bruce Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Hi, I need to replace some speaker cables soon, and am looking for some feedback as to what cables other people typically use. They'll be speakon-speakon leads, between 5 and 10m long, driving cabinets which are rated at about 300W RMS. So they'll be wired up using 2 core cable and the +1-1 speakon pins. But what sort of cable to use. I know I should use at least 1.5mm, ideally 2.5mm, and I'd prefer to use rubber rather than PVC, cos it coils better. I know you can get special cable of exactly this spec in specialist stores, but I'm looking for something I can buy from a typical electrical wholesaler. Most of them seem to do 2 core rubber flex in .75 and 1.0mm, but the heavier grades are only available in 3-core. Do people generally use the 3core and leave one disconnected? Or do they use the specialist 2 core stuff? What about colour? I know most people use black, but I've had some cables in the past which used orange 1.5mm cable - the stuff normally used for power tools and garden tools. A bit unusual, but it means that it's immediately obvious which ones are speaker cable! I know someone else who makes up speaker cables using yellow 1.5 or 2.5 arctic cable. Still PVC, but easy to obtain and cheap. Any thoughts? Bruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
london sound Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Van Damme speaker cable available from Maplins (if you do not want to go direct), 1.5mm should suit you well. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Arctic is fine, but is rather too stiff for my liking. TRS 2.5 3core works well if you need something heavy and flexible - not using one core is fine. Van Damme is great and quite nice to work with. If ultra flexibility isn't required, CPC do pvc black 4 core which although a litle stiff and shiny is great for 2 circuit cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Terralec (dot com ) do a range of round easy coil speaker wire. Soft sheath in blue with non-mains core colours and "Loudspeaker" printed at frequent intervals on the sheath. There are 2 core from .75 to 2.5 mm2 and a 4mm2 4core and an asymetric 2.5+4.0mm2 multicore LSC150R may well suit your needs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Alcock Posted December 19, 2004 Share Posted December 19, 2004 Hi Bruce, My personal favourite cable is from CPC and is the ready made-up leads (avec speakons) manufactured using Klotz cable. It's really supple, coils nicely, matt finished and not expensive. 10m - CPC AVO8981 (£15.79)20m - CPC AVO8982 (£23.17) I use these because they're 2 x 4mm sq hence really low loss. CPC website ATB, Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted December 19, 2004 Author Share Posted December 19, 2004 Hi Bruce, My personal favourite cable is from CPC and is the ready made-up leads (avec speakons) manufactured using Klotz cable. It's really supple, coils nicely, matt finished and not expensive. Pete.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks Pete - I'll have a closer look at the CPC stuff. And we've got a corporate account with them, so there will be an additional discount ;) Bruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 My personal favourite is Canford HPS-R as it's 2.5mm2, hardwearing & will also fit in XLRs easily. Cheaper, I'd go for TRS 2.5mm2. Unless it's for low-power applications I'd avoid anything below 2.5mm2, and for stage use would always go for black. If using PVC be careful near hot lanterns that it doesn't melt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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