Your system may not be made to sound better than it already is by a good speaker cable, but it should make sure that every iota of sound performance finds its way to your speakers from your amplifier.
However, a bad speaker cable will make your HiFi sound bad and delineate its audio quality, so it is quite imperative to make a budget for decent cabling when purchasing or upgrading your home speaker system.
If you do not do this, you will end up with a cheap, poorly manufactured cable that will not showcase the sound quality of the expensive sound system which you have painstakingly acquired.
In this review, we are going to share seven of the best HiFi speaker cables we have tested to help you make the right choice when you eventually set out to get your cable for your sound system.
Endeavor to budget for the lengths that you require (and the number of HiFi speakers you need them for in the case of a surround system).
Whatever you believe about HiFi cables, you cannot deny the fact that they make a significant difference.
Table of Contents
- 1 Frequently Asked Questions About HiFi Speaker Cables
- 2 The Best HiFi Speaker Cables Connectors
- 3 The Audioquest Rocket 11 Speaker Wire – 8FT. Pair – Silver Banana Plugs
- 4 The QED XT40i Reference Speaker Cable with X-Tube Technology
- 5 The AudioQuest Rocket 33 12ft. (Pr.) FR Speaker Cable
- 6 The QED XT25 Speaker Cable
- 7 The Monoprice Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper Speaker Wire
- 8 The AmazonBasics
- 9 Some Hi-Fi Speaker Cable Connection Tips
Frequently Asked Questions About HiFi Speaker Cables
What Difference Does The Speaker Cable Make?
Expensive and exotic speaker cable brands go out of their way to deceive people. And the lacks of acoustical and electronic knowledge of several customers make them fall victim to such deceits and misconceptions.
Speaker cables make a significant difference, but the difference is not as a result of their exotic structure or how expensive they are.
The only difference in sound that people hear is as a result of the cable’s resistance.
Do not forget that the voice coil of the speaker contains a lengthy conventional copper wire.
Can Instrument Cables Be Used As Speaker Cables?
But trouble brews at high signal levels as all that amplifier power struggles to flow through the small conductor of the instrument cable.
The sad result is that a plethora of amplifier power is converted to heat and is unable to get to the speakers.
You get some distortion, reduced speaker output, and connector failure or heat-induced cable in extreme scenarios. Certainly, the last thing you want is an overheated amp.
If a speaker cable is utilized in the place of an instrument cable, the weak signal can be easily handled by the large conductors.
But you should know that speaker cables are not shielded since they usually carry strong amplified signals, any noise they detect is of no consequence, which means they do not need shielding.
However, if you use them as an instrument cable, the unshielded conductors will pick up an interception from amp power supplies, fluorescent lighting, and several other external AC sources. So it is best to stick to speaker cables for your speakers.
How Thick Should My Speaker Cable Be?
In the case of short runs, a 16 gauge wire will be perfect for you, it is easy to work with and cost-effective.
How Much Wire Is Needed?
Get the string measured, and add some extra feet for some slack to enhance easier connection to your system.
Can I Extend My Speaker Cables?
There are a lot of things to put into consideration when you extend your cables. If you do need them extended contact an audio gear dealer to help you buy the appropriate wire for that purpose.
The Best HiFi Speaker Cables Connectors
The Audioquest Rocket 11 Speaker Wire – 8FT. Pair – Silver Banana Plugs
The most prominent thing about AudioQuest is that it gets out of the way and allows you simply relish the music.
There is an obvious improvement in the way systems perform when you plug the Rocket 11 in, in contrast to rival speaker cables from Chord and Atlas Company.
Additionally, the cables are quite flexible and labeled for ease of use.
By the time you add up the length and how many cables you need, it may seem expensive but if you have put an ample amount of care into your home hi-fi system, it is worth the investment to optimize the sound performance of the speakers.
The QED XT40i Reference Speaker Cable with X-Tube Technology
The QED brand has always been about detail, clarity, and insight, and they showed all of that with the QED Reference XT40i.
This speaker cable will allow any budget into midrange home theater system to show off all the info it has in possession, giving it precision and accuracy.
Competitors such as the highly revered AudioQuest help better with dynamic expression and organization, but for the price, you will not get a cleaner presentation than the QED Reference XT40i
The AudioQuest Rocket 33 12ft. (Pr.) FR Speaker Cable
The AudioRequest Rocket 33 is a showcase of the fine work of AudioRequest.
This cable is a suitably talented set-up, the difference in price between this and the aforementioned AudioRequest cable is justified by the improvement in authority, scale, and detail.
But you can consider the Chord Company RumourX especially if your sound system requires a bit more releasing along with a rhythmic drive and a little more punch.
The QED XT25 Speaker Cable
For the price, you do not have much to complain about with the QED XT25. It gives you an extremely detailed and insightful sound, which is up there with the very best at this level.
Music is encouraged to showcase an airy sense of openness with a plethora of sophistication and subtlety.
This is the type of cable that will be a great choice for less spacious and warm sounding set-ups
The Monoprice Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper Speaker Wire
Unlike the more expensive QED mentioned above which are more expensive for the same length, the Monoprice 2747 12 Guage offers more for less.
This speaker cable is made of oxygen-free and high-quality bare copper and it is very sturdy which is a necessity considering its length.
The Monoprice 2747 12 Guage is compatible with virtually all amplifiers and speakers and delivers a perfect sound by all accounts.
It is worthy of note that there is a cheaper copper-clad aluminum wire referred to as Monoprice 14917, and a lot of users have said it should be avoided.
The AmazonBasics
If you believe that only speakers and amplifiers have the right to be as expensive as they are, and the job of the cable is to simply connect the two devoid of any loss of audio quality, then the AmazonBasics is perfect for you.
Regardless of its unattractive appearance, its hard plastic spool makes dispensing easy and convenient; with the plastic jacket circumnavigating the copper-plated aluminum thread to ensure there is an absence of any distortion.
AmazonBasics is currently one of the best-selling Hi-Fi cables on amazon with over eighty percent five-star rating, with virtually all reviewers saying that they cannot differentiate between an expensive cable and AmazonBasics.
Some Hi-Fi Speaker Cable Connection Tips
- Endeavor to identify the negative and positive leads of your hi-fi speaker cables, and ensure they are connected properly to your amp or receiver and speakers.
If you mistakenly cross one of the connections, your music will not sound very good.
- If you chose to hook your wire up without connectors, make use of a wire stripper to take about 3/8-inch of insulation off the rears on each lead to expose the nude wire threads.
Twist all the lead’s bare wire threads tightly, so you do not have any stray strands sticking out.
Loose strands can touch the other lead of the cable and result in a short circuit which may cause damage to your components.