How much cable length is too much? Options

[John 31415926]

I just rearranged my home office and the Mac (running iTunes) is now about as far away from the receiver/amp as it can be. It's looking like the only way to connect the Mac to my receiver is to run an audio cable up the wall, through the attic, across the room, back down the opposite wall, and into the audio system ...

... to the tune of about 40 to 50 feet of cable distance.

I think I had a length like this a while back and I vaguely remember getting some hiss, although I don't know for a fact if that was the cable length causing that or something else.

Right now I've got a spool of 18 gauge speaker wire, would that do the job?

I guess it's two questions.

1) How much length is too much to connect a computer to a receiver?

2) What gauge wire is required for such a length?

[uart]

The roll of mic cable I've got here has two separate co-ax cores (conductor with coax surrounding return) together enclosed in one overall outer screen. I'm not sure if all mic cables are constructed like this, but it should keep the crosstalk pretty low. Personally I don't find small amounts of crosstalk a very annoying (or even noticeable) artifact, at least not for the material I listen to.

This post has been edited by uart: Jul 19 2012, 17:50

[Arnold B. Kruege...]

The roll of mic cable I've got here has two separate co-ax cores (conductor with coax surrounding return) together enclosed in one overall outer screen.

Sounds like twinax to me, not any regular mic cable that I've ever seen.

I'm not sure if all mic cables are constructed like this,

None are, because the dual shielded wires are dysfunctional for mics.

but it should keep the crosstalk pretty low.

Crosstalk is rarely an issue.

Personally I don't find small amounts of crosstalk a very annoying (or even noticeable) artifact, at least not for the material I listen to.

Musical recordings are supposed to be stereo, not dual mono.