Which 12 AWG speaker cable to choose

[sand87]

The options i have available for a 12 AWG speaker cables in india are:-

1. AmazonBasics 12-Gauge Speaker Wire - 99.9% Oxygen Free Copper - 100 Feet

2.C&E CNE683911 12AWG Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Bare Copper Speaker Wire Cable (100 Feet/30.48 Metre, Copper)

Thing is C&E is costlier by almost a 1000 bucks.However i want a pure copper cable and not a copper clad aluminium one.If it comes to choose between the price diff and a compromise in quality i will gladly buy the costlier one.

But if both wires are 100% copper then it doesnt make sense to spend more for the same thing.

Any idea if the amazon one is copper clad aluminium or not?

 

[lovinthehd]

The Amazon is clearly not CCA at 99.9% copper, the other is simply overpriced (and difference between cca and copper wire isn't as extreme either).

 

[Beave]

The first one appears to be for in-wall installations while the second one is not.

Do you need in-wall?

And do you really need 12 gauge?

How long will the runs of cable be?

 

[ryanosaur]

Option 1 and call it a day.

 

[j_garcia]

I like the bluejeans 12 AWG but looks like they are currently out of stock. Not just how long, but which speakers? If they are 4 Ohm, you may want to stick with the 12. If they are 8 Ohm, 14 is likely fine.

 

[highfigh]

The options i have available for a 12 AWG speaker cables in india are:-

1. AmazonBasics 12-Gauge Speaker Wire - 99.9% Oxygen Free Copper - 100 Feet

2.C&E CNE683911 12AWG Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Bare Copper Speaker Wire Cable (100 Feet/30.48 Metre, Copper)

Thing is C&E is costlier by almost a 1000 bucks.However i want a pure copper cable and not a copper clad aluminium one.If it comes to choose between the price diff and a compromise in quality i will gladly buy the costlier one.

But if both wires are 100% copper then it doesnt make sense to spend more for the same thing.

Any idea if the amazon one is copper clad aluminium or not?

There's no way for a refined metal to be absolutely pure- some kind of impurity always remains, at some minute level. However, 99.9999% vs 98% doesn't make an audible difference. Don't believe the comments from people who act as if they have the final say in magazines- almost all have some financial interest in their comments.

I don't think I have seen CCA speaker cable. Coax, sure, but not speaker cable. You can go to a big box store like Home Depot and get copper speaker wire that would work as well as anything, but you probably don't need 1000' of it.

Make sure whatever you buy is CL-2 or CL-3 rated, often referred to as CMR or CMP. CL-2/CMR is rated for in-wall/in-ceiling applications and CL-3/CMP is rated for use in plenum spaces. This rating is required by code and if an insurance company finds that you used non-rated wire in walls and ceiling runs and a fire resulted, they won't pay for damages. This is more important than brand, fancy colored wrap and the other crap wire sellers recommend.

The link has a chart- use that to determine the wire gauge for your system. If you go one size over or under, you'll never hear the difference.

Speaker Cables – What You Need To Know | Cambridge Audio US

In a tangle over speaker cable jargon? Here we help you understand it with some useful tips on buying your own.

www.cambridgeaudio.com

 

[lovinthehd]

There's no way for a refined metal to be absolutely pure- some kind of impurity always remains, at some minute level. However, 99.9999% vs 98% doesn't make an audible difference. Don't believe the comments from people who act as if they have the final say in magazines- almost all have some financial interest in their comments.

I don't think I have seen CCA speaker cable. Coax, sure, but not speaker cable. You can go to a big box store like Home Depot and get copper speaker wire that would work as well as anything, but you probably don't need 1000' of it.

Make sure whatever you buy is CL-2 or CL-3 rated, often referred to as CMR or CMP. CL-2/CMR is rated for in-wall/in-ceiling applications and CL-3/CMP is rated for use in plenum spaces. This rating is required by code and if an insurance company finds that you used non-rated wire in walls and ceiling runs and a fire resulted, they won't pay for damages. This is more important than brand, fancy colored wrap and the other crap wire sellers recommend.

The link has a chart- use that to determine the wire gauge for your system. If you go one size over or under, you'll never hear the difference.

Speaker Cables – What You Need To Know | Cambridge Audio US

In a tangle over speaker cable jargon? Here we help you understand it with some useful tips on buying your own.

www.cambridgeaudio.com

There is some Amazon Basic branded CCA speaker wire....

 

[cornemuse]

1. AmazonBasics 12-Gauge Speaker Wire - 99.9% Oxygen Free Copper - 100 Feet

2.C&E CNE683911 12AWG Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Bare Copper Speaker Wire Cable (100 Feet/30.48 Metre, Copper)

Thing is C&E is costlier by almost a 1000 bucks.

Whats the difference in $10/ft C&E and 58¢ lamp cord??

No, seriously, , ,

 

[ryanosaur]

Whats the difference in $10/ft C&E and 58¢ lamp cord??

Marketing?

 

[ryanosaur]

Our friendly OP, @sand87 , is in India. Had he been here, I'd have already extolled the virtue of Monoprice!

I'm assuming this is the US link, here:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-12-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-100-Foot/dp/B0758CSSDN?th=1

Looks legit, nothing funny. Less that 50¢ per foot. Roger Russell would approve, I think.

 

[mtrycrafts]

1. AmazonBasics 12-Gauge Speaker Wire - 99.9% Oxygen Free Copper - 100 Feet

2.C&E CNE683911 12AWG Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Bare Copper Speaker Wire Cable (100 Feet/30.48 Metre, Copper)

Thing is C&E is costlier by almost a 1000 bucks.

Whats the difference in $10/ft C&E and 58¢ lamp cord??

No, seriously, , ,

$9.42/ft is the difference, seriously.

 

[highfigh]

There is some Amazon Basic branded CCA speaker wire....

I have never looked for or considered CCA for speaker wire, so I didn't know. Why would they even offer it?

 

[lovinthehd]

I have never looked for or considered CCA for speaker wire, so I didn't know. Why would they even offer it?

Lower price point and it still works and many who buy don't know the difference?

 

[Speedskater]

CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) is often sold in big box store's entertainment department.
Actually it's not all that bad if you oversize it, but connectors might be a problem.
14AWG CCA = 16AWG copper
12AWG CCA = 14AWG copper
10AWG CCA = 12AWG copper

Note that in speaker cables, there are no tolerance specs for AWG sizes. (some seem to be way undersized)
While in AC power wires, 'UL' sets strict size tolerances.

 

[Verdinut]

IMO, the oxygen free copper is so affordable, why opt for the cheaper CCA wire?

Here is a good link to Russell's site for full info on loudspeaker wire:

Speaker Wire

 

[TLS Guy]

IMO, the oxygen free copper is so affordable, why opt for the cheaper CCA wire?

Here is a good link to Russell's site for full info on loudspeaker wire:

Speaker Wire

Oxygen free copper is pure BS for speaker wire. The only thing that matters is that the cable resistance is no more then 0.05% the minimum impedance of the speaker. There are exotic cables that have too high a capacitance. Since there are a lot of speakers with an aggressive top end that might explain the enthusiasm. The fact is that a lot of high end exotic rigs costing a fortune are actually not very good.

It takes a lot more then superstition and money to design and put together a really fine system. You actually do need science and have to know what you are doing. No short cuts on that.

 

[Verdinut]

Oxygen free copper is pure BS for speaker wire. The only thing that matters is that the cable resistance is no more then 0.05% the minimum impedance of the speaker. There are exotic cables that have too high a capacitance. Since there are a lot of speakers with an aggressive top end that might explain the enthusiasm. The fact is that a lot of high end exotic rigs costing a fortune are actually not very good.

It takes a lot more then superstition and money to design and put together a really fine system. You actually do need science and have to know what you are doing. No short cuts on that.

So would you recommend CCA wire? Most commercial copper speaker sold is labeled as OFC anyways.

As for total resistance, it should not exceed 5% of the speaker's minimum impedance, not 0.05%, right?.

 

[TLS Guy]

So would you recommend CCA wire? Most commercial copper speaker sold is labeled as OFC anyways.

As for total resistance, it should not exceed 5% of the speaker's minimum impedance, not 0.05%, right?.

Yes, you are correct, I don't know why I wrote that, probably because it usually turns out to be 0.05 ohms.

 

[lovinthehd]

There's not just OFC for high percentage copper wire, ETP is perfectly fine too.

 

[Verdinut]

There's not just OFC for high percentage copper wire, ETP is perfectly fine too.

So ordinary lamp cord is made of ETP copper and is OK for short runs, but most audiophiles and all audiophools wouldn't use it. As a matter of fact, OFC copper wasn't well known before the 1970's in the audio circles.