Kimber 8PR or BetterCables Premium Speaker Cable for SVS subwoofer ? (1 Viewer)

[Samson]

I am currently using the 12 gauge Home Depot speaker cable. I want to maximize the performance of my SVS subwoofer.
Should I purchase the Kimber 8PR ($45) or the Better Cables single premium speaker cable ($75) ? Or should I just keep the Home Depot speakers that I currently have.
Premium speaker cables seems like a small price to pay to maximize the performance of our $700-$1000 subs. That is if they work.

 

[Clark Rozier]

Samson
I doubt if you'll hear much difference. Maybe you will, maybe you won't.
I've heard that the Kimber 8PR is nice for bass. I'm using Kimber 4VS myself and I'm still trying to decide if it was worth the price. Don't know too much about BetterCables.
May I ask where you're getting the Kimber for $45? How long of a run?
Clark

 

[Samson]

Wellborn Labs sells the Kimber 8PR for $3 a foot - unterminated.

 

[Chris White]

Be sure you can return whatever you buy so that if you try them and can't tell any difference, you can get your money back.
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[Ron Boster]

I can't speak for Kimber products, but Chris is correct about getting a money back guarantee. Better Cables offers a 6 month money back guarantee,so all you would be out would be a couple of bucks for shipping. Except for a few odds and ends, all my cables were built by Better Cables. I don't have the desire to build my own, which is another option.... and if you do, you should visit Chris White's website to a complete tutorial for DYI cables.
Good Luck
Ron

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I dont think you are going to hear any improvement with premium speaker wires.
For people with the self-powered SVS subs, the SVS guys recommend dirt-cheap cables, even CATV coax. They dont believe premium wires are necessary (and they design/test/sell them for a living).
And the physics involved are this:
A given length of speaker wire will reduce some signal. Thats not the problem.
The problem is: it reduces the higher-frequency signals a lot more than the lower frequencies.
So for full-range audio, some people with very accurate systems and music they are familar with can hear a 5 db reduction in the upper-mid range of sound (around 12,000 hz).
But the low freqencies are hardly touched. And all of the sounds going to your sub are between 5 and 120 hz - a very small range. Inexpensive vs Premium will make little difference.
So if you want to buy premium speaker wires because it looks good, or just because you want high-quality, then go for it. (I'm all for parts having extra capacity).
But any improvement in performance will be psychological, not actual.
(I'm assuming your Home Depot speaker wire is already the good 12 ga wire for about $0.60 / ft)
Note: This advice only applies to sub-woofer speakers. For full-range speakers, a premium wire may make a noticible difference. And for video interconnects, premium cables can make a difference. I dont want you to think I push the "...all wires are the same" advice. But the subwoofer wire is one of the last places to go premium.
Hope this helps.

 

[Chu Gai]

If you want to maximize the performace of your sub, it is not going to come from changing the wire you are presently using. While certainly its nice that a company, any company, offer a 'money back guarantee', the one thing they don't offer is demonstrable proof of an audible improvement.
To maximize your performance pay attention to such details as overall speaker calibration and positioning as well as your room characteristics.
Now if you do decide to buy one of these other brands, the one thing you'll be doing is stimulating the economy. At least hold out till I develop a cable variant and can sell you on its supposed benefits.

 

[rajiv]

Sampson,
The Kimber 8PR is a 9 gauge cable, and depending on your amp and how hard you drive it, the current capability of your wire becomes an important issue because it is dependant on wire gauge; albeit a very minor one for some people who may or may not hear the differences.
I would suggest that if you look at electrical shops you may find 8 or 9 gauge stranded wire at much cheaper rates than $3/ft that would make a similar performance gains that you desire.
Good luck,
Rajiv...