[George Caronan]

Hello everyone. Will there be a noticeable sonic improvement going from 14 to 12 gauge speaker wire? I reckon there will be from 14 to 10. Thank you in advance. Cheers!

[Chu Gai]

nope.
nope, reckon again.

12 gauge is a good, all-purpose size for all your runs. It's inexpensive and available just about anywhere.

[Bob McElfresh]

You can even get away with 16 ga runs for less than 10 feet. You wont notice any difference in short runs between 16/14/12 ga.

The thicker cable is needed for longer runs. This is where people with very sensitive music systems can hear roll-off. Not as critical for HT, but if you are running wires in walls, use the 12 ga.

www.partsexpress.com sells "Sound King" 12 ga wire for a good price. Most of us buy a spool and use it for all the speakers.

[Rick_Brown]

The only caveat with 12g vs. 14g is to make sure that the speaker or connection you are making can handle the thickness. Some have trouble with 12g.

[Denis K]

Hi Bob,

I was all set to order the Sound King 12 ga. from Parts Express, but then realized it is not rated for in-wall applications. I called them up and they recommended a 14 ga., 2-conductor wire (part #100-762). It's a smaller gauge, but still supposed to be a good quality. Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with this wire? Is there any other 12 ga., in wall rated, and still affordable wire you would recommend?

Thanks,
Denis

[Chu Gai]

100-740 (100 ft for $19.30)
100-742 (500 ft for $98.20)

All 12 gauge available at PE.