18-Mar-2020, 22:49
There's 2.5 metres (8.5 feet) between the inner faces of my speakers and a bit more distance I use 2.5 metre cables. I'm guessing that if you need longer cables than the distance between your speakers you've got your 220 and the rest of your system off to one side rather than between the speakers.
Is there a reason for not putting the system between the speakers? I know a lot of people recommend against it because of concerns about reflections from the system but if you have a low equipment rack, no higher than around 2 feet or so, then any reflections from the front of the equipment are going to be reflected down to the floor where carpet or a rug will absorb them. Reflections from the side of the gear will bounce back to the wall behind the speakers and reflections from the top of the equipment will be reflected up towards the wall behind the speakers. In practice reflections from the equipment are very rarely a problem and having the system between the speakers allows for shorter speaker cables.
If your sources are all network based (no disc players, analog or digital), then you're free to leave the source components off to the side and put the amp on an amp stand between the speakers. Amp stands only raise the amp a few inches above the floor and there will be no reflection problems at that height. If you want to go dual mono at any stage you could use 2 amp stands side by side to keep the amps placed low.
You have options but they're based on where you want to locate your source component and amp and whether you can separate the sources from the amp. There may be physical reasons in your room for not putting components between the speakers in which case you're stuck with needing longer cables but you can use shorter cables if you choose to put the amp between the speakers.
There is one other solution to reduce cable length. Years ago I used to hang out on a forum where a speaker designer was a regular contributor. He used to regularly say in response to queries like yours that you can use cables of different lengths though he recommended that the longer cable be no longer than twice the length of the shorter cable. Buying a pair of cables with one cable shorter than the other can be difficult but if you ask your dealer they may be able to source such a pair of cables from the distributor or manufacturer. It's worth a try. If your speaker cables are 14 ft long and the speakers are 9-10 feet apart, you should be able to use a pair of cables with one cable being 14 foot long and the other being 8 foot long. If you could get such a pair then that should reduce the cost of the cables somewhat but not as much as being able to use a pair of 8 foot cables would. In order to get that kind of reduction in price you'd have to move the amp between the speakers.
Take a look at my system photo here: https://devialetchat.com/Thread-David-A-s-system . The system is between the speakers on a low equipment rack. The top of the Nucleus+ server on the top shelf is an inch or two less than 2 feet above the floor. There are no reflection problems with the rack and components being that low. Having a tall equipment rack with equipment at ear height or somewhat above/below that can be a problem but if you can see the top of the top component on the rack then it's highly unlikely you'll ever notice a problem from having the equipment between the speakers.
Is there a reason for not putting the system between the speakers? I know a lot of people recommend against it because of concerns about reflections from the system but if you have a low equipment rack, no higher than around 2 feet or so, then any reflections from the front of the equipment are going to be reflected down to the floor where carpet or a rug will absorb them. Reflections from the side of the gear will bounce back to the wall behind the speakers and reflections from the top of the equipment will be reflected up towards the wall behind the speakers. In practice reflections from the equipment are very rarely a problem and having the system between the speakers allows for shorter speaker cables.
If your sources are all network based (no disc players, analog or digital), then you're free to leave the source components off to the side and put the amp on an amp stand between the speakers. Amp stands only raise the amp a few inches above the floor and there will be no reflection problems at that height. If you want to go dual mono at any stage you could use 2 amp stands side by side to keep the amps placed low.
You have options but they're based on where you want to locate your source component and amp and whether you can separate the sources from the amp. There may be physical reasons in your room for not putting components between the speakers in which case you're stuck with needing longer cables but you can use shorter cables if you choose to put the amp between the speakers.
There is one other solution to reduce cable length. Years ago I used to hang out on a forum where a speaker designer was a regular contributor. He used to regularly say in response to queries like yours that you can use cables of different lengths though he recommended that the longer cable be no longer than twice the length of the shorter cable. Buying a pair of cables with one cable shorter than the other can be difficult but if you ask your dealer they may be able to source such a pair of cables from the distributor or manufacturer. It's worth a try. If your speaker cables are 14 ft long and the speakers are 9-10 feet apart, you should be able to use a pair of cables with one cable being 14 foot long and the other being 8 foot long. If you could get such a pair then that should reduce the cost of the cables somewhat but not as much as being able to use a pair of 8 foot cables would. In order to get that kind of reduction in price you'd have to move the amp between the speakers.
Take a look at my system photo here: https://devialetchat.com/Thread-David-A-s-system . The system is between the speakers on a low equipment rack. The top of the Nucleus+ server on the top shelf is an inch or two less than 2 feet above the floor. There are no reflection problems with the rack and components being that low. Having a tall equipment rack with equipment at ear height or somewhat above/below that can be a problem but if you can see the top of the top component on the rack then it's highly unlikely you'll ever notice a problem from having the equipment between the speakers.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
