Is 12 gauge speaker wire overkill? (1 Viewer)

I've rearranged my HT room, and now my 16 gauge runs aren't long enough for the rears. The runs will be about 50' each, and since I'll be running them under the floor, I want to do this right the first time. So, would it be to my advantage to use 12 gauge wire instead of 16, or don't you think I could hear a difference? The 12-gauge is much harder to find locally and is quite a bit more expensive. Thanks for the advice.

Nevin

Where are you located?

I find it hard to believe that 12 guage is hard to find, you can get 100 foot spools of it for pretty cheap, 30-40 bucks or so. I payed like 75 bucks for 250 feet of 12 gauge and ran it everywhere. It isn't overkill, 12 gauge I would use for pretty much everything. The longer, 12 gauge is better than the thin stuff.

In an IL town of about 25,000, I found one place that has it, and it's $.50/ft.

I would use 12 gauge for that long of a run. You should be able to find it at a local Lowes or Home Depot.

I called 3 local A/V shops, 2 Radio Shacks, and Menards. I couldn't believe it was so hard to find. By the way, what is the average price for 12 gauge? Thanks a lot.

Here's a good deal:

250' 12/2 wire

It even comes in white to make it easier to blend in with the walls!

Go to Lowes or Home Depot. Super cheap. I got 100' for under 30 bucks.

12AWG @ Home Depot, at their everyday retail price ($63 for a 250' spool) comes out to just about $.25 per foot. If you can find a coupon or other sale deal you may be able to get that down closer to $.20 a foot, but I would not quibble about a nickle here and there.

If you're talking about longer runs and doing it right and doing it once, then the 12AWG HD speaker wire (or Parts Express Sound King or equivalent) covers you for the future and for whatever you might grow to. Probably a little bit of overkill on a short run, but for 50' pairs you'll never be second guessing yourself for years to come. I sprung for that HD spool and don't regret it and my ears regularly thank me for going the extra nickle...

(Now you know you just got an answer from someone who carries on a dialogue with his ears, so I'm not so sure that you should give so much as a plugged nickle for this "advice" ;~)

There is a thread on this or another board that actually rated the Home Depot 12gauge drop cord as a serious contender for high quality stuff. NO KIDDING! This was a test done by a serious testing group if I remember correctly!

Well, I used 10 guage for a 20' run. I'm the wrong guy to ask

If 12 guage is still hard to find, you could move to 14 guage. I don't think there would be much sacrifice in sound quality, especially for rear speakers, plus it tends to be easier to find.
Just my 2 cents.
Ben

Thanks for the help, guys. I'll probably go with the Sound King 12 ga. from Parts Express. If nothing else, it will give me peace of mind.

FWIW, I routinely order from PE and they are a fantastic company. I am in the process of building a dedicated theater and I recently bought 200' of their 14 gauge in-wall wire. Really cheap, super fast shipping.

Face Off #1
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/...bleFaceoff.htm

Face Off #2
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/...ercable2p1.php

12 ga. is the standard around here. I wouldn't recommend using anything less.

If you can afford pickup the AR Master Series 10AWG fron ac4l.com. Its on clearout.



Kevin