Is it worth it to upgrade Home Theatre Speaker Wire?

Question

I have a 1 year old Sony 5.1 Surround system. Just wondering if theres any ways to improve sound quality. Weither it be speaker wire or speakers or whatever.

Answer 1

My ratings for improvements from most to least noticeable:

1) Speakers (by far)
2) Receiver
3) DVD Player
4) Speaker Wire
5) Interconnects

Answer 2

The expensive speaker wire that is sold as improving sound, is a marketing ploy. As long as you use the correct gauge for distance, you won't hear a difference. Example: less than 25 ft, use minimum 18 gauge, 25-50 ft 16 gauge inimum, 50-100 ft 14 gauge.

If you want to improve sound, buy a better subwoofer or better speakers.

Answer 3

Hi. There has been a lot said over the years about speaker cables and no one can agree about them having an effect on the sound you hear from your speakers.I have been listening to hi f equipment for over 40 years and yes i believe the type of wire you use can influence the sound you hear. Years ago people said all CDplayers "sound" the same FALSE. All amplifiers with the same specifications "sound" the same FALSE.All turntables with similar specs. "sound" the same FALSE. All interconnects with the same specifications "sound" the same FALSE.

Of course a lot of speaker cable sold are esoteric designs which cost a small fortune but you learn to avoid those through experience.When it comes to putting a system together i disagree about the order of most important to least important in the Hi. Fi. chain to some of the other answerers,and i will tell you why.THE SPEAKERS DO NOT COME FIRST. The first most important piece has to be the source (turntable cd player dvd cd player )The better the source the better the signal. Next the interconnects from the source have to be good to carry the signal to the preamp which amplify the tiny signal before it goes to the power amp,Now the power amp has to amplify the signal before it goes to the loudspeakers .If the signal has deteriorated too much before it gets to the speakers then no matter how good your speakers are the sound will be altered negatively .If the speakers are expensive high end ones the sound will be even worse .SPEAKERS CAN'T CORRECT A BAD SIGNAL THEY CAN ONLY REPRODUCE IT!!!
When it comes to selecting the amp to speaker cables the resistance and inductance of the cables will affect the sound of the speaker.So different cables do change the sound you hear.It is genually agreed among audiophiles that the resistance of the connecting leads should be kept as low as possible and the length as short as possible.Runs of up to 3 meters, flexible twin cable of 16/0.2mm each section is recommended and for longer runs 24/0.2mm.sould be used.Some cable manufacturers do make proper cable at an affordable price.I have used Van Den Hul speaker cable since 1984, .because i believe it matches my speakers for them to sound their best.

So in conclusion the signal goes like this.(think of it like a chain with 6 links)

1. the source
2. interconnects from source to preamp
3 preamp
4 power amp
5 speaker cable
6 speaker
If any part is weak from 1 to 5. 6 will not sound as good as it should. Or to put it another way Garbage in = Garbage out.

This is no special arrangement it is only common sense.

If anyone disagrees with the above order of preference they do not know anything about high fidelity sound reproduction.


http://www.tunehifi.com/NS/essay_technical.htm

Answer 4

i dont know what speakers it comes with but speaker wire is pretty cheap. just get some 12 or 14 gauge wire, it should be more than enough

Answer 5

No need to spend money on cables if the rest of the equipment is not up to par. Sorry but Sony speakers are not.

Answer 6

Go to your local hardware store and get some "Cat5e"...It's data wire used for phones and ethernet...It has 8, 24-gage, solid-conductor wires in one cable...(all in their own insulation)...It only costs 17 cents a foot...It's a little thin, so we run 2 cables to each speaker...(one for positive and one for negative).

For your RCA jacks, we use "RG6" capped with RCA ends...You can buy the cable for around 20 cents a foot, a bunch of connectors and the tools to attach them all at your local Home Depot...Use these home-made RG6 for all of your audio and video connections.

If you use the right cables, you'll notice a difference...Most "enhanced" wires are a scam...But most people don't know that...Try it and see for yourself...Here's a link that might simplify things: http://www.avtruths.com/budgetcables.html

Answer 7

speakers are your best bet, when someone can convince you that they invented a better copper to transfer electrons from point A to B, then call me, I have some beach front property up here in Montana to sell you.

Answer 8

thinkenstein is right, better speaker cables do diddily-squat. Buy some better speakers instead.