What Cable Gauge Do I Need for my Speakers?

[haraldo]

Oh, that is all on @haraldo

LOL, it's not enough to make me worry

 

[davss]

An interesting formula for speaker cable calculation - can anyone confirm this is correct?

http://dt4u.com/dtsystems/hififormulae.php

 

[RichB]

Replacing Old Corroding Cables

Visiting my vacation home, looked that the wire used for the Revel M20/C20 (3 ohm minimum) speakers and the wire is not clearly not copper and corroded. The speakers are driven by a Sunfire Cinema amp.

One conductor is tin colored the other is copper colored. I think it is CCA and it is fairly thick but the +/- wires may not be made of the same material.

There wires length is between 20 and 40 feet. It runs along tongue-and-grove pine with overlay strips so perhaps 12 AWG will fit.

It will be a bit of a pain, but should it be replaced?

- Rich

 

[rojo]

Replacing Old Corroding Cables

Visiting my vacation home, looked that the wire used for the Revel M20/C20 (3 ohm minimum) speakers and the wire is not clearly not copper and corroded. The speakers are driven by a Sunfire Cinema amp.

One conductor is tin colored the other is copper colored. I think it is CCA and it is fairly thick but the +/- wires may not be made of the same material.

There wires length is between 20 and 40 feet. It runs along tongue-and-grove pine with overlay strips so perhaps 12 AWG will fit.

It will be a bit of a pain, but should it be replaced?

- Rich

Sounds like your current wires are half CCA and half straight aluminum. CCA has about 2/3 the efficiency of OFC. Fairly thick could be deceptive, as the jacket can be thicker than typical. How long are you wire runs? If the speakers are no more than 10 feet from the amp, then 14AWG CCA would probably be sufficient. If longer, or if your current wire is 16AWG or thinner, my guess is there would potentially be an audible improvement if you were to change out your wire for OFC. But if you're already pleased with the sound as-is, is it really worth the trouble?

According to the article, too much insertion loss can result in boomy bass. Would you characterize your Revels in your vacation home as unpleasantly boomy? Roger Russell asserts that speaker wire that's too thin will alter the response to reflect the impedance curve of the speakers. Do you hear unpleasant peaks in the response of your Revels? If so, then OFC might help. If not, then I'd be inclined not to go to the trouble if the wire is as inconveniently routed as your post hints.

 

[RichB]

Sounds like your current wires are half CCA and half straight aluminum. CCA has about 2/3 the efficiency of OFC. Fairly thick could be deceptive, as the jacket can be thicker than typical. How long are you wire runs? If the speakers are no more than 10 feet from the amp, then 14AWG CCA would probably be sufficient. If longer, or if your current wire is 16AWG or thinner, my guess is there would potentially be an audible improvement if you were to change out your wire for OFC. But if you're already pleased with the sound as-is, is it really worth the trouble?

According to the article, too much insertion loss can result in boomy bass. Would you characterize your Revels in your vacation home as unpleasantly boomy? Roger Russell asserts that speaker wire that's too thin will alter the response to reflect the impedance curve of the speakers. Do you hear unpleasant peaks in the response of your Revels? If so, then OFC might help. If not, then I'd be inclined not to go to the trouble if the wire is as inconveniently routed as your post hints.

The shortest run is about 25 feet. I found the sound dull and lacking in HF. The amp is getting on too. I was thinking of picking up some 12 AWG clear OFC cable and installing it this fall.

- Rich

 

[rojo]

The shortest run is about 25 feet. I found the sound dull and lacking in HF. The amp is getting on too. I was thinking of picking up some 12 AWG clear OFC cable and installing it this fall.

- Rich

I like the black Nimbus series Monoprice wire. It's cheap, it's not deceptive, and I think it looks good.

 

[petrakeas]

When using a floor standing speaker that has dual binding posts (such as RP-8000F), should a 14/4 wire be used to single-wire or bi-wire the speaker?

 

[highfigh]

Your wire chart displaying insertion loss per distance @ 8-Ohms is ultra sweetalicious! Thanks!

Flat speaker cable is going under pre-laid carpet on slab floor; critical this be done only once.

This is a top-level music system w/ costly, meticulously chosen French monitors. Question applies only to the critical front speakers. Owner is a musician & very picky.

The speakers are NOMINAL 8-Ohm but dip to 5.4-Ohms, briefly at 80 Hz & from about 100-400 Hz. Source is 110W RMS amp rated only down to 8-Ohms, indicating minimum current reserves. Balancing the amp's 8-Ohm minimum rating is the fact that the speaker has a sum total one 6.5" bass/mid & is actively HPX'd @ 80 Hz.

Being particularly picky (some might say anal), if the AWG is matched to the speaker's MINIMUM impedance, the 25'/8-Ohm NOMINAL cable length converts to about 40' @ 5.5-Ohms on the chart.

The chart line indicates a minimum AWG of 13.5 but the largest flat wire seen so far is AWG15. Should I double the wire runs? From another chart is looks like doubling the AWG lowers the AWG (thicker) by a quantity of three, in other words 2x AWG15 = AWG12. Is that correct? If so, I may employ 2x AWG16 for an equivalent AW13.

Many thanks in advance.

Jimbo

If you don't put something between the cable and slab, you're going to grind through the insulation, at some point. Look into running the cable around the room's perimeter- you'll have short areas where it needs to be protected.

 

[Trell]

If you don't put something between the cable and slab, you're going to grind through the insulation, at some point. Look into running the cable around the room's perimeter- you'll have short areas where it needs to be protected.

You are replying to a post made in 2008, I guess he has his answer by now, or never

 

[highfigh]

You are replying to a post made in 2008, I guess he has his answer by now, or never

Better late, than never. I only replied because the thread came up as recent comment. And, because I'm only on my first cup of coffee. Yeah, that's it!

 

[Verdinut]

When using a floor standing speaker that has dual binding posts (such as RP-8000F), should a 14/4 wire be used to single-wire or bi-wire the speaker?

Whether you connect pairs of wires or bi-wire the speaker by removing the jumper between speaker posts, it won't make any difference.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Sounds like your current wires are half CCA and half straight aluminum. CCA has about 2/3 the efficiency of OFC. Fairly thick could be deceptive, as the jacket can be thicker than typical. How long are you wire runs? If the speakers are no more than 10 feet from the amp, then 14AWG CCA would probably be sufficient. If longer, or if your current wire is 16AWG or thinner, my guess is there would potentially be an audible improvement if you were to change out your wire for OFC. But if you're already pleased with the sound as-is, is it really worth the trouble?

According to the article, too much insertion loss can result in boomy bass. Would you characterize your Revels in your vacation home as unpleasantly boomy? Roger Russell asserts that speaker wire that's too thin will alter the response to reflect the impedance curve of the speakers. Do you hear unpleasant peaks in the response of your Revels? If so, then OFC might help. If not, then I'd be inclined not to go to the trouble if the wire is as inconveniently routed as your post hints.

Here are good ways to tell...

1. Use a magnifying glass to examine the end of the cut cable. If it is silver all the way through the cross section, it's not copper (or nickel plated copper, which is used to help prevent out of phase wiring hookup); or for the pyromaniacs out there...

2. Use an oxyacetylene (commonly called MAP gas) torch. Cut and strip a short length of wire. Holding it with a set of pliers, place it into an oxy flame. If the flame turns greenish after a short time, the wire is copper or copper based (the color is copper oxide, which forms quickly when heated copper is exposed to air). CCA can respond similarly, but the green flame subsides quickly after the very thin layer of copper oxidizes. Reasonably pure copper wire keeps burning green.

I like #2 because I tin the ends of my multi-stranded wires to avoid stray shorts anyway, so it fits into my workflow when I replace speaker cables.

BTW, OFC wire not really required. It has ~1% better conductance at many times the price of ETP. This difference is meaningless when wires of proper gauge are used. But if you can find OFC at the same price as ETP copper, go for it!

 

[highfigh]

Here are good ways to tell...

1. Use a magnifying glass to examine the end of the cut cable. If it is silver all the way through the cross section, it's not copper (or nickel plated copper, which is used to help prevent out of phase wiring hookup); or for the pyromaniacs out there...

2. Use an oxyacetylene (commonly called MAP gas) torch. Cut and strip a short length of wire. Holding it with a set of pliers, place it into an oxy flame. If the flame turns greenish after a short time, the wire is copper or copper based (the color is copper oxide, which forms quickly when heated copper is exposed to air). CCA can respond similarly, but the green flame subsides quickly after the very thin layer of copper oxidizes. Reasonably pure copper wire keeps burning green.

I like #2 because I tin the ends of my multi-stranded wires to avoid stray shorts anyway, so it fits into my workflow when I replace speaker cables.

BTW, OFC wire not really required. It has ~1% better conductance at many times the price of ETP. This difference is meaningless when wires of proper gauge are used. But if you can find OFC at the same price as ETP copper, go for it!

Wire that's silver could be tinned Copper.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Wire that's silver could be tinned Copper.

It sure could be.

 

[Verdinut]

Wire that's silver could be tinned Copper.

Yeah! And sold for the price of silver of course!

 

[highfigh]

Yeah! And sold for the price of silver of course!

No, it's made for applications where moisture/corrosives are in the area or if the insulation is PVC.

 

[RichB]

Ethan Winer builds a speaker cable null tester:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ethan-winer-builds-a-wire-null-tester.5197/

Skip to 28 minutes for the punchline

- Rich

 

[GrimSurfer]

Ethan Winer builds a speaker cable null tester:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ethan-winer-builds-a-wire-null-tester.5197/

Skip to 28 minutes for the punchline

- Rich

Banned from an audio forum... I'm sure Ethan is wearing this like a badge of honor.

Being right isn't always popular. Neither is being provocative.

This is why the world is so screwed up.

 

[lovinthehd]

Banned from an audio forum... I'm sure Ethan is wearing this like a badge of honor.

Being right isn't always popular. Neither is being provocative.

This is why the world is so screwed up.

So many audio forums/groups where it's an honor to be thrown out for not being an audiophool.

 

[GrimSurfer]

So many audio forums/groups where it's an honor to be thrown out for not being an audiophool.

Yeah... I got locked out of one forum for 48 hrs after being offered a writing gig by the editor and owner two days previously. I left on my own accord just before telling one of the other writers he was an idiot for using the term "audiophile grade paper" to describe an advertiser's brochure.

Groucho Marx was onto something when he said he'd never be a member of a group that would accept a person like him as a member.