Length of speaker wire

[Vancouver]

My two surrend speakers need about 40-50 feet of wire in order to reach then because of the wire having to go up and down walls etc. WOuld the quality of the signal not fade by the time it gets there? can you recomend a wire which can carry the signal longer?

 

[annunaki]

14ga.-12ga. Oxygen free copper should fit the bill nicely. There is basically no difference in speaker wire. The gauge is what is really important over long runs.

 

[Pat D]

My two surrend speakers need about 40-50 feet of wire in order to reach then because of the wire having to go up and down walls etc. WOuld the quality of the signal not fade by the time it gets there? can you recomend a wire which can carry the signal longer?

Wire to surround speakers is generally considered less critical. Roger Russell's article on Speaker Wire includes a table of recommended maximum wire lengths for various gauges and speaker impedances:

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[Annette]

Speaker Cable for Surround Sound

I agree with annunaki, that guage is really an important factor in cable selection. Insulation of the cable is obviously important as well. Gene recently did a review of K&B Signal Solutions, a new cable vendor. Their cable comes with a variety of standard connectors and in a variety of lengths. You may want to check them out - especially if you ever intend to change around your configuration or components.

 

[Yamaman]

and if you are doing in-wall installation, make sure it has UL CL3 rating. Personally I used 16 gauge (Liberty) with very good insultation for 35 ft runs without loss. I think that even 16 ga. up to 50 feet iwould be fine.

 

[atkinsr]

I've got the same situation. I just purchased a 250' roll of Sound King 10 GA wire from partsexpress (with shipping, about $150). I figure that'll do the trick.

 

[ebough]

I have some surround runs of up to 65 feet. I used the following technique: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_2/ultralink-CL414-cable-5-2003.html

Combining pairs of 14 gauge wire results in an effective gauge of 11. However, the 4-conductor in-wall cable is more flexible and neater--especially if some of the run is actually in-wall. I did use a cheaper brand of cable--from a discount internet supplier--than was described in the article. The resultant speaker cable is excellent, especially for long runs.