Why put speaker cables on foam?

Huge posted:

Hook posted:

For years I have used wall hooks and rubber bands for my NACA5 runs. 

It has made vacuuming the floor much easier.

Skyhooks work better and you don't have to fix anything to the walls.

But then you should know all about hooks!

With all this talk about springs of course Hooke's law comes into play doesn't it!

I tried those, but the neighbors complained. Why are audiophiles so misunderstood?

Hook posted:

Huge posted:

Hook posted:

For years I have used wall hooks and rubber bands for my NACA5 runs. 

It has made vacuuming the floor much easier.

Skyhooks work better and you don't have to fix anything to the walls.

But then you should know all about hooks!

With all this talk about springs of course Hooke's law comes into play doesn't it!

I tried those, but the neighbors complained. Why are audiophiles so misunderstood?

Pah! It's an appropriate time in this thread to announce I have conquered the age-old challenge of formulating a compact device to overcome the forces of gravity. What better use than for suspending speaker cables away from the corrupting influence of contact with the floor? (Other surfaces are available). Please contact me via my e-mail address on my profile with your credit card and PIN number details. Thanks in advance. If you have to ask the price, shame on you!

Tony, is that free to those who can afford it very expensive to those who can't 

Remember chaps my solution costs just £1.20. My consultancy and installation costs are of course another matter. 

If you detect a difference in sound with speaker cables on foam, there is something really very very wrong.

I wonder if the quality of seat cushion stuffing has an effect? I'm currently sitting on one stuffed with goose feathers. I wonder if foam would improve or degrade the sound? I'm also sitting in a wing chair which is probaly knobbling everything

I too have seen that Naim go to the lengths of lifting their SuperLumina speaker cables off the floor in their demo room at the factory. I would also suggest they do not make a big deal of this as they realise this practice is somewhat controversial - as demonstrated in this thread. Will anyone from Naim pitch in and tell us why they raise their speaker cables? I think not!

Jason came to my place to sort my speakers a couple of days ago. Saw the system and the SLs, unplugged and even plugged them in and didn't say anything about levitation of any kind

Possibly because it is controversial.

Do I detect a whiff of scandal per chance? Nope, no bits of foam, plastic coffee cups or wooden cones made from exotic woods and  turned by virgins at dawn for me. I'll settle for my SLs neatly placed on my oak floor thanks. It's solid oak, not laminate so perhaps that makes a difference?

For me, laying foam under the cables is really going too far! You have to keep your hifi interest within reasonable limits!

Philistines!

It all depends on tne type of foam, expanding PU foam extruded from an aerosol and the cables placed on top while still expanding may be good, and the growths would add a certain je ne sais quoi to room aesthetics.

Alternatively, floating on bubble bath foam might be interesting, though short-lived. That said, a foam fire extinguisher may be a better generator. than flooding the house from the bathroom above.

Thank you Innocent Bystander. At last, someone with some imagination.

As a basic option, I can recommend Wicks grey (matches SuperLumina speaker cable) pipe insulation.

I guarantee it will transform your system for £1.20 and a bit of elbow grease. 

Oh goodness, this thread has just entered a second page. Time to find something more useful to do me thinks.

Does the Wickes foam have elbows to put the grease on?

Now you're talking. I used the Homebase variety. Perhaps Screwfix next time?

Elbows and grease need to be supplied by the tweaker. I did say it was a basic option.

PS - you might have noticed I failed to find something more useful to do. 

This is all a con. Nailing it to the floor is the way forward, why else would they go to all the trouble of putting that nice wide flat bit between the wires? Total cost, about 25p 

If I was Naim I would sell you a few cable dressing over-engineered bits of plastic for £500 or so.................

ChrisSU posted:

This is all a con. Nailing it to the floor is the way forward, why else would they go to all the trouble of putting that nice wide flat bit between the wires? Total cost, about 25p 

We are talking a saving of 95p here (£1.20 vs 25p). Do you really want to risk transforming your system to save 95p? I think not. Anyway, hammering your speaker cable to the floor is so yesterday. Chris, things have moved on my friend. 

PS - there is no flat bit with SuperLumina speaker cables.

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

This is all a con. Nailing it to the floor is the way forward, why else would they go to all the trouble of putting that nice wide flat bit between the wires? Total cost, about 25p 

We are talking a saving of 95p here (£1.20 vs 25p). Do you really want to risk transforming your system to save 95p? I think not. Anyway, hammering your speaker cable to the floor is so yesterday. Chris, things have moved on my friend. 

Surely one nails it up the wall and across the ceiling, that way you can maximise the amount of cable for optimal performance.

This is now getting plain silly. 

nigelb posted:

PS - there is no flat bit with SuperLumina speaker cables.

You're not using a heavy enough hammer.

Adam Meredith posted:

nigelb posted:

PS - there is no flat bit with SuperLumina speaker cables.

You're not using a heavy enough hammer.

Ummm…OK you may have point. I do have a sledge hammer in the garage. Bit tired right now, I'll try the sledge hammer tomorrow when there is no one downstairs.

Eoink posted:

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

This is all a con. Nailing it to the floor is the way forward, why else would they go to all the trouble of putting that nice wide flat bit between the wires? Total cost, about 25p 

We are talking a saving of 95p here (£1.20 vs 25p). Do you really want to risk transforming your system to save 95p? I think not. Anyway, hammering your speaker cable to the floor is so yesterday. Chris, things have moved on my friend. 

Surely one nails it up the wall and across the ceiling, that way you can maximise the amount of cable for optimal performance.

It also gets the wore as far as possible above the floor. 

However, to minimise interactions between the cables and anything connected to ground they should be suspended midway between ceiling and floor, and as far as possible to achieve midway between walls. The difficulty is what should be used to suspend: a low cost approach would be nylon monofilament as used in fishing, which would minimise the visual impact. The line should be anchored to both ceiling and floor, of course with horizontal stabilising lanyards.