Speaker Wire Dangers, Please help!
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New member Username: NeoshadePost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-10 | Hi all, I just finished connecting the wires to a home theater system for a customer (I'm a carpenter) at their small business. Unfortunately, the speaker wires installed in the walls that run around the store are the result of poor budgeting and bad electrician. They are 24 gauge solid copper wires - believe it or not, it's a CAT-5 Ethernet cable!! The owner just bought a new home theater system which they mostly use for playing an iPod or CD's for soft background in the store, which I just connected. http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=1055 1&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665793556#specifications Before I hand him the remote and let him crank it up, I want to better understand the dangers or limitations of using this incredibly poor wiring. I can set the volume limit on the system, but from what little I understand about audio electrical systems, I'm not sure that this will make it any safer. My chief concern is that the impedance of this wire is too great for its use, and constitutes a fire hazard, or will lead to the death of this new $800 system. The resistance of 24 AWG solid copper CAT-5 cable is .025 Ohms/foot or 1 Ohm at 40' (the length of rear wires). The system's RMS output is 144W per speaker. OEM wires that come with the stereo are 18AWG stranded, 12' ea. Can anyone tell me if this will work "good enough" or do we have a dangerous situation? Thank you! |
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Gold Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1106 Registered: Feb-08 | You are correct in thinking there may be some problem, it would come highly recommended not to use CAT 5 cable for speaker wire, it is not designed to handle that much current. |
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Bronze Member Username: RmammerschuberNY USA Post Number: 47 Registered: May-06 | I would agree with Jim and actually add the thought of using at least 16 or 14 wire over a 40' distance. If your lucky maybe you can use the cat5 cables as your fish line to pull through some new wires? |
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New member Username: NeoshadePost Number: 2 Registered: Feb-10 | Thank you, Yes, of course 16 or 14 gauge wire would be ideal, but that's never going to happen unless I can prove to the owner that this a is dangerous situation, either to the safety of people, or the equipment. And yes, it would be nice if the CAT5 would work as a fish-line, but it wont. It's split over four walls, many studs, and 4 speaker locations. My question is is this dangerous? or just poor quality? |
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Gold Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1112 Registered: Feb-08 | Dangerous!!! |
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New member Username: NeoshadePost Number: 3 Registered: Feb-10 | Hahahaha, thanks! But are you just telling me what I want to hear?  |
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Gold Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1117 Registered: Feb-08 | No not really but I was keeping it short and sweet! Need more ammunition: http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/understanding-in-wall-speaker-video- and-audio-cable-ratings |
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Gold Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1118 Registered: Feb-08 | If you still can't convince them then at least twist 4 of the 8 leads together to make a positive (red) conductor and the other 4 leads together for the negative (black) conductor keeping the color codes straight end to end. Doing that for each speaker should significantly improve the performance. |
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Bronze Member Username: Vm8444Post Number: 89 Registered: Aug-05 | sounds like what jim says that should work ,, then again I install too I would just run new cable |
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