Which 12 AWG speaker cable to choose

[Alex2507]

https://www.primecables.ca/p-313373-cab-2816-all-speaker-wire-12awg-cl2-rated-2-conductor-loud-cable-for-in-wall-installation-4-lengths-monoprice#sku313375

Found Monoprice on a Canadian site. It's 209$ instead of 179$, both 250ft but the 179$ is cl3. Don't know what that will do.

What would you guys pick?

I did this backwards. I’m surprised at the savings so I’m already wrong about that. I think I would probably still take cl2 based on what I think I know.

Blue Jean Cable has articles on the different class wire. Their link is on the bottom of the main page.


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[Trell]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This app is really spammy.

 

[highfigh]

Found this one on the Canadian Amazon

12 AWG CL3 OFC Outdoor Speaker Wire, GearIT Pro Series 12 Gauge (250 Feet / 76.2 Meters/Black) Oxygen Free Copper UL CL3 Rated for Outdoor Direct Burial and in-Wall Installation Speaker Cable https://a.co/d/4TLjil2

Seems better than the Amazon basics one.

What does everyone think?

If you don't need to bury the cable or run it in a plenum space, you don't need more than CL-2 unless, as mentioned, you need to operate with higher voltage and I don' think that's what you'll be doing. OTOH, if you think you might need direct burial cable before you run out, it's not a bad idea to get that- it can be more durable, but that's not absolutely true- I worked for an AV contractor and the direct burial speaker cable we used had a jacket that only needed a small nick in order to split it, which makes it useless, IMO.

 

[Eppie]

Monoprice Access Series 12 Gauge AWG CL2 Rated 2 Conductor Speaker Wire / Cable - 250ft Fire Safety In Wall Rated, Jacketed In White PVC Material 99.9% Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper - Newegg.com

Buy Monoprice Access Series 12 Gauge AWG CL2 Rated 2 Conductor Speaker Wire / Cable - 250ft Fire Safety In Wall Rated, Jacketed In White PVC Material 99.9% Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.ca

OK so found the Monoprice one for the same price.

So price is the same. Which do I go for the Monoprice cl2

Or

Gear it cl3

????

CL2 is sufficient for fire rating so the Monoprice cable is fine. I would have checked the same web sites as you did.

 

[jakkedtide]

CL2 is sufficient for fire rating so the Monoprice cable is fine. I would have checked the same web sites as you did.

Cool, sound alike the Monoprice is better, it's cheaper by $10 (whatever) but it being a bit easier to work with and take up less space coming out of the wall and behind the tv stand is better I think

 

[highfigh]

Make sure the Monoprice is actually CL2 rated- they were nailed for selling cable that was marked, but not actually CL2.

 

[jakkedtide]

Monoprice Access Series 12 Gauge AWG CL2 Rated 2 Conductor Speaker Wire/Cable - 250ft Fire Safety in Wall Rated, Jacketed in White PVC Material 99.9% Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper https://a.co/d/coLgWW1

Does this look real? Or a fake?

 

[Eppie]

Monoprice Access Series 12 Gauge AWG CL2 Rated 2 Conductor Speaker Wire/Cable - 250ft Fire Safety in Wall Rated, Jacketed in White PVC Material 99.9% Oxygen-Free Pure Bare Copper https://a.co/d/coLgWW1

Does this look real? Or a fake?

The photo of the spool shows the CL2 rating stamped on the sheathing. Only way to know for sure is to send it out for testing.

 

[ryanosaur]

I haven’t heard any recent “gotcha’s” about their gear. I currently use many Monoprice cables in my system and am very satisfied.

 

[TheAVInsider]

Good timing. Thought I should post this here. Been buying a lot of speaker cable lately. Probably should have just got 500 ft of 12ga. Pro Co from

Pro Co 12-2-500 500' 12AWG 2C Speaker Wire

Buy the Pro Co 12-2-500, 500' 12AWG 2C Speaker Wire at Full Compass Systems. 0% Financing and Free Shipping on thousands of items!

www.fullcompass.com

and been done with it. I ended up buying 4 conductor cable a couple of time since, so it all worked out.

So yesterday I open the box I got in from Monoprice.

Monoprice Speaker Wire, CL2 Rated, 4-Conductor, 14AWG, 100ft, Black - 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

for an Atmos install. Reason I am posting this is because my product was damaged in shipping. Now that's nothing new, and could be resolved with customer service and more of my time. What the point here is I wanted to show the construction of the Monoprice cable spool is total junk. This cable is worthless to me in this condition, other than small runs of test setups. It'll turn into a rats nest as soon as the cellophane comes off.

Compare the broken Monoprice spool on bottom to the empty Pro Co 150ft. 14ga. spool on the top. The Pro Co spool is bolted together. The Monoprice spool is stapled with the tiniest staples I have ever seen, next to T50's. Added to the pic is 25ft. of Rapco Horizon 12ga, as it's the same stuff as Pro Co, and added 50ft of 16ga. RadioShack testing rig wire for further comparison.

 

[Verdinut]

Make sure the Monoprice is actually CL2 rated- they were nailed for selling cable that was marked, but not actually CL2.

I doubt that they would repeat that misrepresentation. It would surely entail a stiff fine if they were caught again..

 

[TLS Guy]

Good timing. Thought I should post this here. Been buying a lot of speaker cable lately. Probably should have just got 500 ft of 12ga. Pro Co from https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/077842-pro-co-12-2-500-500-12awg-2c-speaker-wire and been done with it. I ended up buying 4 conductor cable a couple of time since, so it all worked out.

So yesterday I open the box I got in from Monoprice. 150ft. 4 conductor 14ga. black for an Atmos install. Reason I am posting this is because my product was damaged in shipping. Now that's nothing new, and could be resolved with customer service and more of my time. What the point here is I wanted to show the construction of the Monoprice cable spool is total junk. This cable is worthless to me in this condition, other than small runs of test setups. It'll turn into a rats nest as soon as the cellophane comes off.

Compare the broken Monoprice spool on bottom to the empty Pro Co 150ft. 14ga. spool on the top. The Pro Co spool is bolted together. The Monoprice spool is stapled with the tiniest staples I have ever seen, next to T50's. Added to the pic is 25ft. of Rapco Horizon 12ga, as it's the same stuff as Pro Co, and added 50ft of 16ga. RadioShack testing rig wire for further comparison.
View attachment 57780

That is why I told you to buy Belden cable. It is a good price, and with spools built trade tough. That has fall to bits in your hand Chinese manufacture all over it.

 

[lovinthehd]

Come on, you guys are worried about the spool's construction?

 

[Mark E. Long]

Bite the bullet grab some Belden or canare 4s11 twist it up put some banana plugs on and forever be happy them pretty spools make no sound !

 

[TLS Guy]

Come on, you guys are worried about the spool's construction?

I can tell you a long length of cable spilled of a poor quality spool is a mess and something you can absolutely do without. I am with the OP on this one. I used Belden and I'm glad I did. A superb quality cable, very good value, and made in America.

 

[lovinthehd]

I can tell you a long length of cable spilled of a poor quality spool is a mess and something you can absolutely do without. I am with the OP on this one. I used Belden and I'm glad I did. A superb quality cable, very good value, and made in America.

Hard to argue about the Belden/Proco if you want to spend the extra bucks....not everyone does, and the benefits of the wire itself are minimal, and "use" of the spool is minimal at home (in a pro's mobile use perhaps more important).

 

[TheAVInsider]

Hard to argue about the Belden/Proco if you want to spend the extra bucks....not everyone does, and the benefits of the wire itself are minimal, and "use" of the spool is minimal at home (in a pro's mobile use perhaps more important).

Jacket quality = cost. Strand count = cost. Spool = cost. Time = cost. Copper = Cu

 

[lovinthehd]

Jacket quality = cost. Thread count = cost. Spool = cost. Time = cost. Copper = Cu

So is the extra expense in the jacketing/insulation needed? Thread count is strand count? Spool is just as important as a box to me. Yes, I know the symbol for copper....but it need not be OFC copper, ETF would be fine.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hard to argue about the Belden/Proco if you want to spend the extra bucks....not everyone does, and the benefits of the wire itself are minimal, and "use" of the spool is minimal at home (in a pro's mobile use perhaps more important).

This is the price of Belden cable from Parts express. 10 AWG CL2 $1.79 per foot. 12 AWG CL3 at 2.09 per foot. Also available in bulk on high quality spools in 250, 500 and 1000 ft. lengths. For my AV room I bought a 500 and 250 ft. spool. Also you know what you are getting with reliable specs. I know what I am getting and I know quality when I see it. That is not Monoprice. I know quality when I see it.

 

[TheAVInsider]

Anyone have a product link to where I can find in-stock 100ft of 14ga or better 4-conductor speaker cable from Belden or above quality. Obviously I need to reorder some now. Demand for speaker wire has been exceeding supply for quite a while now. Stock is harder to find than ever.

Edit: Just got off the phone with my personal sales guy at FullCompass. Full compass is an international supplier BTW. He told me they order direct from ProCo/Rapco and they are backordered on all of their speaker cable products until NEXT YEAR!

Only thing they had in stock was a $1300 roll of 500' Belden 1310A