In article ,
PJO wrote:
The word "Maplin" worries me! So does £20/100m. In fact that worries me
more cos it's just too cheap.
You've been got at by the charlatans of the audio business. The mains
cable running round your house to power almost everything is commonly
2.5mm TW&E and costs around 20 quid/100m from a wholesaler. It is rated at
24 amps/230 volts and typically used over far greater runs than speaker
cable.
Speaker cable admittedly has to handle higher frequencies than the 50Hz of
mains, but in practice the insulation on any 'ordinary' mains cable will
allow audio frequencies through without degradation, and a 24 amp current
capability is fine for most amps.
The other thing is that once installed I'm stuck with it as I am hiding
it behind new skirting boards and in walls so it'll be impossible to
swap out.
A purpose made speaker cable will be more flexible than mains stuff, and
probably rather better looking, but needn't cost the earth. Expensive
audio cables are a *complete con* unless bought purely for their
appearance or mechanical properties.
Everything you listen to, be it radio or CD, uses cables of relatively
low cost in the production stages. Not a 100 quid a meter cable in sight
to handle single channel audio.
Maplin still sell some good stuff among the dross, although the signal to
noise is getting worse.
--
*A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory *
Dave Plowman
London SW 12
RIP Acorn