AudioQuest Type 8 Speaker Cable No Frills - 12 Foot - Pair - Bananas to Spades

AudioQuest Type 8 With No Frills Termination

AudioQuest Type 8 has eight solid conductors arranged in a circular array. It mixes Perfect-Surface Copper with Long-Grain Copper in four different sizes, adding up to 12 AWG per side overall. For many years, Type 8 has been one of AudioQuest's most popular speaker cables, thanks to its excellent design and high-quality materials.

Our own terminators finish this AudioQuest Type 8 cable here at Audio Advisor. They have more than 50 years of experience with high-end audio cables. We fit it with our No Frills connectors: gold-plated spades and long-barrel BFA bananas.

Solid Conductors, No Strands to Rub

Every conductor is solid copper, with no strands inside. In a stranded cable, each strand shifts position inside the bundle. AudioQuest says solid conductors prevent that strand-to-strand interaction, a major source of distortion.

Why a Circle of Conductors

AudioQuest says the circular-spiral construction of Type 8 allows significantly better dynamic contrast and clarity than running the same conductors in parallel or as twisted pairs. The conductors come in four different sizes: one pair of 20 AWG Perfect-Surface Copper, and pairs of 19, 18 and 16 AWG Long-Grain Copper.

Our No Frills Connectors

Our No Frills spades are gold-plated over copper and fit 1/4-inch or 5/16-inch binding posts. Our No Frills bananas are premium long-barrel, BFA-type plugs, also gold-plated over copper. A few lengths use pins, barrier spades or bare wire instead. Each listing's title names the connector fitted on each end.

Who Is This Speaker Cable Best For?

• You want a heavier 12 AWG cable for longer runs — Type 8 adds up to 12 AWG per side
• You want Perfect-Surface Copper in the mix — Type 8 pairs it with Long-Grain Copper in a circular array
• You want the work done by experts — our terminators have more than 50 years of experience
• Your speakers have two pairs of binding posts — bi-wire versions let one run from the amplifier feed both pairs of posts
• Your speakers have one pair of binding posts — order a standard listing, not a bi-wire one. Bi-wire versions need two pairs of posts on each speaker, so the standard cable is your fit

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Connect one end to your amplifier's speaker outputs and the other to your speaker's binding posts, red to red and black to black. Do the same for the second speaker.

Measure the Route, Then Add a Little Slack

Speaker cable is cut for one room. Measure the path the cable will really take, around furniture and along the baseboard. Then add a little slack. As Cardas puts it, "A cable that's just long enough usually turns out to be just not long enough." Keep the left and right runs the same length, as Cardas recommends, even when one speaker sits closer.

Spades, Bananas, or Bare Wire?

Spades clamp under a binding post and hold tight. Bananas push straight in, so they connect fastest. Bare wire fits almost anything, but we suggest avoiding it. Bare copper oxidizes quickly, and Cardas notes that copper oxide is not a good conductor. If you use bare wire, re-strip the ends when the copper darkens.

What Bi-Wire Means

A bi-wire cable has four connectors at the speaker end instead of two. It is made for speakers with two pairs of binding posts. Your speaker's manual shows which links to remove.

Tighten the connections, power up, and play something you know well.

When Is It Time to Upgrade?

Speaker cable often stays put for years, so it tends to be the last thing upgraded. Look again when something else changes. Moving from bookshelf speakers to floorstanders is the big one. In our experience, about nine in ten people who make that move keep their old speaker cable. A stronger amplifier, a longer run, or darkened ends are the other signs.

Pairs Well With

A speaker cable joins your amplifier to your speakers. These are the categories on either end of it.

• Floorstanding Speakers — the best time to rethink your speaker cable
• Bookshelf Speakers — the speaker end in a smaller room
• Integrated Amplifiers — the amplifier end in most stereo systems
• Stereo Amplifiers — the amplifier end when you run separates

Frequently Asked Questions

Who terminates this cable?

Our in-house terminators at Audio Advisor do. They have more than 50 years of experience terminating high-end audio cables, and they fit the connectors named in the listing's title.

What is the difference between No Frills and PREMIUM No Frills?

The connectors. PREMIUM No Frills uses higher-quality, more expensive connectors: Pangea Audio Xtreme spades and gold BFA bananas.

What gauge is Type 8?

Type 8 adds up to 12 AWG per side, from eight solid conductors in four sizes.

Which end goes to the amplifier?

AudioQuest controls its conductors for direction. Connect the end marked for the amplifier to your amplifier. If no end is marked, either end can go to either component.

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Learn More

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