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[Justin Staszewski]

I currently have two cables that are 13/8 that came with the system when I bought it.  System is SLS960's over VLF218's.  Sometimes 1 stack per side, sometimes 2.  The cables are heavily "phone corded" and excessively difficult to wrap as a result so I'm gonna replace them.  Am I better off replacing with new 12/8 or running 10/4 and then jumping from one top and sub to the other?  I know the heavier gauge cable will help, but I dont know if  there are any downsides to jumping from box to box.

Thanks for your input gentlemen (and ladies if there are any out there),
Justin

[Bob Leonard]

#12 stranded cable will work just fine. Have fun, live long, prosper.

[mark lonow]

few sound guyz i no think 13guage or 11 is "better for audio"

i belive 10 guage is about the max performance u can get in to a speaker cable conector
giant  amps ,2 ohm, and runs  50+ feet all good resons to go 10 guage

price ,weight and ,ease of use goes  to the smaller guages
short runs ,8 ohms and low watts  13guage is fine

i like nl8 as main run and brakeout/panel mount  off that
http://www.dbaudio.com/fileadmin/docbase/V-Series_Wiring_Adapter.PDF
http://www.neutrik.com/en/speakon/nlt8mx-bag

save ur old cable as back up /extension


added:
ive sean many a clair and 8th day runz hundreds of feet of 13 guage
the question is can u  aford the db or 2 loss?

[Tim Perry]

I currently have two cables that are 13/8 that came with the system when I bought it.  System is SLS960's over VLF218's.  Sometimes 1 stack per side, sometimes 2.  The cables are heavily "phone corded" and excessively difficult to wrap as a result so I'm gonna replace them.  Am I better off replacing with new 12/8 or running 10/4 and then jumping from one top and sub to the other?  I know the heavier gauge cable will help, but I dont know if  there are any downsides to jumping from box to box.

Thanks for your input gentlemen (and ladies if there are any out there),
Justin

Justin, I built a cross stage snake with a 12/8 cable from C.B.I.
It's 50'  and rolls up nicly on an orange plastic reel.
Each of the 4 channels is color coded.
It has proven itself over many shows.
For the stack nearest the amp rack I merely run short jumpers.   

[Mike Reigh]

In 120V world, 12ga is good for 20 amps, 13 ga, probably 18 amps.  Even at 100', I think you would be ok with either at the current level your speakers will be drawing.

[Bob Leonard]

13 gauge cable is a mongral. #10 cable is rated for 30amps, so the question is how much current over what length do your cabinets draw. Do they pull more current that a space heater, or do they pull more current than an electric stove?

[Geoff Doane]

In 120V world, 12ga is good for 20 amps, 13 ga, probably 18 amps.  Even at 100', I think you would be ok with either at the current level your speakers will be drawing.

The actual current is irrelevant.  Total wire resistance, compared to load resistance, will determine your damping factor and dB loss in the speaker cable.  This is the same, regardless of power level into the speakers (unless you can actually heat up the speaker cable and raise its resistance).

For the same distance, a run of 12 ga. (or even 13 ga.) with a load of 8Ω will have a higher damping factor (and less loss) than a 10 ga. run with a load of 4Ω.  If it was me, I'd go with a double run of the smaller cable. The cable should be easier to handle, performance slightly better, and you'll have some redundancy if a cable is lost or damaged.

GTD

[Bob Leonard]

In the world of ohms law current is relevent. What's not relevent, according to the hundreds of discussions regarding the subject, is damping factor, which in todays world amounts to a piss hole in the snow.

[Tim Perry]

In the world of ohms law current is relevent. What's not relevent, according to the hundreds of discussions regarding the subject, is damping factor, which in todays world amounts to a piss hole in the snow.

Yup, damping factor was a cool marketing tool years ago. No one knew what it meant and it sounded cool.

12 AWG copper 1.5 oms /1000 ft
13 AWG  2 ohms
10 AWG 1 ohm   (rounded off)

Ratio between round trip resistance to load is significant in terms of loss.

As I don't use 1000' ft speaker cables, I don't worry too much about it.

[Mike Reigh]

Let's not forget oxygen free cable. ;-)

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