OMG when did speaker cable get so expensive???

OMG when did speaker cable get so expensive???

Author
Discussion

W12GT

Original Poster:

3,502 posts

220 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
quotequote all
I'm just looking for cabling to wire in my B&W surround sound and thought I'd look up what I'm using what I have on my Hi Fi which I absolutely love - The Cord Company Rumour 2 - holy moly it's expensive - just to get what I've got already is circa £500 bi-wired (I didn't pay anywhere near that amount 5 years ago) - it will be nearly £1k with connections!

It will be a dedicated cinema room but I still have to build the main part of the house so I'm not sure I can justify that on cabling - anyone recommend a good cheaper alternative?

DavidY

4,458 posts

283 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
quotequote all
Many studios are wired with Van Damme Blue or Black, if its good enough for them, its good enough for me!!

http://www.van-damme.com/23.html


Crackie

6,386 posts

241 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
quotequote all
W12GT said:
I'm just looking for cabling to wire in my B&W surround sound and thought I'd look up what I'm using what I have on my Hi Fi which I absolutely love - The Cord Company Rumour 2 - holy moly it's expensive - just to get what I've got already is circa £500 bi-wired (I didn't pay anywhere near that amount 5 years ago) - it will be nearly £1k with connections!

It will be a dedicated cinema room but I still have to build the main part of the house so I'm not sure I can justify that on cabling - anyone recommend a good cheaper alternative?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-2-5mm-Loud-Speaker-Cable/dp/B003CZBNJ2/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1425194965&sr=8-13&keywords=speaker+cable

if you want terminated http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverback-Speaker-Sewell-...

if you're feeling flush and want connections fitted. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-2-5mm-Loud-Speaker...

Edited by Crackie on Sunday 1st March 07:58

Hoover.

5,988 posts

241 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
quotequote all
Jesus I'm still smarting at the silver anaveresy I bout 10 years ago ..... bi wired for fronts and standard for rears .. it was in the hundreds but the thousands .. yikes

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
Once you've got the cable, don't forget you'll need to fit it. I'm still struggling to find a decent solution.
I wish I'd bought the self-adhesive backed cable.

W12GT

Original Poster:

3,502 posts

220 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
Pints said:
Once you've got the cable, don't forget you'll need to fit it. I'm still struggling to find a decent solution.
I wish I'd bought the self-adhesive backed cable.
New build - unfortunately the cinema room is the only room I am keeping from the old house. Buring cables in conduit and re plastering once the oak work is finished.

VEX

5,256 posts

245 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
That is a lot to spend on cable when there would be little benefit.

I used THX certified 14/4 and 12/2 from Liberty Cable and trade it was less than that.

V.

VEX

5,256 posts

245 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
And it is the price of copper that is causing the increases.

Year on year increases have been mad.

V.

Troubleatmill

10,210 posts

158 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
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Oxygen free copper is oxygen free copper.. Just make sure you have enough thickness/ strands ( e.g. Not bell wire )

I think the Randi organisation offered $1 Million for anyone who could tell the difference between speaker cables in double blind tests.

To date - no one has won the prize.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

If anyone does tell you they can tell the difference - ask them to apply to take Randi's test.
They won't - and if they did - they would fail.

Roso

213 posts

161 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
It became so expensive around the same time that people started paying for it. just get the cheapest sort and put the rest of the money towards good speakers.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nordost-Valhalla-Speaker...

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
The world has gone mad.

darreni

3,759 posts

269 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
I used this for my home cinema install:

http://www.qed.co.uk/qed_professional/qx16/2_and_q...

I used the 16/4 for front speaker bi wire & 16/2 for the rest.

Less than £100 for a 100m box & superb quality.

FlossyThePig

4,083 posts

242 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
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bulldong said:
The world has gone mad.
Hans Christian Andersen had the answer.

bsdnazz

762 posts

252 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
Troubleatmill said:
Oxygen free copper is oxygen free copper.. Just make sure you have enough thickness/ strands ( e.g. Not bell wire )

I think the Randi organisation offered $1 Million for anyone who could tell the difference between speaker cables in double blind tests.

To date - no one has won the prize.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

If anyone does tell you they can tell the difference - ask them to apply to take Randi's test.
They won't - and if they did - they would fail.
As above.

When I wired in our 7.1 A/V system (2 * Mission 773es, matching centre and 4 * 77DS) I went to Richer Sounds and bought 50M of their finest cheap, thick speaker cable. 8 years on we're still very happy with it.

I'm in the copper is copper camp...

alock

4,224 posts

210 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
bsdnazz said:
I'm in the copper is copper camp...
Sometimes a cable that looks like copper is actually copper coated aluminium.

A cheap copper cable will be far better than an expensive cable that is actually aluminium.

cheddar

4,637 posts

173 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
VEX said:
And it is the price of copper that is causing the increases.

Year on year increases have been mad.

V.
Copper costs less now than at any time in the last 5 years, peak was 2011, it's almost half the price now than it was then.

JustinP1

13,330 posts

229 months

Monday 2nd March 2015
quotequote all
Troubleatmill said:
Oxygen free copper is oxygen free copper.. Just make sure you have enough thickness/ strands ( e.g. Not bell wire )

I think the Randi organisation offered $1 Million for anyone who could tell the difference between speaker cables in double blind tests.

To date - no one has won the prize.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

If anyone does tell you they can tell the difference - ask them to apply to take Randi's test.
They won't - and if they did - they would fail.
When you actually look at how Randi defined his own test, it does not imply the same as you have stated.

Randi's challenges are to prove the paranormal. His definition of that is something that cannot be shown with science or measurement. On top of that, the rules are that you have to do a 'pre-test' under their conditions, and if you succeed they then have total control over the rules of the 'real' test.

The amount of real tests were literally a handful. Additionally, to apply you have to have a current media presence and the backing of a reputable academic in the field.

So, for someone to successfully win $1m from Randi, a speaker cable listener would need to be someone with a media presence, and backed by an academic, in being able to hear something that cannot be measured.

As even similar looking speaker cables will perform differently with differing electrical properties, clearly, this is not applicable for winning the test.

That doesn't stop people with the belief that all speaker cables must perform the same way referring to the above though. smile


To the OP, I've got a system which cost upwards of £30,000 in total, as I am a sound engineer. I've got great speakers, however the rears are hooked up with cable which is a few quid a metre, if that.

In terms of impact, very little is sent to the rear channels compared to the front, and in any case, the sound is reflected around before it gets to your ear, as of course the cartilage of your ear is between your 'ear hole' and the speaker.

Save your money for something that makes more of an overall impact. smile

philv

3,912 posts

213 months

Monday 2nd March 2015
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Van damm blue 4 or 6 mm very good.

Prices good off ebay

nelly1

5,630 posts

230 months

Monday 2nd March 2015
quotequote all
Roso said:
It became so expensive around the same time that people started paying for it. just get the cheapest sort and put the rest of the money towards good speakers.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nordost-Valhalla-Speaker...
Pah!

http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?lookup=1&am...

http://www.highendcable.co.uk/Nordost%20ODIN%20Spe...

http://www.thecableco.com/Product/Oracle-MA-X-Supe...

PorscheGT4

21,146 posts

264 months

Monday 2nd March 2015
quotequote all
QED 79 Strand £2 a meter, why pay more ?