Home Depot RCA Brand Speaker Wires (rip them out o' the wall?) (1 Viewer)

[Matt_ES]

I just spent many hours setting in my Home Depot 12 gauge (RCA Brand) "High Performance Digital Speaker Cable"
into the baseboards, caulked, primed, and ready to seemlessly faux-finish in with the rest of the decorating job.

The whole place is wired, and looks incredible. I have the JM Lab 815's, and may have some Electra 915's on the way pre-owned. I will use my Sony ES333 for now, and possibly get a used 5.1 good amp soon, using the Sony as a pre-amp.
I would like to eventually make everything Sunfire, so I will be using all super equipment.

The more I read about speaker cables, the more I need to know. Should I just rip out all the wires now? Are these wires utter crap for the kind of equipment I'm gearing up to buy? Monster is a big scam, from what I've read, and Cobalts or Blue Jeans are way better. Then there's all the "Silver-laced" stuff out there. How important is all this really?

Thanks in advance,
-matt

 

[David WS]

The Home Depot stuff is just fine. There are some people that would suggest higher quality cables. Since you have done all the install work, leave them in. They will work just fine. Worry about something else, spend your money on something else.

Just my $.02

Dave

 

[Steven_Jobe]

Don't waste your money, keep what you have. The HD stuff is great and there's a very very small chance you could ever tell the difference if there even was a difference at all. You did well and didn't jump on the expensive "higher quality"(

 

[Chu Gai]

Should I just rip out all the wires now?
I can't think of a reason to do it.

Are these wires utter crap for the kind of equipment I'm gearing up to buy?
Not at all. In fact you could spend 10x less or 10x more and there'd be no audible difference between the wires you're currently using and anything else provided it's not a pathological construction. Such things happen.

Monster is a big scam, from what I've read, and Cobalts or Blue Jeans are way better.
Well for a big company that advertises heavily and promotes their cables via incentives and trips, they charge accordingly. Capitalism and all that comrade Other companies have less overhead but cannot take advantage of economies of scale and being largely hand built, must charge accordingly too. If you're in business, then make money. It's not a charity. Once you meet basic specifications for the job at hand, then you run into subjective considerations. You can call it better if you want but it's not going to sound any different. That's just life.

Then there's all the "Silver-laced" stuff out there.
Sure is. Gold too. It has no audible effect on the signal transmission from your amp to your speakers except in the most bizarre of circumstances.

How important is all this really?
Its as important as you want to make it. Bear the following in mind. In level matched, double blind studies, there has never been anyone, anyone, who has been able to reliably differentiate one wire from another using competently performing equipment.
Nonetheless, that does not necessarily mean you shouldn't go for something else. Some people like to dress up their wires. Some like certain materials. Some want bragging rights. Some just hear things that aren't there (that's a complicated subject involving psychoacoustics, the nature of human hearing...). Some want a wire strictly for theoretical consideration, audibility difference be damned. Look. You ever watch FoodTV? Is Emeril going to put his creations on Walmart stoneware or is he going for a look with some artistic looking plates? If you close your eyes you can't tell the difference when you're chowing down. If appearance is important to you, then use your new found knowledge that there are no audible differences to shop intelligently. Yes, people claim a lot of things. Magazines, websites, and all that. Take it with the biggest grain of salt you can find. No government agency that I know of is going to put their feet to the fire. Not a matter of public health, or ripping off the old, or any of that. Maybe someday some politician will do something about it. I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Steven_Jobe]

 

[Matt_ES]

Thank you 10X over.

I'm glad and I think I'll leave them in. PS- I've found another great product from Home Depot on the same day!

Venetian Plaster Faux Finish. This stuff is thick like toothpaste, and you can get yer fingers in the grooves of the wires, so it hides them like nothing I've ever used. Throw the Cherry JM Lab cabinets against that, and I feel I'm not worthy to sit in the splendor of my own livingroom!

Seriously, thanks, and I hope I've helped to dispel what seems to be a common myth among audiophiles, something my intuition told me. A novice last week, and fairly well educated this week, thanks to the support and collective wisdom/experience of the folks that frequent these posts.

-matt

ps-is there a way to post pix of the job I've done?
or only a link to pix.

 

[Chu Gai]

You need some sort of site where you can upload the pictures to. There are some free sites where you can do that but you'll have to search for them. Its not something I'm up on. Some IP providers allow you to make your own personal webpage and if so you upload your pic to that and just link to it.

You could also have used various flat wires which might have made the job easier or if it was your own house, run them through walls and used wall plates to make your connections. After all that work, I'd leave them. Now it's all about setting up your speakers, some calibrating, maybe thinking about room treatments if reflections are a problem. After that, just enjoy them. Beer and pizza time I'd say.

I hope I've helped to dispel what seems to be a common myth among audiophiles...
Don't bet on it. People have, do, and will continue to believe in the strangest of things even if they're contrary to say the laws of science. Remember crop circles? The guys who first started that, as a joke in England I think, soon came forward, admitted they'd done it, showed how they'd done it and you'd think everyone would be laughing. There are still people, a growing number I suspect, who still swear they're done by aliens. Look at John Edwards, the guy who preys on people's grief over the loss of their loved ones. He does cold readings (Johnny Carson used to do them...Carnac anyone?) which is a learnable parlor trick. It's a scam. But one can hope.
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." -- Andy Dufresne...Shawshank Redemption.

 

[DaveHo]

Not being familiar with that particular wire, there is only one point I could raise. Is the wire CL2 or CL3 rated for in wall use? While you don't exactly have it "in wall" it is buried pretty good.

-Dave

 

[Matt_ES]

Whadya talkin' about City of Chicago building code stuff?

We don't follow no stinkin' codes in this town!

(E2 - Hahaha)

Seriously,

it's only set in along the basemouldings with beaded "Household Goop" adhesive, and then primed and painted.