stupid question: How do you tell the guage of your speaker wire? (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

I'm just wondering hw do you tell the gauge of your speaker wire 9 8 gauge, 12 guage etc.)? and oes gauge matter when purchasing new wire? thanks.

 

[Allan Jayne]

Unfortunately there is no easy way to eyeball it. New wire should be labeled.
For solid wire, they make a gauge with differing size holes in it. But I recommend stranded wire which is not so stiff.
IMHO buy 12 gauge wire if you are stringing new speaker cables more than 30 feet, others say 20 feet.
Buy 14 gauge or thicker wire to go more than 15 feet, some folks say more than 10 feet.
Any brand will do although attractive looking wire may cost more. Beware of wire with a thick plastic jacket but the wire itself is very thin.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Marc Rochkind]

All of the 12-gauge I have (Home Depot, Radio Shack) is marked on the side in white lettering. But not Monster -- they don't mark the wire or label the package!

Many outfits sell 12-gauge for 30 - 75 cents a foot. For Monster, the 12 gauge is around 1.50. So, if your Monster is less than $1 a foot, it isn't 12 gauge.

You can drop into Radio Shack and get a little sample piece. It's pretty easy to tell what's what if you have a known sample in your hands.