Speaker wire gauge question (1 Viewer)

[hbk842]

I was getting ready to run the wire for my speakers in my basement when reading in the manual that you are only supposed to use 16 gauge up to 20 feet and 12 gauge up to 30 feet. Is this just a recommendation? What is the difference performance wise? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ed Moxley]

I'd use 12 ga. for all of it. The larger wire is more efficient at carrying the signals, along with having a better, thicker covering on it.

 

[brandonchenry]

I use 12g. A lot of builders pre-wire with 16g. They do it only to save money.
I have been known to use 14g on whole home distributed audio systems. This is maily because I am pulling a llot of wire, and the in walls that are being supplied are not as power hungry as the stuff I would use in a dedicated theater.

 

[hbk842]

Thanks for the input. I am having trouble finding any rolls of 12 gauge greater than 20 feet in my area for some reason. I need 2 separate wires to go roughly 30 feet. Would it be that big of a deal to use 14 gauge for that?

 

[chuckg]

You can use 14 gauge with no noticeable difference, but why? Lowes, Home Depot, and most other construction supply or electrical supply shops will have 12 gauge wire in any length you want. You don't need wire specifically for speakers, you can just get two-conductor stranded cable. I used some 12 gauge, three conductor extension cords because they were on sale cheaper than spooled wire, and they are at least as good as the best Monster has to offer.

 

[brandonchenry]

I think using oxygen free copper is a wise idea. Regular old stranded lamp cord does work, but it has way more signal loss than an oxygen free copper.

If you really live in a rural area where you can't find 12g oxygen free wire in a retail store, I'm sure you could order it online.

 

[hbk842]

I didn't know you could use conductor wire for speakers. I didn't even look at that. I was looking specifically at speaker wire. So I can use 2 conductor wire, and get the same results as if I were to buy speaker wire?

I have been to Lowe's and Home Depot and neither of them have any speaker specific cable less than 14 gauge. Unless I am looking in the wrong spot.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

There are no conductive differences between Oxygen-Free (OF) and the most common form of copper (known as Electrolytic-Tough-Pitch - ETP). In fact, ETP copper is required to be purer than OF in regards to actual copper content (99.99% vs. 99.95%). There is a higher conductivity grade known as OFE (Oxygen-Free Electronic), but that's not what you are going to find in speaker wire. Essentially, "Oxygen-Free" speaker wire is just another BS marketing term.

 

[chuckg]

"way more signal loss" meaning what? The difference in resistance between regular old wire and so-called oxygen-free wire is just about none.

Wire is wire, by and large, and you can just go to the hardware store and get a roll of 12/2 stranded cable and it will be just as good as the fancy-schmancy stuff that you pay ten times as much for. One-hundredth of an ohm difference means nothing. If you are worried about oxidation, then go to a boat supply store and get marine wire. It is tinned, and finely stranded, and available in 100 foot rolls for only three times as much as plain old electrical cable.

 

[brandonchenry]

I concede. Oxygen free wire is a sham. What I want to know is why consumers eat up all the expensive wire marketing claims.
There is definitely scientific evidence that most of the things cable manufacurers tout have an effect on the quality of the sound. The main problem is, that it's always too miniscule to be defined by the human ear.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

People like to believe hype and some are more than willing to spend more money in order to believe they have purchased something superior or special.

Remember your P.T. Barnum.

 

[chuckg]

This is almost certainly not true. I would guess that very few things that cable sellers tout is supported by scientific evidence. The thing is, wire is wire pretty much. If someone builds a cable that is good for frequencies up into the megahertz range, it won't be any better for audio than a cable that is good for up to 50,000 Hz.

 

[Allan Jayne]

If the wire is being installed inside a wall, the wire must be rated for that purpose. I don't know what the letters and numbers that represent the proper codes are but typical Romex type wire is so rated and works perfectly fine as equivalent gauge speaker wire. You should be able to get Romex type cable in 250 foot coils.

If the Romex type cable you get has an odd number of conductors such as one black and one white and one bare, do not share the bare wire as speaker common for two audio channels. Otherwise the effective gauge is one size smaller for example 14 gauge for a 12 gauge cable. After correct speaker phasing, the current in a shared common would be the sum of, not the difference between, the two audio channel currents. Unlike in a correctly wired 120/240 volt AC circuit where the shared common (must be white, not the bare) would be the difference between the red ("+120v") and black ("-120v") conductor currents and each hot conductor can carry the full rated amperes.

My own opinion is 14 gauge being good enough for runs up to 30 feet, including the parts extending from the wall to the speakers.

Home theater hints: Constructing a Basement Home Theater

 

[chuckg]

Oooo, NEVER share one wire between two speaker connections! Neither speaker wire is "grounded" or neutral; both carry changing voltage.

I would also shy away from solid wire, as it is not terribly flexible and can break if bent too often. Good, old extension cord wire works just fine. If you must follow code for in-wall installation, then get stranded wire that meets the code.

 

[hbk842]

Thanks for all the input. I think I am going to go with the normal 14 gauge speaker wire. My brother in law said that is what he did with his system and it sounds great.