Hi John,
Not to open a can of worms, perhaps in a few short words, what do you think makes a good speaker cable?
1. Quality. No need to expound on that.
2. Resistance. The user has control over this by decision.
This affects damping factor and response flatness. In general, bigger is better, but at some point increasing the size of the wire will have no effect that can be discerned.
3. L/C. the user may not have control over this.
Choosing L/C can be done, and will most certainly affect the system response in various ways including the settling time as I posted. That said, there is NO information out there one can use to make the decision as to what L and C is best for one's system, nor is it necessary that the changes rise to the level of audibility.
There is no magic out there, so don't be swayed by such sillyness.
I use #12 awg for runs up to 125 feet for the sound system I abuse. For generic at home, I use #12 or #14 zip for mains. For the 5.1 set, I use what was given free, #24 or #22 thin garbage...WAF here. But the speakers are 3 inch cubes, not exactly high end. The point is, if simple suffices, use it.
For all others with a good system, I'd recommend #12 or so Zip to start.. If you want to play, try that first, then double them up CAREFULLY to halve the resistance, inductance, and characteristic impedance. More than likely, the lowered resistance won't make a difference.. But, there is a small possibility that the lowered inductance does something. If so, triple it up, etc.. At some point, no difference can happen.
Once you are happy, then you'll know what kind of cable your system needs. There is always the possibility that you perceive changes that do not exist, and miss ones that do...humans...sheesh..
The best methodology is to alter only ONE speaker in this fashion. If the soundstage image shifts laterally, then you have made a difference. Note: be especially critical of lateral shifting between images, as well as lateral shifts of sibilance with respect to the fundamental notes of female vocals.
When you are done, replace the cheap zip with something that is well built from a reputable manu. Stuff from HD or RS is good enough for playing around, but the long term concerns make me cringe. There are many stories out there about green wire, and the insulation plastic of really cheap wires tend to attack the copper strands..or get brittle and crack.
Cheers, John
