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New member Username: Unit731Post Number: 5 Registered: Jan-04 | I see this term on wire websites. What does this mean? What type of speaker wire goes inside walls and what type outside walls? What is quad wire? What is two pair wire? Who uses this and for what? |
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Bronze Member Username: MusicluvrPost Number: 22 Registered: Apr-05 | From Wikipedia.com: "Plenum spaces in buildings are spaces for air circulation in air conditioning systems. Plenum cable refers to structured cabling permitted under building codes for plenum spaces." The building codes for plenum wiring exist in case of a fire, where burning wires, or more specifically, burning wire insulation may release toxic gases that would get into the air conditioning system, thus creating the additional problem of poisoning, even in areas of the building not at immediate risk of the fire. Plenum wire usually uses insulation that burns at a higher temperature, and when it does burn, will not release significant levels of toxic gas. To be safe, I think it would be best to install wire specifically sold and labled for "in-wall" installation. If there is still any doubt, consult a qualified contractor about the materials and codes in your area. By "quad wire" I think you are asking about a product like this: http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=3104&sku=43085 By putting 4 conductors into a single cable it makes it convenient to run a single cable across a home or building to a remote room where the cable is split to the right and left channels for stereo. I'm not sure there is any difference between quad wire and two pair wire unless it is referring to a cable where there are still four conductors, but the conductors are paired up and bonded together, like 2 lengths of zip cord. This is quite different from "twisted pair" wires that are generally used for telephones and computer networking. Twisted pair or UTP cables contain multiple pairs of conductors. Each of the individual conductors in twisted pair telephone or computer networking cable are usually 22 or 24 guage wire; generally considered too thin for acceptable sound quality. Hope that helps. |