I saw on a website a product that you can wrap around speaker cables, interconnects, etc. to isolate them from one another. I believe it was some sort of rubbery foamy material and I can not seem to find this again. Has anyone seen this or knows what I am referring to? I am obsessed with getting these things organized and wonder if this will help. Thanks again :p

There is absolutely no reason to use this stuff for "isolating" interconnects or speaker wires - it just doesn't matter. The only thing you should do is to keep 120VAC power wires physically seperated from the other wires, but this can be done by simple spacing.

If you want to bundle wires together, use the split-loom type stuff that you can get from auto parts stores.

Thanks. I don't want to waste $$$$$$. What is split loom?

just a split piece of plastic you can put your wires in(parts xpress) very cheap!easier 4 u 2 look it up than xplain it!

I found some at the Auto parts store. I will try it out. Thanks.

should do fine.listen to sound hound,,,,he knows!!

Yes he does . This site is a wealth of info thanks to you guys.
I have also also been reading that speaker cables should not lie on the floor ( regardless of the surface). Is this true or more baloney?

mine are on the floor,but they do sell "cable elevators" there is a thread elsewhere in the forum.

While I'm very much in favor of making sure a system gets set up properly (isolating power cables from interconnects, using cables with reasonable build quality and shielding where appropriate, providing good ventilation for components, setting speaker delays and calibrating channel levels, calibrating TV using discs like Digital Video Essentials, etc), there are some products and concerns that I would classify as "nonsense" - and keeping speaker cables off the floor is one of those. What would contact with the floor actually do to the signal in the cable? Are we worried about friction against one side of the audio signal? Don't worry about that one...

It is amazing all the little tweaks and gimmicks that are out there. Everyone of them supported by such scientific 'facts' and reviews by a cast of thousands. Thanks Gonk. I had a feeling that one was a little out there but I needed you to bring me down to Earth. Always appreciated.

Man, I'm embarrassed to say I own a VPI Magic Brick which is supposed to be placed on top of transformers to improve the sound. I bought the thing 20 years ago but I think they still sell 'em. I guess I'm partially deaf being 53 years old but, I could never hear a difference with/without the brick. OTOH, my Brick Wall power conditioner has a real, aural effect on what I'm hearing through my ht. Caveat emptor!

Jay

That is absolute baloney. I wonder what they would say about speaker wires laying on the floor of a 2nd story apartment - are they still "on the floor"?????

What about wires on blocks away from the floor, but the floor in question is in the lowest part of Death Valley, CA, which is below sea level???

Inquiring minds want to know.

quote:
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Originally posted by wingnut4772:

I have also also been reading that speaker cables should not lie on the floor ( regardless of the surface). Is this true or more baloney?
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The THEORY behind this 'tweak' is to isolate from vibrations in the floor. I can't say that I've experienced it firsthand, but I've read about it. There was even a way of proving that severe vibrations will impact loudspeaker performance. Unfortunately, I can't remember the details of the test, it was quite a few years ago and quite a bit beyond the workings of my own gear. Meaning, I cannot reach the level of detail that such a minor improvement would be noticeable to me.

to Wingnut,
to test this theory would be quite simple. Try it and trust your ears. I don't suggest you run out and buy the audiophile approved cable isolators, any dense material (hardwood, concrete) will work.

Happy listening!

My speaker cables are NOW run under the carpet, between the carpet and the cement floor.
I notice an immediate improvement in my wife's signal to noise ratio, and total harmonic distortion dropped significantly too.
Plus, the annoying 'thud' that I used to hear every time she tripped over the cables is completely gone and replaced by a warm smile and an occasional roll in the sack.
Proof positive that cable placement can dramatically affect your listening experience .

right on lonster. but now if you need to strangle her with the speaker wires because she is talking during your favorite scenes it will take a long time to pull them out from under the carpet...

i guess a stun gun would do the trick though...

funny that you would want to suspend your speaker wires from the ground, when you dont suspend the rest of your gear... seems like a suspended cable would have no way to get any vibrations out of it in the air, but could transfer them to the ground if on the ground (or carpet..).