In the interest of domestic tranquility I’m contemplating moving my amp out of the line of sight where it’s centered between the speakers. Moving it would mean unequal lengths of speaker cable, 8’ on one side and 18’ on the other. I don’t have a way to gracefully deal with 10 additional feet of unnecessary cable if I have a pair of 18’ cables. The specs for the Furutech FS Alpha 36 cable I’m using are below. I’ve read all the innumerable pro and con arguments on other websites so I thought I’d see what the folks at PS Audio have to say.
Without getting into cable specs, I believe Paul and many others advocate “symmetry” of audio systems to include cable length. I had a BHK 250 and my speakers have a fireplace between them. Because I didn’t want speaker cables running across the floor, I had to have very unequal cable lengths. I believe symmetry is great to strive for, but at some point, having one cable length of 8’ and the other cable length at 53’ was counter productive and symmetry was not my friend. Symmetry is not the ultimate goal, it’s the resultant sound (with associated cost).
8’ and 18’ should be perfectly fine.
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I asked a similar question when talking to cable making companies (Morrow audio and Cerious Cables). Both said there is no audible difference.
However, I will say if you are planning on reselling later, selling a symmetrical set is much easier than an asymmetrical one.
Good point on resale ability if you are someone who frequently turns their gear over. One alternative to trying to sell the cables is, use them as trade-in on some PS Audio gear at full retail!
Great idea as well. I actually didn’t realize PS Audio traded in cables
Yup, in fact I was pleasantly surprised at the broad range of items they will accept, and PSA has offered me retail for my excellent condition speaker cables.
Well, I enjoy making speaker cables from bulk wire so if I have an 18’ cable it will easily be split into a pair of equal length when it’s time to make a change.