Ideal gauge of speaker wires?
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juggy_25 Unregistered guest | which is the ideal gauge of cable thickness to go for - for speaker wire connections and subwoofer connection?? I am planning on a Onkyo TX-SR503 Receiver with 5.1 setup of satellite speakers. My HT room is around 200 square feet |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 7334 Registered: May-04 | "Big Honking" AWG Are you a guy or a gal? Either way your system needs balls even if you don't! Get it big, keep it big, berate anyone who's isn't big and show it off to all your friends! |
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juggy_25 Unregistered guest | :-) anyone else cud tell me about the ideal wire gauge besides Mr.Vigne whoz an expert in counting people's balls based on their muzik system?? |
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Silver Member Username: EramseySouth carolina United States Post Number: 417 Registered: Feb-05 | Juggy: I use 10AWG but 12 is fine and 14 would probably be fine with the system you have. Check Partsexpress.com or Pacificable.com for reasonably(realistically) priced speaker wire. Also don't worry about "burn-in" of the wires, when copper is fresh cut,unoxidized, it is at it's best, from there it's downhill. |
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Unregistered guest | Jugs, just beeline it to Home Depot and buy all the 12AWG you need. Do not stop along the way to consider Dedicated CD Players, NAD QC, Yamahas are bright, psychoacoustics, H/K high current, Top Ten Audio Lies, the Iraq War, E=mc(sqd) and Unregistered guest stature. Home Depot + 12AWG = good sound. Enjoy your audio system. |
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Silver Member Username: EramseySouth carolina United States Post Number: 419 Registered: Feb-05 | I second that Jaw as my local Lowe's and HD have 250' spools of 12AWG for $50. I bought a 100' spool of 10AWG "Python" brand from Pacificable.com for $65 and I am quite satisfied with it, I use it for my FR,FL and center channel speakers. I use 12AWG zipcord for my surround speakers. If you want to go really large you can buy 8 gauge power wire from Parts Express for about 65 cents a foot. It comes in red and black for a foolproof polarity identification,also it has a very high strand count,so it is perfect for speaker wire. Buy the lengths you want and zip tie them together about every foot or two. Seal it in heat shrinkwrap and you have a perfect set of speaker cables for little $ that will hold it's on against many cable sets costing much more in price. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1130 Registered: Dec-04 | When I get to the point that I spend $1000 on wires, I need to start a twelve step program for audio. Or just get McIntosh. |
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Silver Member Username: Rysa4Post Number: 345 Registered: Jul-05 | 10awg is what I use as well, but 12 or 14 is almost always just fine. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3616 Registered: Mar-05 | Nuck, if you ever spend $1K on wires, you'd need to be checked into the nearest mental institution before you donate your life savings to the Hare Krishnas at the airport. |
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New member Username: JobzeekerPost Number: 1 Registered: Jan-06 | I just set up my surround sound, I run the surround speaker wire thru the attic which is very cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Is this hot and cold temperature will affect the sound or anything else that I can't foreseen? Thank for your help. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1137 Registered: Dec-04 | shoot me first, ed. samm, you will be fine, so long as the wire is of a suitable gauge and is fresh on the ends. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 7354 Registered: May-04 | Samm - Did you purchase cable that is meant to withstand heat and cold or did you just buy any old cable to run in a location where it will get hot and cold? Cables are rated for different applications. What sort of cable did you buy? |
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Silver Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 701 Registered: Apr-05 | Juggy what type of satellite speakers do you have? Some of these have binders that won't hold anything larger than a 14 AWG. |
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juggy_25 Unregistered guest | Stof, I am planning to get the Sonodyne Genie-2s. U cud check that out in: http://www.sonodyne.com/Genie-Specs%202.htm Not bought 'em yet. so not sure 'bout the binders. |
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Silver Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 702 Registered: Apr-05 | If you don't have any idea, then don't worry about cable until you get the speakers. |
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New member Username: JobzeekerPost Number: 2 Registered: Jan-06 | Jan - The cable I use is Monster cable-XPNWMS50. I got it from Circuit City I think I over paid for the cable after I read what is post on this site. |
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New member Username: SnarlOntario Canada Post Number: 5 Registered: Jun-05 | 12 Gauge seems to be the best all-arounder IMHO |
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Silver Member Username: EramseySouth carolina United States Post Number: 421 Registered: Feb-05 | Juggy: Provided they have standard binding posts, these speakers should accept up to 10AWG wire. If your running the wire through the attic which given the heat and cold extremes you cited, will be a haven for moisture. Normal plastic coated generic copper speaker wire "zipcord" will probably have problems with oxidation after a couple of years. I recomend "in wall" speaker wire or "direct burial" wire. In wall wire will be CL3 rated so it will meet building codes in most areas, check your local codes to be sure. Direct burial is water proof so this will be ideal if you have problems with moisture. You can get both types from Parts Express.com and both are quite inexpensive,$20-30 average for a 100' length,14 AWG. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 7368 Registered: May-04 | Samm - I don't know the use Monster rates that cable. Get on their web site and look at the specifications for the cable. Ideally, you would like a cable that is rated to be used in a plenum run if your cables will be subjected to wide variations in temperature. If the cable you ran isn't rated for this application, I wouldn't do anything now. The deterioration will occur slowly and, depending on the application, might not be noticeable in terms of sound quality. Check the cable for cracks in the insulation or drying out. Whan you notice this happening, then it's time to replace the cable. |
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dzgrrl Unregistered guest | Sheesh, I guess there is a LOT more to getting cables than I thought! My bf gifted me w/an Athena surround set for Xmas & they're still sitting in the box... just wandered into this post tonite & am rather overwhelmed.  |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 7377 Registered: May-04 | Hifi ain't for sissies. Refer to my above post from Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 01:16PM. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1145 Registered: Dec-04 | Crying!? Are you crying!?!? There's no crying in HIFI! Don't panic dzgrrl, its really not that hard, so long as you are looking for normal, mainstream parts, which, when properly matched, can sound WAY better than the sum of the parts. Break those speakers out, and look up a few specs. What receiver do you have? |
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New member Username: JobzeekerPost Number: 3 Registered: Jan-06 | Jan - thanks for your help. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 7390 Registered: May-04 | samm - Just another silver bullet left behind. This is getting damned expensive. |
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MichaelZ Unregistered guest | I follow the table of gauge / run length at http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable |
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juggy_25 Unregistered guest | does the front speakers require a different gauge wire from the rear speakers coz of the increased distance in the latter? |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 962 Registered: May-05 | Juggy - I was going to provide you a link to a great site that tells you all you need to know and more about speaker wire, but MichaelZ beat me to it. It gives discussion about different types of cables, and has a great chart for different length runs, speaker impedences, and guage. It's been called conservative, meaning that you could get away with a size smaller than he suggests, but I tend to follow what he says. Here it is again - http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm This is written by an engineer from McIntosh. Mac is generally a no-nonsense hi-fi company that concentrates on making great straight forward audio and HT products and leaves the BS to other companies. Bryston is another company with a very similar approach. I don't have a link for their wire and cable recommendations, but you could find it on a google search. |
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