Many people ask me which speaker cables work best with Royd speakers. The truth is almost all speakers cables will work, but which is best will depend more on the amplifier you’re using and your personal audio preferences.
Many people match Royd loudspeakers with Naim, Exposure, Densen, Nytech and NVA amplifiers, as these offer a very good and popular synergy. However all these amps don’t have a Zobal Network output circuit, hence why they all share similar sonic characteristics. However without this Zobal circuit these amps rely on the speaker cables providing some damping and should not be used with speaker cables that exhibit high capacitance properties. This rules out Litz style and Cat5e DIY speaker cables. Low capacitance cable often has wide webbing to separate the channels.
Naim recommend for their amplifiers cables with a minimum of 3.5m of length provide adequate inductance. Lengths greater than 20m may provide noticeable resistance and degrade the signal.
With the popular matching of Royd’s with Naim, Exposure and NVA amplifiers, it is logical to use cables from these manufactures. All of whom make (or have made) very good quality cables that all work well with Royd’s. Cables from these brands are also good choices for users with amplifiers from other brands too.
NVA Speaker Cable
Naim Speaker Cable
For those on a budget, one should consider some 2-core mains electric cable from your favourite DIY outlet. Choose either solid or stranded core, with a decent diameter/gauge and attach some banana plugs to the ends. This can be an effective and cheap solution.
General tips for installing your speaker cable are:-
- Avoid coiling up excess cable.
- Avoid running cable lengths parallel to mains cable.
- Keep cable for left and right channels to a similar length