[EveningSky]

I know, I know, I know.
Yet, this is my situation and this is my question. 
How much $ and what brand/model do you recommend. 
I have purchased a good set of ACI speakers.
I have ordered a good integrated Marantz amp (PM-11c). 
The ACI company gives speaker customers a special deal on DH Labs Silver Sonic cables. 
I have a background in home recording.
Up to a certain $ point, I BELIEVE in the benefit of good cables, (as much as it grieves me). 

Now, this HIFI Audio is again a new pursuit for me. 
I am concerned about $ at this time. 

What do experienced forum readers recommend for speaker cables? 
How long should I buy them (I have not yet decided where to position the speakers but cable length may help me make that decision)? 
How expensive a cable should I consider, to achieve a signal tranmission commensurate with the quality of equipment I am purchasing? 
Copper, silver, copper/silver? 
Are the DH Labs Silver Sonic Products with 10% off a good match for my equipment? 

I greatly appreciate your suggestions. 

Thank you,
ES

[Bigfish]

How much do you want to spend for speaker cables?  I think you will find the members here will have different recommendations based on what you are willing to spend.  My advice:  purchase used speaker cables as they will not be hurt and you will purchase a better cable for your money.  Example: I purchased a used pair of HT Pro 9s for $300.00.

Ken

[denjo]

EveningSky

I would start with cables from Blue Jeans (Beldens, Canare) which cost $$$ and will give you reasonably good performance. These cables are neutral and honest and will not "tune" your system as many cables do! Get to know your system and enjoy it for the moment before you decide to take it to a higher plane. I still use Beldens in my system, they are much better than most will admit.

[lonewolfny42]

All cables sound the same....  

Just kidding....but your post is in the wrong circle....this circle is for reviews of products.....cables.

You want Audio Central....or the ACI circle for your question...

[brj]

Lonewolf is moving faster than I am this week, it appears!

Topic moved to where it will hopefully get more coverage... good luck!

[Toka]

I would start with cables from Blue Jeans (Beldens, Canare) which cost $$$ and will give you reasonably good performance. These cables are neutral and honest and will not "tune" your system as many cables do! Get to know your system and enjoy it for the moment before you decide to take it to a higher plane. I still use Beldens in my system, they are much better than most will admit.

x2 

[rabpaul]

Kimber 4TC, buy the length you need e.g 6-8ft pair.

[markC]

Speaker placement should be paramount and the length of wire to hook them up be necessary.

[twitch54]

Speaker placement should be paramount and the length of wire to hook them up be necessary.

As Mark said get your speakers in a good "starting position, then get enough cable to allow for adj.

In so far as cable and bang for the buck, DH Labs is very good indeed so is www.signalcable.com  IMO, Frank's 'Ultra Speaker Wire' is a very fine product.

[BrianM]

The length of the cable should not matter; speaker placement will dictate that.  Most people think having equal lengths is important, though (I have no opinion on that).

I think Anticables sounded a bit more neutral in my system than Blue Jeans.  More expensive but not much more.  I don't believe shielding is an issue with speaker cables.  You should look for used -- no one's ever happy with what they have and should therefore be preyed upon.  If you're paying more than a couple hundred dollars you're throwing money away IMO.  $200 is too much, really.  Hopefully you can get something nice with nice connectors for much less than that.

[jneutron]

What do experienced forum readers recommend for speaker cables? 
How long should I buy them (I have not yet decided where to position the speakers but cable length may help me make that decision)? 
How expensive a cable should I consider, to achieve a signal tranmission commensurate with the quality of equipment I am purchasing? 
Copper, silver, copper/silver? 

1.  Set your system up with the cheapest #12 zip cord you can find.

2.  Run and tweak the system and the room for several months, learning it.  The bulk of your problems will be with the room.

3.  Down the road, start playing.  My first recommendation would be to double up the speaker wires..paralleling them to the same terminals, with each twisted independently.  That will halve the inductance and double the capacitance, halving the effective wire impedance.  If you hear a difference, it will not be due to resistance (#12 is low enough), but cable Z.  If you do not hear a diff, you could try doubling up again, but chances are that you may not detect anything at all, so you could stop.

But get to know your system first..haphazard guesses on wires will most likely not bear fruit.

Cheers, John

[nathanm]

Don't get sidetracked worrying about pricey cables, it's not worth the effort.  Save your money!  Use what you already have or stick with the brands you're already familar with from home recording.  These will be mostly B.S. free and not marked up for the audiophile market.  Or make your own, that can also be fun.  Making custom lengths is nice.

[JLM]

I've used Kimber 4TC (~$100), then moved to mulit-strand single pair CAT5 ($7), then moved to cryo'd single strand single pair CAT5 ($20 in a group buy), and now use Element Cables (~$120).  Element is a soul mate of Blue Jean or Signal Cables.  Each step was an improvement, although the CAT5 lacked deep bass response due to their very small cross-section (24 gauge).

I've heard two $1000/pair speaker cables A/B'd.  They were different in appearance and sound.  Lots of snake oil in audio wiring.  I'm old-school and won't spend over 10% of my system budget on racks and wiring.

[Mike Dzurko]

I think the advice to get placement right first and then get the speaker cables is absolutely correct. Yes,  we sell and recommend DH Labs cables but determine the length you need first.

[JoshK]

I like jneutron's advice.  Probably the best I've read on such topics.