:48 PM
Thanks for all the replies. I'm glad it doesnt make a difference cause I just screwed up cutting the lengths.
asabase
03-07-04, 05:55 PM
The speed of electron's movement is really only a few tens of cm/sec. Current applied at one end of a wire will appear near instantaneously at the other end, but it won't be the same electron you put in. Each one bumps the next one down the wire.
The speaker wire length debate probably started because someone thought the parasitic capacitance and inductance in speaker wire was enough to induce a phase delay in the signal at the speaker. The values are too small to matter though, especially at audio frequencies.
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