speaker wire???

[keithl1967]

OK--I am trying to figure out what speaker wire would be best to use to set up my surround system (wiring will be hidden within conduit and connected via wallboxes--will be semi-permananet). What is the best wire to use (ohms, gauge etc.--not brand name) and why--so that I can better understand for future refernec and/or future changes? I have an ONKYO system with 110 watts per channel, and I think they recommend 8ohms (does this sound correct)?

Thank you...

 

[Electone]

Wire gauge would depend on the length needed. 14 gauge should be fine up to 50 feet or so.

 

[Leprkon]

OK-- I have an ONKYO system with 110 watts per channel, and I think they recommend 8ohms (does this sound correct)?

Thank you...

the ohms rating is actually for your speakers, not for the wire. the wire should be nearly zero.

you'll want a decent 12 or 14 gage wire

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=214940-578-PM62122&lpage=none

you may need some speaker pins to get the wire to fit into your receiver.

http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/IXOS216

 

[keithl1967]

Thanks, but one more thing...

14 gauge is pretty thick, correct? What if I went with a thinner gauge--would I lose sound quality? Power? etc.? Thanks again

 

[mulester7]

.....I'm confused....so what else is new?....some of us spend hundreds, nay, THOUSANDS, some even, TENS OF THOUSANDS, on sources, receivers, pre-amps, processors, equalizers, slave amps, subs, and speakers....then some do EVERYTHING they can, to not DARE spend one more penny than what they call "necessary", on speaker wire as to it's size....the speaker wire delivers the combined efforts of the sources, pre-amps, processors, equalizers, and amp sections to the last shot our sound quality has got, the subs and speakers....WHY take a chance on ANY backed-up or clogged resistance growing toward distortion, using a wire guage we figure, from advice, will "marginally", cover the situation?....I mean, really....quality wire of all gauges is relatively cheap at many online and local outlets....I'm personally going to use 12 ga wire if the run is three inches, not give it a second thought, and be done with any wonderings before they even get a chance to materialize....by any standard of comparison, wire is cheap......

 

[jonnythan]

Just use standard 14-guage wire and be done with it.

 

[Leprkon]

14 gauge is pretty thick, correct? What if I went with a thinner gauge--would I lose sound quality? Power? etc.? Thanks again

look at it the other way....

what would you gain by using a thinner gage ? about five bucks ? it's gonna cost you that much in gas to go back in three weeks (when it has been gnawing at your brain that you could have done it right the first time) and get the decent stuff anyway.

 

[bassaholic]

call me crazy but i whent out last week and spent 75$ on 30 feet of speaker wire and a high quality rca cable so dont skimp on the speaker wire because after all that is what runs the power to your speakers

 

[mulester7]

.....Leprkon and Bassaholic, I raise a grape soda from Wal-Mart toward the monitor screen in salute.....

 

[keithl1967]

not about the $$$

Guys, it's not about the $$$, I want to have a better understanding of how this stuff works--if 14 gauge is the way to go, that's fine--I'm not splitting hairs over a few $$$...I was wondering more about the way to go over distance, considering that I may have to run a set of cables for each of 4 speakers is a single conduit, and will they fit v. is it worth ethe thicker cabling? I have two speakers that will be about a 50 foot run, one at about 35 foot, and another at about 25 feet...

What si the benefit of the thicker wire, ie, less power bleed off? Crisper sound? proper wattage delivered to take advantage f the speaker? etc?

 

[Leprkon]

I was wondering more about the way to go over distance, considering that I may have to run a set of cables for each of 4 speakers is a single conduit, and will they fit v. is it worth ethe thicker cabling? etc?

if space is a concern, the best way for you to go may be to use CAT-5 cable and use multiple wires for each positive and negative connection. it also has the advantage of in-wall fire rating, if you are doing full drops. see this article

http://www.venhaus1.com/diycatfivecables.html

 

[mtrycrafts]

14 gauge is pretty thick, correct? What if I went with a thinner gauge--would I lose sound quality? Power? etc.? Thanks again

Thinner wire more resistance, more power loss in the wires, less at the speakers. How thin were you thinking and why?

 

[keithl1967]

Thinner wire more resistance, more power loss in the wires, less at the speakers. How thin were you thinking and why?

I hadn't really thought about it, other than I've seen alot of different stuff out there, and the wires that are "oem" (came witht he system) are really thin--I'm not even sure what gauge--and the surround rear are 30 feet...

 

[highfihoney]

here is a simple table for choosing the correct wire for 4 & 8 ohm systems.

18 gauge 8 ohms 30 lft max / 4 ohms 15 lft max

16 gauge 8 ohms 40 lft max / 4 ohms 20 lft max

14 gauge 8 ohms 70 lft max / 4 ohms 35 lft max

12 gauge 8 ohms 110 lft max / 4 ohms 55 lft max

10 gauge 8 ohms 180 lft max / 4 ohms 90 lft max

 

[jaxvon]

The best speaker wire will have low values of resistance, capacitance, and inductance. These are three electrical parameters that affect the transmission of electricity. The resistance is determined by the thickness of the wire and is measured in Ohms. The thicker the wire, the lower the resistance, and the lesser the power losses as heat. Inductance and capacitance are determined by the cable geometry (that is, how the wires are arranged together). Capacitance is measured in Farads, though one Farad is very large, so many times you will see picoFarads used as a measurement, abbreviated pF. A pico[unit of measurement] is one trillionth of that measurement. Inductance is measured in Henries, though is often seen in milli or micro Henries. In AC electrical circuits, these electrical parameters are combined in a measure called "Impedance", denoted by Z.

Zo = sqrt ( (R + 2 * pi * f * L ) / (G + j * 2 * pi * f * c) )

 

[keithl1967]

Also, what is a good way to connect to my system, givent he thickness--what is a "banana plug" and is it something to use in this case?

 

[jaxvon]

A banana plug is a type of termination. Banana plugs make connecting speaker cables really easy. Bare wire tends to be a pain in the butt, espeically if you have an AV Receiver where the binding posts are really close together. There are a few types of banana plugs out there, but the nicest ones are the locking type, like these:

 

[Sheep]

For 50 foot runs (some), just get some cheap 12ga speaker wire. Get banana's if you want hassle free connetions.

SheepStar