[mresseguie]

Hello, dadbeh.

Speaker cables are a wonderful topic to bring out the best (and worst) in audiophiles. I've never auditioned gold plated copper before, but I've tried cheapo 14g zip cord from Radio Shack, 14g no name speaker wire, Morrow Audio silver bi-wired - SP5, Zen Wave, and Triode Wire Labs (TWL) American Speaker cables. TWL cables are my 'go to' cables, but I also enjoy using my Morrow Audio cables (when I have bi-wirable speakers). The silver cables sounded like sh!t for a couple hundred hours, but sounded wonderful once they broke in.

My Morrow cables are sitting in storage waiting for the day when I once again own bi-wirable speakers.

Good luck with your search, and have fun!

[undertow]

I will go ahead and put the original question back on track as just about every response seems to be about "Interconnects" which with the gold coated wire at 20 gauge the poster asked about in the link would work fine for interconnects, but he specifically asked about a 40ft roll of / 20 gauge wire used in a speaker cable with bananas.

No not worth it. Basically with a 40 ft spool you could make a total  - 10ft pair - with a pair of positives, and pair of negatives all 10 ft each.

And this would be hardly worth working with for DIY in speaker cables, and I doubt you will even find teflon tubing along with it to do this at the price you quoted yourself "$150".

20 gauge would just be too small for any serious system. It would work if your 1 ft away on a desktop speaker system, but I would not go much smaller than a good 14 gauge speaker cable in any mid to high end stereo with equipment capable of delivering any real current.

Also, no you don't need gold coating. Honestly it's for corrosion more than anything. Tonally it might vary the sound to a degree vs. Rhodium, Platinum, Nickel coatings etc... or just bare copper, but won't necessarily make it better or worse.
 

[restrav]

thanks guys I read every word of every comment.

now my single ended triode KT88 amp is here and has been playing for half an hour and the only missing link is the speaker cable. right now it is an audioQuest Type 1 bare cable and i can see the oxidized dark copper and it is bugging me. im gonna cut the ends off and expose new copper and see what difference it makes. I also have those Chinese rhodiom plated copper bananas coming this week. they are not solder though they are screw lock.

someone, i think JLM, said something about signal cable. did you not like them? there is pair on ebay for 50 bucks.

[restrav]

I will go ahead and put the original question back on track as just about every response seems to be about "Interconnects" which with the gold coated wire at 20 gauge the poster asked about in the link would work fine for interconnects, but he specifically asked about a 40ft roll of / 20 gauge wire used in a speaker cable with bananas.

No not worth it. Basically with a 40 ft spool you could make a total  - 10ft pair - with a pair of positives, and pair of negatives all 10 ft each.

And this would be hardly worth working with for DIY in speaker cables, and I doubt you will even find teflon tubing along with it to do this at the price you quoted yourself "$150".

20 gauge would just be too small for any serious system. It would work if your 1 ft away on a desktop speaker system, but I would not go much smaller than a good 14 gauge speaker cable in any mid to high end stereo with equipment capable of delivering any real current.

Also, no you don't need gold coating. Honestly it's for corrosion more than anything. Tonally it might vary the sound to a degree vs. Rhodium, Platinum, Nickel coatings etc... or just bare copper, but won't necessarily make it better or worse.

oh wow thank you i wasnt even considering 14awg actually. i didnt know. i was looking at 16 awg at the most.
so im gonna start looking into 14awg copper cables for a DIY.

also, i just wanted to say ofcourse the gold plating in omly for corrosion, what else? that's the point. that is why i thought it was interesting. i was thinking since it has gold plating all over, I can just put in a tube and cover it with some fancy maybe cotton sleeve and connet the bananas and never worry about corrosion

[undertow]

How much power is your amp? I mean you can use 16 awg, but I would not use 20 awg as you originally posted. 16 awg is "Enough", but honestly I would just go up to 14 awg at least because there won't be some huge cost difference in this case, and you can find very good quality 14 awg generally for a basic speaker cable. If you want better you can find special geometry cables which Neotech happens to make in bulk for your DIY design if you choose. Since you have Neotech interconnects I can tell you that the speaker wire is excellent as well, but not exactly cheap... I currently use it myself, and made in Japan so quality is excellent. 

http://www.soniccraft.com/index.php/wire-speaker-c-296_179

Also, another very cheap, but higher end than almost any bulk available is Supra cables. It is "tinned" to keep corrosion out. They sound great for over a buck each foot, and by far and away beat your basic "Zip cord" of the same style that is available from Monster cable or Radio shack in the basic clear dielectric. It's a little easier to terminate vs. the Neotech above, but the Neotech is a little more organic, slightly refined, and high end sounding. The Supra is just very good for what it does, and in some systems just as good made in Sweden, but easy to get here in the states. You can get it in 15 awg, or 13 awg...it's better than most of the generic stuff you will find on ebay.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-wire/supra-classic-1.6/bulk-cable-per-foot-15-awg/

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-wire/supra-classic-2.5-speaker-wire-per-foot-13-awg/

[restrav]

The same seller also has 16awg wire.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/25ft-Clairvoyant-Cables-24k-Gold-plated-99-9999-pure-OCC-copper-wire-16awg-/121754119017?hash=item1c591c6b69:g:B6wAAOSwuTxV7oa6

[restrav]

How much power is your amp? I mean you can use 16 awg, but I would not use 20 awg as you originally posted. 16 awg is "Enough", but honestly I would just go up to 14 awg at least because there won't be some huge cost difference in this case, and you can find very good quality 14 awg generally for a basic speaker cable. If you want better you can find special geometry cables which Neotech happens to make in bulk for your DIY design if you choose. Since you have Neotech interconnects I can tell you that the speaker wire is excellent as well, but not exactly cheap... I currently use it myself, and made in Japan so quality is excellent. 

http://www.soniccraft.com/index.php/wire-speaker-c-296_179

Also, another very cheap, but higher end than almost any bulk available is Supra cables. It is "tinned" to keep corrosion out. They sound great for over a buck each foot, and by far and away beat your basic "Zip cord" of the same style that is available from Monster cable or Radio shack in the basic clear dielectric. It's a little easier to terminate vs. the Neotech above, but the Neotech is a little more organic, slightly refined, and high end sounding. The Supra is just very good for what it does, and in some systems just as good made in Sweden, but easy to get here in the states. You can get it in 15 awg, or 13 awg...it's better than most of the generic stuff you will find on ebay.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-wire/supra-classic-1.6/bulk-cable-per-foot-15-awg/

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-wire/supra-classic-2.5-speaker-wire-per-foot-13-awg/

I cant afford the Neotech. for 10 feet it will end up being 200 with shipping and it will give me two 5 feet runs
there are a few who sell on ebay for cheaper but not sure if it is fake or not. they are from eastern europe. kinda shady

[undertow]

The same seller also has 16awg wire.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/25ft-Clairvoyant-Cables-24k-Gold-plated-99-9999-pure-OCC-copper-wire-16awg-/121754119017?hash=item1c591c6b69:g:B6wAAOSwuTxV7oa6

The problem here is from a material standpoint you have a lot of work to get them to "Speaker cables" and you don't know what the capacitance, resistance etc... will be in the end so it may not be the best choice for sound quality in speaker cables honestly. Unless you are hell bent on "Solid" core because you don't want stranded core I can tell you then Audioquest TYPE 4 cables are also excellent netting just in over 15 awg, and not very expensive, but designed and proven to sound good as speaker cable.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQT4NF

They make it in Bulk for DIY as well.

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/cables/speaker-cables/audioquest/type-4/prd_116384_1584crx.aspx

[restrav]

The problem here is from a material standpoint you have a lot of work to get them to "Speaker cables" and you don't know what the capacitance, resistance etc... will be in the end so it may not be the best choice for sound quality in speaker cables honestly. Unless you are hell bent on "Solid" core because you don't want stranded core I can tell you then Audioquest TYPE 4 cables are also excellent netting just in over 15 awg, and not very expensive, but designed and proven to sound good as speaker cable.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQT4NF

They make it in Bulk for DIY as well.

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/cables/speaker-cables/audioquest/type-4/prd_116384_1584crx.aspx

I like this type 4 no frills. i like their terminations too. i should probably just go with that.
i really wanted to do some DIY but thius probably makes better sense.

[restrav]

my amp is 15 watt max single ended KT88 musical paradise MP401 MK2. its been an hour and it is starting to sound a little more clear and also the sound stage is forming. the first 30 minutes it sounded like crap. it made the angelic voice of Beth Gibbons sound bad lol .... I just listened to Roads and it is starting to sound better though.

[undertow]

OH yeah then definitely with a 15 watt tube the Audioquest will work great!

It's still sorta "DIY" it actually started out they only supplied bulk, and it use to be in a BLUE dielectric, I am not sure if they still come that way or only White now. But it is a good cable, and honestly yes for 2 or 3 bucks a foot online you will do far better off than trying to take a "Jewelry" wire, and create something out of it, not just sonically, but financially you can find Type 4 even used, and terminated for 50 to 80 bucks a 6 or 8 ft pair.

Save yourself the headache, and if later down the road you want to experiment more with cash then try something. But this would be a good "Base" cable to have on hand to make you pretty happy trust me.

By the way I had Type 4 running for years one way or the other. It is exactly as you say "No Frills" it just works, works good, and you can't say it sounds bad! It's better than most Zip cord, but if the system has some issues it can expose it for sure. It will not necessarily be forgiving, but neither would 16 gauge jewelry wire 

[undertow]

Here you go if you really want to save, and get the best results with the proper bananas already terminated. And it's a step up in copper quality as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audioquest-CV-4-8-Pair-Full-Range-Speaker-Cables-/182133880720?hash=item2a68067790:g:T4gAAOSwdrRXGBH9

[Speedskater]

Depending on the loudspeakers, long 20AWG speaker cables may sound different than 12AWD speaker cables. But at only 10 feet, I'm not sure.  Gold doesn't have much to do with it.
What matters is end-to-end cable resistance and the loudspeaker impedance curve.

[restrav]

Here you go if you really want to save, and get the best results with the proper bananas already terminated. And it's a step up in copper quality as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audioquest-CV-4-8-Pair-Full-Range-Speaker-Cables-/182133880720?hash=item2a68067790:g:T4gAAOSwdrRXGBH9

that's great man. thank you. before pulling the trigger though, would u please tell me your opinion about this:
https://www.dmc-electronics.com/Cables.html

i dont know anything about tara labs. the cable just looks substantial and there is a bulk wire for 5 bucks a foot as well

[undertow]

They look good. I have had Tara labs before. But it was with a system not worthy of reviewing at the time so I can say they have been around a long time, and make some very respectable cables. At these prices not bad at all so I would just say buy the terminated $129 per pair in 12 gauge no reason to go, and terminate yourself for 5 bucks a foot in this case, and they have the Techflex braiding on them as well already.

But I might buy those Audioquest for 70 bucks if you don't they are pretty nice for a good solid primary or backup speaker cable the price is hard to pass up

[restrav]

They look good. I have had Tara labs before. But it was with a system not worthy of reviewing at the time so I can say they have been around a long time, and make some very respectable cables. At these prices not bad at all. But I might buy those Audioquest for 70 bucks if you don't they are pretty nice for a good solid primary or backup speaker cable the price is hard to pass up

how can u be sure that they are not fake though. I mean I have seen so many Van den hull, Audioquest, siltech, fakes on ebay and other sellers that i dont even know anymore. thats one reason im looking at more obscure ones.

look at all this crap from HongKong it is quite unsettling honestly. I mean wtf?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-Den-Hul-VDH-MAGNUM-HYBRID-speaker-cable-3-0M-pair-/201584788671?hash=item2eef63c4bf:g:4CAAAOxygPtS9blf

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Furutech-FP-314Ag-Power-Cable-1-5M-US-Plug-IEC-Connector-/201583579729?hash=item2eef515251:g:WH0AAOxy0zhTMlJ2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Taralabs-Prism-Helix-8-speaker-cable-3-0M-pair-Single-wire-/201584223325?hash=item2eef5b245d:g:4ioAAOSwDk5TvfkB

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acrolink-6N-P4030-15A-Power-Cable-1-5M-US-Plug-IEC-Connector-/191872070729?hash=item2cac777449:g:CEYAAOxyTMdTMlIg

the same seller sells fake AQ as well but on some other websites.

[undertow]

I highly doubt they are fake from a guy in Connecticut in the U.S. believe me if they were from "Hong Kong" or "Indonesia" I would agree with you.

[DaveC113]

What I would do for inexpensive speaker cable is buy 24g solid-core mil-spec from Apex Jr. and use multiple runs to achieve a lower gauge, something like 18g would be fine for a 15W amp and shorter runs.

If you got that wire and made twisted pairs, then do a 4-strand braid with the twisted pairs for an 8-strand, 18g cable that would work great and not cost too much. Check DH labs for inexpensive pure copper spade connectors.

I think this would be far better than most other options you've been looking at, and unless you can afford UPOCC copper it won't get much better.

On fakes, they abound and people sell fakes without even knowing it because they were deceived by their seller.