ICE buffs, speaker cable balancing

[lofty]

im well aware of the need to have everything working in sync with a good system, when trying to achieve this i wondered if using equal lengths of speaker cable to each speaker would have any effect, it basicly my home system but it is relivant to car installs as well but i was wondering if there is a differnt length of cable feeding two identicle speakers then there might be a slight time lag in the speaker with the longer cable and there fore in an exreme case where the speakers are moving in opposite directions they would end up cancelling each other out, (anyone who has mixed up the + - connections up will know what i mean) and the next question would be what about time lag as a result of amps, meaning that front speakers running off the head unit alone would not be running in sync with auxhilliary amplified rear speakers,

anyone know?

 

[theICEman]

The differences would be absolutely tiny, far too small for any audible difference, as the sound signal travels along the cable ridiculously quickly! Youd need a good few dozen metres of cable before you could get even the tiniest noticeable difference. The only thing that will have a delaying effect is in big speakers, eg. subs, in dropping the note, as compared to tweeters, so you could get a noticeable delay if youre using, say, a monster 18" sub in the back.

 

[Nick Read]

Might be on dodgy ground here, all my electrical theory has been lost in the mists of time, but the idea of having equal cable lengths is to equalize resistance to each speaker, ie to present an equal load to the amplifier on left and right. If you were using bell wire and one length was 10cm long and the other one 10m, then youd have a big difference in resistance even though the current would flow just as quickly, in fact virtually instantaneously just like light.

But as long as the cables are roughly equal and you use decent quality stuff, I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[Scott_Mck]

Technically it will make a difference as the resistance will be different between each cable, hence presenting a different load to the amp, more power to one channel etc..blah, blah...but in a non-perfect environment of a car, you will hardly notice the difference, if at all.

Some good comments above....

 

[Pysco]

Yeah Scott and the others are right. In a car and with the quality of kit youd be using you wouldnt be able to tell the difference, this sort of thing only realy applys to expensive HiFi, from companys such as Naim Audio and Linn, where you certainly can notice the difference.

 

[lofty]

Im running Naim Audio equipment all round, i finaly decided to route the cables externaly to avoid interfereance from the power and rear light cables, sounds nice but its not exactly a stealthy install,

thanks for your help

 

[Scott_Mck]

Hence I run a Naim system at home....

 

[Ben j]

lofty,
my power cables are run smack next to my speaker cables, always have been, probably always will be never had any problems ever. it should be all insulated to the same voltage anyway so shouldnt affect.

 

[Pysco]

Wow, didnt imagine any of you guys would be into HiFi enough to own Naim systems. I got one too by the way, heard just about every high end American and British make and I dont think any of em can touch Naim. But then Naims supporters/fans do have that reputation. Bloody good stuff!! Such a shame JV died

 

[Scott_Mck]

Naim fans do indeed have there own following, I love the sound and havent really found much which competes...

Fantastic kit, looking forward to owning their top line kit...of an F355. Hmm same money, think ill take the car...

BGen J, erm, speaker and power cables running side by side is a bad idea...read interference....i.e. not good. If you cant notice anyhting then fine, but I would have thought anyone could hear the annoying buzz you will get....

Scott

 

[lofty]

like me, if you run them out through the sunroof, across the roof and back down though the boot its no problem, when incorperating silver duct tape you can achieve a raised viper stipe look,