Today I am receiving 5 Model 200 amps. I have the option of short interconnects-long speaker wires vs. long interconnects-short speaker wires. All are quality wires which I can almost isolate from each other and AC lines. Is there any new science on which is better? I have a dedicated 20 amp AC line just for the electronics. Rest of system: Aragon Stage One, Dynaudio Audience 70s/122C/42s, Classe CD, MMF-7, Kimber interconnects, Better Cable speaker wire. Thanks.

long interconnects is advisable, because a signal can travel farther without loss than a current can. i.e. it is harder for the amplified signal to travel than it is the unamplified one.

I've actually arguments in favor of both approaches. There's curegeorg's take on a low-level signal traveling easier, which I actually have some trouble with assuming that you are using some normal gauge of speaker wire. There's also an argument that running longer interconnects offers more chance for the low-level signal picking up interference which will then be amplified, thereby amplifying the interference.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

interconnects are better shielded that speaker wire! speaker wire is wire too and can pick up interference...

Any wire can pick up interference (with the tangential exception of fiber optic). The point I was making was that interference in the low level signal will then be amplified right along with the rest of the signal, potentially yielding a greater overall noise level for the listener. Like I said, I've heard arguments in favor of both approaches. Personally, I doubt that there is a practical difference if the two approaches are installed properly. Considering that and the tendency for the (better-shielded) interconnects to cost more per foot than speaker wire, I would tend to go for centrally locating my equipment and conscientiously running my speaker wire the greater distance. I also locate my equipment and main speakers close together, keeping all of the wiring runs short for the speakers that bear the heaviest burden -- something that not everyone can do, obviously, but that in the average home theater (entertainment center with equipment and display all together) is a convenient side-effect.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

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Thanks for everyone's input. Since there's no hard science either way, I guess the best approach is to isolate each wire as much as possible to minimize interference with any of the wires (esp. AC) and keep all runs as short as possible. BTW, do rear projection TVs generate much electrical or EMF interference? I have a RPTV in the same setup. It is the one piece that is hard to avoid. Any thoughts?

no they dont. i run my speaker wire and power cable for my center speaker on top of the back of the rptv, and sub cable, speaker wire, power cables, all video interconnects, etc. directly behind my rptv. i may not be able to quantify why longer ics is better in enough detail to prove it here, but i have read everywhere that the idea is to have the shortest speaker wire runs possible. i have seen it applied like that in topoftheline setups, i have worked with a few audio manufacturers in the past and THEY had their stuff setup that way, and if i had space to/speaker stands to accomodate placing monos right at the speakers, i would.
take the idea of a subwoofer, it is a speaker with an integrated amp receiving its signal from a long interconnect. it used to be that this was not the case and the sub was amplified externally and its signal was transmitted to the sub with speaker wire, that is not done anymore... there is a reason why.
also, speaker wire runs are limited to their distance based on gauge, revealing the fact that loss is more prominent, and to compensate, larger gauge is needed. interconnects are not gauged for length. im telling you for a fact that longer ics is a better approach than longer speaker wire, and i only say that because i know that it is a fact. i dont often definitely claim that my opinion is 100% true, but in this case it is. and while, you, gonk tend to be well versed in your posts, you are wrong to say that speaker wire is better for long runs. i can only think that you are doing so to be yang to my yen, but longer ics are better than longer speaker wire!

If you can link up some articles that would be a great help. There may be a difference, there may not, but either way, can you hear it?

Subs have different power requirements than the rest of the system. It's also easier to sell people on the idea of one nice tidy box instead of having the separate amps and yet another set of wires running all over. Distortion and other types of introduced noise is also heard far less in subs than the rest of the setup. If amps were built into the speakers more often then maybe a case could made that way. There are still some good subs that are amplified externally.