Where to get speaker wire cheap?

[rgramjet]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, this is great.  FTR, this is gonna be in-room, not in-wall (I rent). 

ANother quick question for those in the know, I have B&W 602s for my front speakers and I just run wire into them, is there any benefit to using banana plugs?  What do you guys think about connectors?

Save your money, dont use them.   

[XiaoNio]

It's more convenient if you find yourself changing components or moving them around frequently.  Some would say that they provide a better connection, especially if you use conductive glue.  I don't think it's a poor investment considering a set of banana plugs will run you 10$ but you really can use them forever and ever and ever.  Saves you from re stripping cable and getting those nasty copper splinters when you twist them to get them into the binding posts.

[COWBOY]

If you get the wire inserted properly and snugged down there is no real advantage as far as sound quality goes.

banana plugs provide 2 benefits.

1. They're easier to plug / unplug
2. They ensure a consistent connection

Since it's internal you may want to make your own cable.  It's cheap and not difficult at all.

1.  buy a 12 or 14 gauge car audio roll (50 ft)
2.  buy the following from parts express -- techflex 1/4" sleeving, 12mm heat shrink, banana plugs (compression or sodered)

1. measure and cut wire to lenght. 2. Feed the cable through the sleeving (many colors I chose the granite).  3.  attach the banana clips  4. slide the heat shrink sleeve over the wire and clip and heat with hair dryer.

[rgramjet]

If changing components a lot I think they are worth it.  I see it as just one more connection interfering with a "pure" home run.  Kinda like wall plates, why not just run the wire directly from source to speaker. 

[Ash]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, this is great.  FTR, this is gonna be in-room, not in-wall (I rent). 

ANother quick question for those in the know, I have B&W 602s for my front speakers and I just run wire into them, is there any benefit to using banana plugs?  What do you guys think about connectors?

up to you.

i like to solder the bare wire end and then use screw-down terminals.  you get a pretty good contact area that way (which is what matters)

[Ash]

apparently you can find good speaker wire at the following people's houses

x136
bigian
Ash

a few drinks, some tylenol PM, and some cable pulling later and you have what you need pretty cheap!

never inviting you over... EVER

[x136]

i like to solder the bare wire end and then use screw-down terminals.

This is what I tend to do. Less of a pain than bare stranded wire getting all frayed and splintery.

never inviting you over... EVER

I don't know, sounds like quite a party to me...

[vwboomer]

What, I'm the only one using cat5?

I read somewhere about using cat5 and sure enough, works fine! I soldered 2 pairs together. I had 100ft laying around and wanted to run speakers in the basement at a townhouse I was renting.

[KnightofNi]

never inviting you over... EVER

so does that mean i have to get my toothbrush and clothes out of your closet now? 

[Ash]

What, I'm the only one using cat5?

I read somewhere about using cat5 and sure enough, works fine! I soldered 2 pairs together. I had 100ft laying around and wanted to run speakers in the basement at a townhouse I was renting.

cat5 is great for interconnects, but unless you're using the entire set of pairs for one speaker (four conductors per terminal), then you really don't have anough cross-sectional area to prevent voltage drop over long runs (translation: the wires are thin and present high resistance).  this may not matter for your application but it's not ideal either.  for high-powered speakers i wouldn't recommend it.

for interconnects they are great because of the low-voltage application, and the twisted-pair topology.

[vwboomer]

Yup I was using 4 wires per post.  I've got regular HomeDespot speaker wire now but it worked at the time.

I sure get a kick of out those super high quality Monster HDMI cables for $125. Sucker born every minute right?

[Ash]

Yup I was using 4 wires per post.  I've got regular HomeDespot speaker wire now but it worked at the time.

I sure get a kick of out those super high quality Monster HDMI cables for $125. Sucker born every minute right?

megabuck digital cables are just re-damn-diculous... they are work, or they don't.  period.  stupid.

as i said, analog interconnects are important, and do pick up EMI (although I would propose that the home environment is a helluva lot nicer than a car, and you can get stinger silver bullets for cheap and they work perfectly).

for interconnects, UTP (unshielded twister pair), or directionally shielded (shield grounded at the input/receiver) is really all you need.  noise rejection up the wazoo.  for those that hear sonic differences ("air", "realism", "waawaaweewaa") i posit that you are on crack!

[OwnyTony]

Does it matter what quality hdmi cable you use?  I dont think so.  Its a digital signal compared to analog. The composite of what the wires are made are make a big difference in the transmission of an analog signal.  Is this not so? 

Mini jack, I was told to use the cheapest hdmi cable i could find. 

[Ash]

signal loss and smearing is what matters.  and then, the major spec is resistance, so it boils down to wire gauge and length.  if your run is three feet, go cheap and thin (I use $4 cables from tartan and they pass my 1080p signals just fine).  if you need 100' then get a thick cable with good flexibility.

obviously with a terminater cable, the terminations themselves should be of reasonable stability so as not to degrade over time (ie be too loose, or for soldered contacts to break).

[OwnyTony]

signal loss and smearing is what matters.  and then, the major spec is resistance, so it boils down to wire gauge and length.  if your run is three feet, go cheap and thin (I use $4 cables from tartan and they pass my 1080p signals just fine).  if you need 100' then get a thick cable with good flexibility.

obviously with a terminater cable, the terminations themselves should be of reasonable stability so as not to degrade over time (ie be too loose, or for soldered contacts to break).

I know it is to some degree but is that still so with a digital signal?