Where to buy cable

[kovacika]

Im going to biamp my mains and want to use nl4 connectors with 4 conductor speaker cable. The issue is that everywhere i look 4 conductor cable costs an arm and a leg. Is this just the nature of things, or is there a place where i can get cable at a reasonable price. (A type of heaven)
Thanks
Aaron

[stantonsound]

Yes, these are expensive cables. I have found that buying cables on ebay has been fairly cost effective. You can get them cheap, but the NL4 connectors are really cheap and the workmanship is equally cheap. I usually replace these with a better ends and they work great for me. I have been very happy with this method and it is cheaper than buying new cables from typical stores, especially chain stores such as Musicians Friend, Sam Ash, or Guitar Center.

[SHARYNF]

Just search on ebay for 12/4 or 14/4 cable. here is one listing 290063042750 S0 or SOxx , there is some cheaper stuff that is for in walls Sharyn

[inspector_gizmo]

I would take a look at your local home improvement store. If you are willing to buy a spool of 100 feet, you can walk away with some very nice prices.

While SO is an extremely sturdy cable, it's also heavy and hard to get into NL4 connectors. You can easily get away with SJ/SJOOW and save your money and your back. SJ is going to be a lot more durable than most of what you will find on Ebay or in a music store anyway.

To give you an idea, I bought a spool of 12/3 SOOW for around $63 at home depot not too long ago. I would expect you could get a similar price for 14/4 SJ, perhaps even 12/4 if you need that thick of a conductor.

Just my $.02. I'm sure others will chime in soon about where to get a deal.

[TimmyP1955]

Get ready-made 4 conductor NL4 cables from audiopile.net

or:
Get raw 12-4 cable from cameltraders.com, and get connectors from fullcompass.com (best price I have found if you buy 10 each. I get the gold ones).

[SHARYNF]

The likely hood of getting 4 wire at a home depot is not very high, since most consumer stuff is 3 wire. Cameltraders.com makes sense, SJ cable will work fine, but the comment i made was re what you are likely to find on ebay etc, since for power apps left overs. you are more likely to find SO If you go the camel traders make sure you look under speaker cable, that is where the sj 12/4 of 14/4 cable is

Sharyn

[BNBSound]

These guys are right, but don't go to the Home Cheapo if you have an electrical supply store around. Don't be intimidated by a counter full of tradesman, just tell the guy on the other side what you want and what it's for and you'll be fine. I typically save 10 to 20 percent over the Cheapo.

SJ is plenty durable, I've got cables I built nearly 10 years ago and the only difference from the ones I just made is that "new cable smell" (ahhhh). And only spring for 12 guage if you're planning on doing 1kW or more, 14 guage has sufficient ampacity and damping for anything lower than that, and even though the price of copper has come down lately, why spend more.

[gafftaper]

These guys are right, but don't go to the Home Cheapo if you have an electrical supply store around. Don't be intimidated by a counter full of tradesman, just tell the guy on the other side what you want and what it's for and you'll be fine. I typically save 10 to 20 percent over the Cheapo.

He's right. Find the store in town where the professional electricians and installers shop at. They'll have exactly what you need at a decent price.

[soundlight]

And by decent...I know that the electrical supply store in my town has 12/3 for almost half the price that "Lowes Home Improvement" sells it for, so it's logical that 12/4 would be similar...but that's just one spot comparison.

[kovacika]

Thanks for all the ideas, but my luck is once again triumphant. I have a friend who is leaving the audio bussiness. I bought six 50' 4 conductor cables for $10. Unfortunately he didnt have much else left, but oh well.

[SHARYNF]

sounds good what was the spec on the cable?
Sharyn

[kovacika]

14 gauge Carol SJOW

[SHARYNF]

GOOD DEAL.you owe your friend

Sharyn

[djyojoe]

Get raw 12-4 cable from cameltraders.com, and get connectors from fullcompass.com (best price I have found if you buy 10 each. I get the gold ones).

I know this is a old post.
But for those that still use the search engine instead of posting a new questions.
I make allot of custom cables for people. Also being an Electrician by trade. If you don't have a wholesale number. cameltraders.com has great prices on raw / bulk cable as well as for Neutrik connectors. Also check out automationdirect.com for wire. They are second inline with great pricing. Also for Automation Direct, if you order more than $300 it's free shipping. That's a plus when it comes to paying for S/H on wire that has a bit of weight to it. For those that live in a area that has a Home Depot or Lowes. Look up Electrical suppliers in your area. You will get way betting pricing on SJ and SO cord over buying from the Big Box stores. Some names to look for are Consolidated Electrical Dist also known as "CED" or PLATT Electric. Also try googling for Electrical Supply.
I recommend using SJ cord for making speaker cords. The difference between SJ & SO is that SJ in the electricity world is rated for 300volts max. It has a little thinner jacket compared to the SO type cord jacket. SO cord is rated for 600volts max. So why spend the extra money on SO when it's not needed and weights more to hall around unless you just want a more durable jacket cord. Ampacity is the same for both types of cords types and only depends on the gauge wire inside the jacket. For what it costs to buy 14/2 or 14/4SJ. I recommend spending the little extra money and buying / using 12/2 & 12/4SJ for making speaker cords. It matters when you want to run a cord to a speaker 100 or so feet away and need to couple two or three cords together to get it there.