Speaker wire question!!

[lovinthehd]

According to what you said and the table I should be using 12 AWG wire, right?

It's what I do personally, it just covers more bases and changes in gear. I buy the 300ft reels from Monoprice.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...the 300ft reels ...

That's a short movie.

 

[Joseman37]

Not that it matters much, but I prefer the wire in a jacket that is CL2 rated...

Monoprice Speaker Wire, CL2 Rated, 2-Conductor, 12AWG, 100ft, White - Monoprice.com

Get the most out of your home audio system with high quality, pure bare copper speaker wire from Monoprice™!Pure Bare Copper is a superior conductor to the copper clad aluminum (CCA) conductors

www.monoprice.com

You can also get it in black...

Monoprice Speaker Wire, CMP Rated, 2-Conductor, 14AWG, 100ft, Black - Monoprice.com

Monoprice Plenum Speaker Wire is designed to meet the most stringent standards of safety for both residential and commercial applications. The fire-retardant cable jacket bears the CMP plenum air spac

www.monoprice.com

The excellent color markings are a huge plus in my book, and I like to run wiring in walls, so having it up to fire code to do so is a real plus.

Oh, and if you are connecting to a receiver or speaker which accepts banana plugs, pick up some decent ones like these Sewell Silverbacks:

https://www.amazon.com/Sewell-Silverback-Banana-Speaker-Connector/dp/B0072KOHQ4/ref=sr_1_2_sspa

A few people on Amazon gave these negative reviews saying that you can unscrew the plugs to insert wire. WTH??

 

[Speedskater]

While a smaller wire will sound just fine, once an audiophile has concerns about wire size, they are better off going with the larger wire so they can stop thinking about it.

 

[Joseman37]

While a smaller wire will sound just fine, once an audiophile has concerns about wire size, they are better off going with the larger wire so they can stop thinking about it.

I was actually referring to the banana plugs.

 

[ryanosaur]

FWIW, check out the Monoprice affinity banana plugs. One review tested them as a better conductor than the competition and they are affordable. Dual opposing set screws hold the speaker wire securely. I’ve been using their straight and 90° plugs in my system and have been pleased with their performance.

 

[lovinthehd]

A few people on Amazon gave these negative reviews saying that you can unscrew the plugs to insert wire. WTH??

Amazon reviews can be goofy (and not even talk about the same products sometimes). Not sure what that means "you can unscrew the plugs to insert wire". You do of course have to insert the wire into the plug, and there are different approaches. I've used the Sewell Silverbacks for some time now (have several dozen in use), and with their dual set screw design I find they are much better than a tool-less crimp style as far as holding on to wire. You do need a good small screwdriver to tighten the set screws, tho. These same ones are sold under a few brands, Nakamichi is one. Some banana plugs use a type of locking plug to make the connection with the speaker/amp harder to pull out accidentally, too.

 

[Joseman37]

Amazon reviews can be goofy (and not even talk about the same products sometimes). Not sure what that means "you can unscrew the plugs to insert wire". You do of course have to insert the wire into the plug, and there are different approaches. I've used the Sewell Silverbacks for some time now (have several dozen in use), and with their dual set screw design I find they are much better than a tool-less crimp style as far as holding on to wire. You do need a good small screwdriver to tighten the set screws, tho. These same ones are sold under a few brands, Nakamichi is one. Some banana plugs use a type of locking plug to make the connection with the speaker/amp harder to pull out accidentally, too.

Sorry. I meant to say " you can't unscrew the plugs to insert wire"

 

[lovinthehd]

Sorry. I meant to say " you can't unscrew the plugs to insert wire"

I still don't know what that means particularly. The Sewell Silverbacks mentioned have a barrel that covers the set screws that comes on/off easily, and as long as the set screws are in correct position they allow easy installation of the wire into the plug as well as holding on to it tightly once assembled.

 

[TLS Guy]

Could I use 14 AWG or 16 AWG if my runs are below 50 feet?

I don't think you want to go below 12 gauge. For long runs 10 AWG is better. Most speakers these days almost always have a lower impedance than the one quoted my the manufacturer. The problem is these heavier gauges can stress the speaker terminals on amps and receiver. The solution is to use terminal strips and use short lengths of a lesser gauge wire to the terminal block like this.

 

[davidscott]

And the screws can work loose if you move the speakers. In fact I purchased a pair of Silverback cables with the banana plugs already attached and they arrived with loose screws(there's a joke in there somewhere)

 

[Kingnoob]

I don't think you want to go below 12 gauge. For long runs 10 AWG is better. Most speakers these days almost always have a lower impedance than the one quoted my the manufacturer. The problem is these heavier gauges can stress the speaker terminals on amps and receiver. The solution is to use terminal strips and use short lengths of a lesser gauge wire to the terminal block like this.

Very impressive cable set up ... definitely had no idea thick cables were bad for amplifier?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gmoney]

While a smaller wire will sound just fine, once an audiophile has concerns about wire size, they are better off going with the larger wire so they can stop thinking about it.

Yeah man, I’m still thinking on which bananas to get the ones that are Soldered or the one’s the have two Screws to hold the wire in the bananas. Sometimes I wish I never heard of bananas!!

 

[BMXTRIX]

The Sewell Silverbacks and the Monoprice Affinity banana plugs are basically the same thing. With a ton of reviews and a small portion being complaints, it is clear that for the vast majority, the Silverbacks work great. I use some other branded version of the same thing, but would get the Monoprice or Silverbacks in half a second.

If you choose to solder, that's up to you. It's a lot of work, and while it does a great job, there really aren't people who complain about what a good set of banana plugs do. The double set screw into the wire is a key component to a great setup IMO. I have literally pulled on a cable so hard that the cable broke before the double set screws lost their connection. I would say that is a solid connection point.

I mostly like that when setup completely, they work very well and are easy to insert/remove when and if I ever need to do so.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Very impressive cable set up ... definitely had no idea thick cables were bad for amplifier?
...

That would depend on the amp terminals, of course. Banana plugs might help or spades or as he said.