do brand name,and larger gauge than normal wires make a big diffence as far as output on a system
BlownRiv
Unregistered guest
Posted on
this should be a long thread...
as far as speaker wires go, i believe wire is wire, except in extreme cases where the wire is so small that it creates resistance or actually heats up. unless you're using 24 ga or smaller, or running 50 ft or greater lengths, common sense will keep bad things from happening.
i'm not saying there aren't differences between some cables, i'm just saying that in most cases, they aren't audible differences. double-blind listening tests have confirmed this.
however, there is evidence that one type of wire can affect sound quality. it's the flat "ribbon" wire that is designed to easily lay under carpet, panels, etc. i don't remember who makes it, but ironically, this stuff is expensive and sounds noticeably worse with some speaker/amp combos than normal round conductors do.
other than the above example, wire is wire. pick up some 20¢/ft 14 ga. zip cord off the spool at your local home depot and save yourself a hundred bucks.
you can still tell everyone you used the 100% pure silver kimber cable - and as long as you choose good equipment, install everything right, and tweek the levels correctly, no one will have any reason to doubt you.
for speaker wire, any 18ga multi-strand wire is fine for components. I usually use 14ga for subs that need more power. for power cable, gauge is based on distance and current carried and it greatly matters for size. brands, not really. whatever you get at a reasonable price. the better cables are usually more supple and easier to route in tight areas due to being softer. Otherwise, not much difference. the higher the wire count on a cable, the better as well since more strands generally means a higher current capability