Thought on speaker cable length and (coiling the extra length)?

[992Sam]

So my dealer is insisting that I need a 10' (3 meters) minimum speaker cable length (Naim cables) to make sure they work correctly... and furthermore telling me that I should not coil the extra length, but rather fold it back and forth (in an S pattern) if need be... Can I get away with 1 meter or maybe 1.25 meter length? or do I need to go all the way to 3 meters?  Seems a bit extreme, or is it "sound" advice?

 

 

[992Sam]

Just now, charlesphoto said:

What amp? If it's older Naim gear, 3.5m and right capacitance and inductance is a requirement as it acts as the Zobel and will keep your amp from overheating (and no Litz cable!). Many say the newer amps you can get away with shorter, but I wouldn't go under 2m personally. The longer you go the better it will sound - I think 5-7m is the sweet spot. I have 25' of Chord Rumor 2 with my Naim 160; one side I need all of that and the other the speaker is literally a foot and half away from the amp. I have it all taped up underneath the media cabinet. I think the fold thing is a bit of Naim myth - in fact one very knowledgeable member on the forum says it's bunk, and it's perfectly fine to coil. If going with NACA5 a heat gun or hair dryer is great at getting it to bend. 

 

the one in my signature block... McIntosh mc462..   I had assumed this was an issue with Naim's own amps...  

[992Sam]

42 minutes ago, charlesphoto said:

Oh sorry. Yeah, no idea about Mc's. One piece of advice - you can always make a cable shorter but you can't make it longer! I've run into this before where I got something short and then my setup changes and need longer. Just food for thought. Why NACA5? Is it a known partner to McIntosh? 

 

my dealer is both a Mc and Naim dealer, and must have a ton of it laying around, so when I bought my XR50 speakers, he threw 20 feet of speaker cable into the deal and two spade connections on each end...  I don't argue with free..   Think I'll regret going with that? Should I be looking at a Mc Friendly cable? 

[992Sam]

5 hours ago, semente said:

 

Not coiling is a good advice as far as I know.

 

Buying more cable is just him getting better value for money from his sale.

 

 

If you want more resistance for that same 1 meter just buy a low capacitance cable with a smaller diameter like the DNM:

 

http://www.dnm.co.uk/cablesdetail.html

 

I don't think it's about him selling, as he's throwing it into the deal...  I actually asked him to give me less cable and he said, "Naim Recommends a certain length" 

 

 

[992Sam]

6 minutes ago, semente said:

 

I see. It's naim pushing a certain length.

 

right, so you think it's still an economic issue...  there is no benefit to longer than needed?  I just need 6' or so.

[992Sam]

Just now, semente said:

 

So the amplifier is not even a Naim and thus has a zobel network?

Then why worry about cable length?

@992Sam just buy what you need...and take your partner out for dinner.

 

well, now that we know the reason behind the length issue (a rare thing in audiophile land), I am going to do just that...  I will have it cut to 6'.. 

 

[992Sam]

4 minutes ago, semente said:

This is taken from the NAIT 5 manual:

 

Naim loudspeaker cable is correct for your system and your dealer will make up leads to suit your equipment installation. The leads should each be at least 3.5 metres long and of equal length. The recommended maximum is 20 metres. Loudspeaker leads are, like interconnect leads, directional, and should be connected so that the printed arrow points towards the speakers.

 

The bit in red is dung.

Yes, Naim can write dung too.

 

A very controversial topic, and one which I wish there was some measurement science for so we can put it to rest....  that said, I've instructed my dealer to cut the chord to 2 meters...  I really don't need all that stiff cable laying around my room...