Cables for 4ohm speakers

[Mauro]

I bought the AMP Ultra and have two 4-ohm Chario Syntar 516R bookshelf speakers. What cables do you recommend?

 

[QuarryHunslet]

You will have to decide how much you want to spend, but don't spend too much.

 

[hgo58]

I bought the AMP Ultra and have two 4-ohm Chario Syntar 516R bookshelf speakers. What cables do you recommend?

You can use two ordinary household power cables in parallel to each speaker. That will be fine. No need for anything else except if you have really long cables (50m or more).

 

[dtc]

14 gauge speaker wire should be fine. I would get oxygen free copper rather than copper clad aluminum. Banana plugs are nice, but not necessary. CL2/3 if using in-wall.

Monoprice, Blue Jean, Audioquest are good brands but the more generic ones should be OK. Just check that they are oxygen free copper.

 

[hgo58]

14 gauge speaker wire should be fine. I would get oxygen free copper rather than copper clad aluminum. Banana plugs are nice, but not necessary. CL2/3 if using in-wall.

Monoprice, Blue Jean, Audioquest are good brands but the more generic ones should be OK. Just check that they are oxygen free copper.

That is if you want to go the audiophile way. Studies that measure electrical performance and conduct controlled listening tests find that the differences between OFC (oxygen free copper) and other copper cables are negligible in typical listening environments.

 

[slartibartfast]

14 gauge speaker wire should be fine. I would get oxygen free copper rather than copper clad aluminum. Banana plugs are nice, but not necessary. CL2/3 if using in-wall.

Monoprice, Blue Jean, Audioquest are good brands but the more generic ones should be OK. Just check that they are oxygen free copper.

It is probably impossible to buy copper speaker cable nowadays which isn't oxygen free. Even QED 79 strand is OFC now

 

[dtc]

That is if you want to go the audiophile way. Studies that measure electrical performance and conduct controlled listening tests find that the differences between OFC (oxygen free copper) and other copper cables are negligible in typical listening environments.

That is hardly "audiophile", it is just good quality copper. Monoprice 14 gauge oxygen free is $30 for 50 feet - hardly a "audiophile" price. Amazon Basic is even cheaper. Most pure copper speaker cable is oxygen free.

 

[Wiimer]

It is probably impossible to buy copper speaker cable nowadays which isn't oxygen free. Even QED 79 strand is OFC now

Amazon Basic 16 gauge is CCA.

 

[slartibartfast]

Amazon Basic 16 gauge is CCA.

When did CCA become a thing? It was never even considered back in the day.

 

[dtc]

It is probably impossible to buy copper speaker cable nowadays which isn't oxygen free. Even QED 79 strand is OFC now

Basically the same price as the entry level speaker cable (e.g. Amazon Basic and Monoprice). The cheaper brands are usually copper coated aluminum, which I would avoid given how cheap the oxygen free copper cables are.

 

[dtc]

Amazon Basic 16 gauge is CCA.

Not what they say in the US.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Speaker-Wire-14-Gauge-Oxygen-Free/dp/B07588K6PB/ref=sr_1_3?adgrpid=1239149937297885&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5gTdocS8HNnFOBxfYlQm-3N5w3iucN5vbiBxVVPcW_zGuYZyvKP6zbXZw6_RvKKdnem9Puo1EzzSj1bHhgx45NoyrIjL7nlaDXjC-jbhGFW9taO5abT9jT6XyoDpn2ges777mWPYKKajReAktYZaHv9tFrNxGMT7TVlJl39ZxYNpxFmqFo6acmS2cBu3hvwBRF6xkeL_TZp4cFKVcLRN_Qr_B4vhnOGLYSkMczrrQ6k.ae7HqMLsaHnTkDASDM0lK3Vkt9VkSt4NeMDYRSkXzjg&dib_tag=se&hvadid=77447037676365&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=104109&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-77447134725825%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=5137_13301113&keywords=amazon%2Baudio%2Bcable&mcid=5f72117dc93d303cbff314f928c681f6&msclkid=859230e2bcb21a0c12dd589faa208fc9&qid=1753028246&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[dtc]

When did CCA become a thing? It was never even considered back in the day.

CCA is coming from Asia as a cheaper version than pure copper. Many people do not know the difference. But it is not that much less expensive than copper.

 

[Wiimer]

Not what they say in the US.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Speaker-Wire-14-Gauge-Oxygen-Free/dp/B07588K6PB/ref=sr_1_3?adgrpid=1239149937297885&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5gTdocS8HNnFOBxfYlQm-3N5w3iucN5vbiBxVVPcW_zGuYZyvKP6zbXZw6_RvKKdnem9Puo1EzzSj1bHhgx45NoyrIjL7nlaDXjC-jbhGFW9taO5abT9jT6XyoDpn2ges777mWPYKKajReAktYZaHv9tFrNxGMT7TVlJl39ZxYNpxFmqFo6acmS2cBu3hvwBRF6xkeL_TZp4cFKVcLRN_Qr_B4vhnOGLYSkMczrrQ6k.ae7HqMLsaHnTkDASDM0lK3Vkt9VkSt4NeMDYRSkXzjg&dib_tag=se&hvadid=77447037676365&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=104109&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-77447134725825%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=5137_13301113&keywords=amazon%2Baudio%2Bcable&mcid=5f72117dc93d303cbff314f928c681f6&msclkid=859230e2bcb21a0c12dd589faa208fc9&qid=1753028246&sr=8-3&th=1

16 gauge

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LW0W5Y

I am using OFC's 12 gauge

 

[dtc]

Here is an audiophile cable. Used it is only $32K. List $48K.

Transparent Audio Opus Gen 6 Speaker Cables; 8ft Pair with Jumpers | eBay

OPUS provides transcendent music listening experiences that approach MAGNUM OPUS in connoisseur level audio systems. "Stiff, light, carbon-fiber shells still encase OPUS networks, and Integrated Flexible Epoxy Resin (IFER) fills every void.

www.ebay.com

 

[dtc]

16 gauge

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LW0W5Y

I am using OFC's 12 gauge

Your link does not say anything about type of wire used. That is why I check to be sure it is OFC.

 

[Wiimer]

Your link does not say anything about type of wire used. That is why I check to be sure it is OFC.

Basically, if it does not say OFC, It is safer to assume CCA.

 

[dangermouse]

I bought the AMP Ultra and have two 4-ohm Chario Syntar 516R bookshelf speakers. What cables do you recommend?

Aforementioned Amazon Basics. Asked and answered.

 

[harkpabst]

I bought the AMP Ultra and have two 4-ohm Chario Syntar 516R bookshelf speakers. What cables do you recommend?

How long a run of cables do you need?

 

[Mauro]

How long a run of cables do you need?

About 1m

 

[harkpabst]

About 1m

In that case it almost doesn't matter.

As has been said before, make sure you get real copper cable, not CCA. 2.5 mm² is perfectly fine, 4 mm² never hurts, anything above that will just make the cable harder to handle. Get a cable terminated with banana plugs. This will provide a very solid mechanical connection and minimise the number of contact points. Even if there's no immediate difference to be heard (I'm sure there isn't) this will improve reliability in the long run. Disconnect and reconnect the cables once in a while to clean the contacts.

There's not much more to be considered, in particular with a cable that short.