20ft speaker cables + 3ft interconnects OR 8ft speaker cables + 12ft interconnects?

[livestrong]

I'd like to get some opinions on equipment placement.

1. Put my preamp, amp, sources on a rack to the side of the room which would mean that I'd need a longer run of speaker cables (20ft or so) but my preamp, amp, sources would all have short interconnects.

OR

2. Put my amp between my speakers and run longer (12ft or so) pair of interconnects from my preamp (unbalanced RCA) - then my speaker cables would be shorter (8ft or so).

Hopefully that makes sense - perhaps it is a 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other, but I'd like some opinions.

Thanks in advance!

[Masterlu]

Option 2 is the way to go!

[chessman]

Option 2 for sure!

[phunge]

The common argument I have heard is that long interconnects, particularly balanced ones, are preferable to long speaker cables. Speaker cables carry much larger loads with lower impedances and are more susceptible to the added resistance introduced by longer speaker cables. Additionally, longer speaker cables tend to be more expensive because the longer they are, the heavier they must be.

Conversely, however, I have had long runs (20') of single-ended interconnects (cardas neutral reference at that time) that were very susceptible to noise. Dimming my lights would create an audible hum from the speakers. Any noise picked up in the interconnect is then amplified, whereas noise in a speaker cable would be inaudible due to the very low voltage levels relative to the signal.

In my case, switching to a balanced pre-amp and interconnects solved my issue, the common mode rejection of noise offered by balanced transmission eliminated the hum completely. Possibly better shielded single-ended cables may also have solved my issue.

There is a great article on this topic here: Is it better to have short interconnects and long speaker cables or visa-versa? : Empirical Audio

[-E-]

Short speaker cables.

Long interconnects.

[lostinla]

I went against conventional wisdom and changed from short speaker cables and long interconnects To long speaker cables. The wife didn't like the amp in the middle. My dealer recommended transparent cables and said it would sound great and not to be concerned ..... And it sounds great. We tried it also with the same type of cables with short speaker cables and we could not hear a difference.

[jbaudio68]

Originally Posted by lostinla

I went against conventional wisdom and changed from short speaker cables and long interconnects To long speaker cables. The wife didn't like the amp in the middle. My dealer recommended transparent cables and said it would sound great and not to be concerned ..... And it sounds great. We tried it also with the same type of cables with short speaker cables and we could not hear a difference.

Seems to me there are three to four factors: art, science, (your) ears and WAF. The order you prioritize is up to your taste... Congrats on finding your balance!

[Parabellum]

I did option 2 for my setup. Much less expensive to buy a longer interconnect than long speaker cables. The amp is alone in the middle of the two speakers.

[John49]

I have always had short interconnects and long speaker cables. Is this where I am going wrong? It is probably more to do with room layouts and sizes in the UK, than which is best.

[eljr]

Originally Posted by livestrong

20ft speaker cables + 3ft interconnects OR 8ft speaker cables + 12ft interconnects?

Whichever is functionally or aesthetically more suitable. Those distances are not relevant audio wise. I would use 14 gauge or better on a 20 foot speaker run.

Speaker Impedance 8 Ohm Load 6 Ohm Load 4 Ohm Load

Wire Gauge Distance (ft) Distance (ft) Distance (ft)

18 AWG 10 8 5
16 AWG 20 15 10
14 AWG 35 30 20
12 AWG 60 45 30
10 AWG 100 75 50