Resurecting an old topic - cable lengths

I've read several threads on the forum on this topic but don't seem any the wiser.

Due to practicalities of my living room space, I have to have my Amp and Cd player at opposit ends of the room.

This means I will have to use 4m long interconnects. I have about the same lenght in speaker cables ( maybe 5m).

The inter connects will be standard RCA ended (not balanced etc)
connecting a Cyrus CD8x to a Pathos TT amp

Will the 4m interconnects degrade sound quality? Should I be looking for shortest possible route between cd and amp?

 

My understanding is that a low level signal travels over longer distances better than a high level one, but I could be wrong. Can I ask what it is that means you can not have your cd player next to your amp?

 

Wife's not happy about the hifi being "visible" as it will make the living room all "gadgety"

She doesn't want me to have an equipment rack other than the small Cyrus rack I have. You can't put my amp on that rack will break it. Also, there is no space next to the rack to place the amp

see here http://www.geocities.com/kmaciel_uk

So amp has to be on left of speakers facing them)

 

Hi Kenan,

I think 4m will be alright, just make sure it doesn't pass any other 'noisy' cables or PSUs. If it does, pass then at a right angle. Make sure it is a screened interconnect.

I would argue that longer speaker cables are better than long interconnects (at least with domestic distances) because the high level signal will be more immune to external noise, but 4m is not very long for either really.

 

The signal will be quite happy travelling over that distance or longer, balanced or not.

 

Thanks chaps

 

There's an old tale .....

young man brings the very best ic in the world to his older and wiser friend.....his older friend looks at them and say naw there not the very best leave them with me and I'll make them better...A week later young man returns to hear the fantastic sound of music ...wow what have you done ....older friend ..just chopped them in half .....

now this is fiction, but its got an element of truth in it.

You will alway compromise the performance if you long ic's compared to shorter versions of the same.

I would suggest you get your cdp closer to the amp and run a more normal length of IC.....

I can't see any mention of IC type .....but to get a half decent set of 4m ic's would cost the earth ...[unless there DIY] so if there a set of AV types you may already have cause for concern.

As an experiment make/borrow a short set of IC's and hear for yourself the difference.

Don't get me wrong though I don't long speaker cables either !

 

I had a similar problem when I used a CD transport with no remote, I had it at one side of the room and a long interconnect to the DAC / amp. I still have the set of 4-5m long Kimber PBJ (Peanut Butter + Jelly - actually woven copper multi strand teflon coated stuff. Been around for ages but still a nice cable). If you'd like to try them out drop me a PM. In fairness I imagine that Zanash (cable maker extrordinaire) could provide a cheaper (and better) alternative but if you were interested I'd sell for considerably less than Russ Andrews!!

 

Not using long interconnects yet. At the moment the CD player is on wooden chopping board (just to keep it off the floor) which is on the floor under the table on which the AMP is

See the table on which the amp is, is part of a living room set and I have to get agreement from the wife to repalce it with a proper equipment rack

Or else use long interconnects as I don't want to keep the CDP so close to the floor (and keep having to bend/crouch down) to change CDs

 

Sounds like you need some wife improvements!

 

tell me about it..!

when we moved I insisted that our living room was going to be one long living space that was going to be based around my hifi - and that she could have the bedroom and way she wanted as compensation...

 

I've always taken the clear line of "The Hi Fi will be set up as I wish however anally retentive it may seem. The rest of the house is yours".

Moving in with my current GF end of March so expect me to be posting about how to make my hi fi more stable whilst piled up on top of the telly!

 

Especially the kitchen

 

I'm sure there will be one of the female Hi Fi enthusiasts along shortly after that comment.

Oh hang on, there aren't any....

 

There are, they just don't post on nerdy hi-fi forums

 

Because they're busy cooking?

 

and doing the ironing.

 

Looking at the photos could you put another wider tier under the Cyrus rack to house the amp. Could be of same wood just different dimensions. Only an idea. You would probably have to move the sofa away from the window by 6 inchs or so but then all your gear would be in one place.

 

That's just the prblem Ben, sofa cannot move as there is part of a wall at the other end.

Anyway still negotiating...

 

I don't think you should discount the long interconnect idea - as well as using them as indicated earlier I used a 5m pair when using monobloc amps - this allowed me to position each amp beside the speakers and use short lengths of good quality speaker cable. It presents (IMO of course!!) no sonic problems and is easy to run along the side od the room / below carpet / behind skirting etc

Neil