Stupid speaker wire question

[reubenv2]

Just wanted to know if going to an 18 gauge speaker wire instead of the 16 the manufacturer suggests is going to significantly affect my set up. The rear channels on my set up are between 50and 60 ft. runs. Got a whole new system and wiring up in a new room. Always used 16 gauge before, but wondering if it was really nesessary.

P.S. Love this site. Learning a lot. Keep up the good work.

 

[JVC]

Yes.........for long runs like that, you want to go larger, not smaller. For that kind of run (50'-60'), you'll want to use at least a 14 ga. wire, but 12 ga. would be even better.

You can get good, reasonably price speaker wire, at Lowe's or Home Depot, on 100' spools.
Good luck!

 

[j_garcia]

Ummm, 16AWG is already insufficient for a 60ft run....I would generally recommend no less than 14AWG for everything. Who says these are the speakers you will have next year? If you're going to do it, do it right and do it only once.

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

 

[apatel25314]

really i would just go with 12 gauge wire, also you will probably want it cl2 rated for in wall installation , ps it seems price is an issue, i would go with bluejeans, but if that is too much i would get some from monoprice