Can you identify a speaker cable by looks?

[BahamaDada]

So today I bought a new (used) amp and cab. At home the realization came: It's been years since I had a head and cab. The last speaker cable I had I gave away bc "Don't need it anymore". Fuck!

Anyway, I have this grey "the sssnake" cable. It's quite old. No marking outside except of the sssnake. It's bulkier (stiffer) than my instrument cables. I googled it and some sites said I should unwind the plugs and compare it. The bigger, bulkier is the speaker cable. Well... I am so bad in comparing, can you lend me a hand?

Standard cordial instrument cable:

Cordial (made in Germany?) Silent plug instrument cable: (this is the notsilent side)

Mystery grey "the sssnake" cable:

Damn, I want to play the amp, but I don't want to fry the amp or the cab while doing the first few chords at home.

(Sadly my camera did not make better photos, so I am very sorry about the quality)

 

[BahamaDada]

2nd try with some flashlight and lightly bent metal:

My multimeter crapped out, but maybe I can get one tomorrow. Would I be able to identify it with a MM? How?

 

[GuitarBilly74]

2nd try with some flashlight and lightly bent metal:
View attachment 45967

My multimeter crapped out, but maybe I can get one tomorrow. Would I be able to identify it with a MM? How?

This does look like a speaker cable.

Normally, an instrumental cable has a thicker, shielded wire for signal and a thinner exposed wire for ground.

Speaker cables have 2 shielded wires.

 

[PLX]

I use Mogami 3382 for speaker cable.

 

[Chocol8]

The one with the red and white insulated conductors inside a black sheath is a speaker cable. Note that both conductors are the same size and material.

The instrument cable (cordial?) has a single conductor in white with the outer shielding doubling as “ground”.

 

[laxu]

Part of the reason I bought the light blue/grey Cordial speaker cables was that they are so easy to identify.

Sssnake looks like a speaker cable tho.

 

[Eagle]

Is there no writing on the cable at all? It does look like the bottom one is not coaxial.

 

[BahamaDada]

Is there no writing on the cable at all? It does look like the bottom one is not coaxial.

Nope. Just "the sssnake" written on it a few times like a steady reminder, that you cheaped out on smth.