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2.5mm v 4mm speaker cable.

Nye Samuel

Herr Katze
I have a Heed Audio Mk2 Obelisk si (and will get an X2 PSU..35w>>>50w) and my speakers are Neat Acoustics Iota..6ohm (little but excellent) and I have read loads of good reviews of Van Damme Hifi speaker cable.

The runs will be 4m...so 2.5mm or is it worth getting 4mm cable....the 2.5mm will be a bit easier to use in my arrangement...limited space etc.

Mark Grant has quoted £76 for 2 runs of the 4mm cable and £60 for the 2 runs of the 2.5mm.

Any advice would be appreciated
 
AWG-KHz.jpg



Thicker cable can have a deleterious effect. I personally wouldn't really go beyond 12AWG for 2 core.
This is interesting, it defines the full saturated frequency skin effect is relevant to each AWG https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/understanding-skin-effect-and-frequency

2.5mm2 handles enough current and voltage to run an entire ring main in a household. Hope that puts it into context for you.

The current ratings shown in the table are for power transmission and have been determined using the rule of 1 amp per 700 circular mils, which is a very conservative rating. For reference, the National Electrical Code (NEC) notes the following ampacity for copper wire at 30 Celsius:
14 AWG – maximum of 20 Amps in free air, maximum of 15 Amps as part of a 3 conductor cable;
12 AWG – maximum of 25 Amps in free air, maximum of 20 Amps as part of a 3 conductor cable;
10 AWG – maximum of 40 Amps in free air, maximum of 30 Amps as part of a 3 conductor cable.
 
i have an active system and have had two 4mm speaker cables plugged into each bass driver (banana plug into banana plug into the speaker terminal so 8 sq mm cross sectional area) and then just the 4mm on its own. The speakers are rated at 4 ohms and the cable run is 5.75m. There is certainly a difference in the sound between the two options.

I consulted the same chart above but that's my very recent experience.
 
Here's an email i received regarding a (much revered and loved on PFM) high-end cable manufacturer.

Thank you for your email and questions relating to the differences between the AU24se and sx. I have heard back from Audience and their response is below:
The SX is a whole new remake of the Au24 cables. The geometry design is the same, except the SX is 16 AWG vs. 18 AWG for the SE.
The copper grade (6N OCC) and the XLPE dielectric are higher grade in the SX. SX is solderless vs. solder for the SE.
The OD of our SX loudspeaker cable is 5mm whereas the OD of our SE cable is 3.6mm.

Sound wise the SX is far more everything … resolute, lush, dynamic etc.
 
Thank you...I also asked the same question to Mark Grant of Mark Grant Cables and he too advises 2.5mm though 4mm would be ok too...so 2.5mm it shall be...again thanks to you particularly cereal killer (great name). :)
 


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