Speaker wire strand count

[Amith]

Hi,

With 12 AWG wire I can see 65,87 and 420 strands available. My purpose is to connect my 8 Ohm bookshelf speakers which is one in 32 feet another one in 52 feet range from my receiver.

So what is the best strand count I can buy or is there any real advantages/disadvantages on number of strands to sound and receiver.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Amith

 

[everettT]

Where did you get your method of defining speaker wire? FWIW 12 gauge is sufficient for your needs.

 

[lovinthehd]

Never even looked at the strand count on the 12g I use until now....it's 87 and works great, believe the only thing higher strand count would provide is more flexibility of the cable.

 

[everettT]

Never even looked at the strand count on the 12g I use until now....it's 87 and works great, believe the only thing higher strand count would provide is more flexibility of the cable.

The lights went out on my magnifying glass so I couldn't count, or my hands were shaking too much..

 

[lovinthehd]

The lights went out on my magnifying glass so I couldn't count, or my hands were shaking too much..

LOL fortunately it was printed on the spool....no way I was going to count the little fuckers

 

[mtrycrafts]

If you need cable flexibility for some reason, then the higher count should be more flexible. Otherwise, don't bother, whichever is cheaper.

 

[lovinthehd]

By flexibility I mean not a variety of applications particularly, but rather the ability to more easily bend around corners....

 

[BMXTRIX]

While you can find some esoteric discussion about skin effect with cables, the reality is that strand count doesn't matter for sound quality. You could use 12AWG romex cable and have great results, but as mentioned, the strand count is what allows the cable to bend more easily. This is not a topic that is brought up very often during DiY installations, but I've pulled tens of thousands of feet over the years, and certainly it has been something that I've considered over the years.

Cable flexibility, jacket flexibility, ease to strip the cable, cold weather flexibility, etc. As much as I hate to say it, I am a huge fan of the Monster pro installer cable. It is, by far, the best I have ever used. Still, I've also used the stuff from Monoprice, and it works just fine. Not as easy to use, but for a single installation, I wouldn't think much about it. For that matter, once I'm done with my stock of Monster, I will be switching to the Monoprice product.

 

[Speedskater]

The only thing that matters (in most systems) is the total end-to-end resistance of the cable. But we should note that not all cables labeled 12AWG are anywhere close to 12AWG and not all speaker cables are copper. In the big box stores, you will see speaker cables with old brands like RCA that are not copper. They are Copper Clad Aluminum CCA.

 

[highfigh]

As much as I hate to say it, I am a huge fan of the Monster pro installer cable. It is, by far, the best I have ever used.

Huh? Are you referring to the stuff with the jacket that grabs whatever it tries to slide over and tears far too easily? I used that crap on a Harley dealership and it was a total PITA.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Huh? Are you referring to the stuff with the jacket that grabs whatever it tries to slide over and tears far too easily? I used that crap on a Harley dealership and it was a total PITA.

Yeah, that may be the stuff. I've used it for years, and the guys I've worked with who have used it have raved about it overall. I haven't used it in any commercial installation though, just across wood joists and it has worked excellent for me for years.

This stuff:

 

[highfigh]

Yeah, that may be the stuff. I've used it for years, and the guys I've worked with who have used it have raved about it overall. I haven't used it in any commercial installation though, just across wood joists and it has worked excellent for me for years.

This stuff:

Jamo used to sell speaker cable with a Teflon jacket and it slid very easily over anything.

 

[Amith]

Thank you all for the valuable information.