Analysis Plus Black Oval 12 Speaker Cable - 35 Foot - Banana to Banana - Pair

Black Oval 12 Brings Analysis Plus's Hollow Oval to Everyday Systems

Analysis Plus calls the Black Oval 12 its best value in a high-end speaker cable. It uses the same patented hollow oval design as the company's Oval 9, sized down to 12-gauge oxygen-free copper.

The cable measures 11mm by 7mm, flat enough to run along a baseboard without drawing the eye. Analysis Plus builds its cables by hand in Flushing, Michigan. It terminates Black Oval 12 with banana or spade connectors, and offers a bi-wire version too.

Why the Middle of the Wire Is Empty

At higher frequencies, current crowds toward the outer surface of a wire, Analysis Plus explains. The center carries little of the signal there, so the company leaves it out. A hollow conductor, it says, keeps resistance steadier as frequency rises, so current flows more evenly across the audio range.

A Woven Oval, Not a Round Bundle

Analysis Plus weaves its Oval cables so every strand sits, on average, as close to the return current as any other. The company says the oval shape cuts current bunching, also called proximity effect. It adds that a woven build resists the cracks that constant flexing can cause in solid cable.

The Connectors on Each Listing

Most Black Oval 12 listings we carry use bananas, spades, or one of each. A few use pins or barrier spades. Analysis Plus says its barrier spade fits some older McIntosh amplifiers. Each listing's title names the connector at each end.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Colin Smith reviewed Black Oval 12 for GoodSound! on March 15, 2010. He found that "these inexpensive cables were doing a fine job of letting signals pass through them without altering them to any great degree."

The SoundStage! Network's 2010 Equipment Buying Guide named Black Oval 12 a Reviewers Choice and a Great Buy, in a listing shared with Analysis Plus's Micro Copper Oval-In interconnect.

Who Is This Speaker Cable Best For?

• You want the hollow oval design without going to a 9-gauge cable — Black Oval 12 uses the same patented geometry as the Oval 9 in a slimmer 12-gauge size
• Your cable runs along a wall or baseboard — the 11mm by 7mm flat profile tucks out of the way instead of drawing the eye
• Your speakers have two pairs of binding posts — bi-wire versions let one run from the amplifier feed both pairs of posts
• You own an older McIntosh amplifier — barrier-spade versions fit terminals that ordinary spades will not
• 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.

Need a length or connector you don't see listed? Call us, and we can have it made for you.

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

Does Black Oval 12 come with connectors attached?

Yes. Every Black Oval 12 listing we carry comes ready to connect. Its title names what is on each end.

What gauge is Black Oval 12?

It is 12-gauge. Analysis Plus builds it from 12-gauge oxygen-free copper in its patented hollow oval shape.

Will the barrier spades fit my amplifier?

They are made for screw terminals. Analysis Plus says its barrier spade fits some older McIntosh amplifiers, with an opening for screws up to 0.19 inch.

Which end goes to the amplifier?

If the ends are marked for amplifier and speaker, connect them that way. If they are not marked, either end can go to either component.

Is there a step up?

Analysis Plus Black Mesh Oval 9 is the next step up. It is a massive 9-gauge cable that Analysis Plus says can handle deep bass notes played at high volume.

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