Cable routing

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Terathlios

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Hello all! 🙂

I'm trying to build a pair of cabinets (will make new thread when done) and I have an electromagnetic question. The cables for the speakers will pass from the rear of the cabinet, through a piece of 21mm plywood to the speaker.

I use CAT6 cables and I was wondering two things:

  1. Are the CAT6 cable sufficient for 35W speakers, considering the small diameter?
  2. Is there any electromagnetic interference if the cables pass through one hole like in the photo below?
Thank you in advance for your insight.

-Kostis.
 

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I would at least use a cross section of 2,5mm² to preserve some damping factor.
There will always be electromagnetic interference between currents in parallel wires but I think it`s negligible in this case.
 
Those thin wires look wrong to me, probably work but there are reasons larger cables are used. Those are designed for small high frequency signal use. Twisting will cancel RFI pick up but not emission, but that's not an issue.
 
Let's make some maths:


35W in 8 Ohm will be something in the 2A range. The wires can handle it.
The problem is they are flimsy and break easily.
I Use 1.5 to 4mm on my speakers (4mm por +300W PA use).
 
Terathlios said:
Are the CAT6 cable sufficient for 35W speakers, considering the small diameter?
Click to expand...
Depends whether you are worried about safety or sound quality.

For sound quality it is not the speaker power which matters but speaker impedance. Cat 6
is rather thin for 8 ohm speakers. Why choose a wholly inappropriate cable?

For safety you need to consider impedance and power. Calculate current and think about duty cycle. As a general rule, if the cable is thick enough for sound then it will be thick enough for safety - unless you are wiring a stadium.
 
scottjoplin said:
Those thin wires look wrong to me, probably work but there are reasons larger cables are used. Those are designed for small high frequency signal use. Twisting will cancel RFI pick up but not emission, but that's not an issue.
Click to expand...

First of all, thank you all for the replies. I decided to use these because it's mentioned in the forum that CAT5/6 cables are more than good for the job and the bigger cables are not needed. The diameter of the copper wire is 0.7mm. Will it suffice for the job? Moreover, I understand that twisting the cables is a good thing(?). Because, I didn't know what to do with the twisting.
 
DF96 said:
Depends whether you are worried about safety or sound quality.

For sound quality it is not the speaker power which matters but speaker impedance. Cat 6 is rather thin for 8 ohm speakers. Why choose a wholly inappropriate cable?
For safety you need to consider impedance and power. Calculate current and think about duty cycle. As a general rule, if the cable is thick enough for sound then it will be thick enough for safety - unless you are wiring a stadium.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the response. I'm concerned about sound quality. The speakers are 8 Ohm and can output up to 38W each. Not that I will be listening at their maximum power all the time. So, what diameter would you suggest?
 
Terathlios said:
I decided to use these because it's mentioned in the forum that CAT5/6 cables are more than good for the job and the bigger cables are not needed. The diameter of the copper wire is 0.7mm. Will it suffice for the job?
Click to expand...
Yes, I've seen it advocated, for the short run inside the cabinet it probably won't do much harm. The damping factor may be an issue, and for some speakers and people underdamping may be desirable Damping factor - Wikipedia
Moreover, I understand that twisting the cables is a good thing(?). Because, I didn't know what to do with the twisting.
Click to expand...
Yes, twisting is good, it helps reduce EMI pick-up
 
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