rav4fran Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 I just bought a pair of RB-5II and I'm very happy with the sound quality. My question is about the wire gauge AWG. I'm currently using a 14 AWG speaker wire with the length of 30 feet. The owner's manual recommends that a minimum of 16 AWG should be used for the RB-5II. I've researched around and found that for a 30 feet max (8 ohm load), 18 AWG should be used and for a longer 50 feet max (8 ohm load), 16 AWG. My conclusion then is that I should be using 18 AWG. Any recommendations here? Should I go ahead and replace my speaker wire to an 18 AWG? Any recommendations on the brand (Monster, Carol, Tributaries, etc.) of wire? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Actually the higher the guage number the smaller the wire. I would recommend going to #12 AWG for the long runs that you have. I made up my own speaker cables using a design from Jon Risch: http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/index2.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 lynnm is correct about GA numbers and wire size. 14 GA is fine for a 30' run. If you replace your wire you want to go to 12 GA wire for that run. 12 GA is a good all purpose speaker wire, I would use it on short runs as well as long runs. I just built a house and replaced all my wireing with bulk 12 GA from home depot. Got a 250' spool for $60. I do not use any connectors, all bare wire. I use to run monster and Kimber, there is absolutely no difference in sound. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rav4fran Posted October 19, 2002 Author Share Posted October 19, 2002 Thanks for the advice. I was just confused because I've read so many conflicting debate about speaker wire gauge. Also, I was deciding between my current 14 and the RB-5 owner's manual recommendation of 16. Any more advice here is welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 in basic terms, the larger the wire the easier it is to pass information, power....... it is common to think that larger numbers mean larger wire, but it is just the opposite in the case of wire, i am an electrician, and we set a mark at 100 feet, meaning that you begin getting loss at 100 feet so we go to the next larger wire size to carry the same load easier, the second thing we consider when considering information, is the # of strands in the wire, more strands allows for greater surface area actually contacted, allowing for added flow, cleaner signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yesfan70 Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 ---------------- On 10/19/2002 8:46:05 AM rav4fran wrote: Thanks for the advice. I was just confused because I've read so many conflicting debate about speaker wire gauge. Also, I was deciding between my current 14 and the RB-5 owner's manual recommendation of 16. Any more advice here is welcome. ---------------- I would stay at 14 AWG. The owner's manual recommendation is for minimum guage wire which is 16. If I changed anything, I would go to a bigger wire like 12AWG, but I think what you have will do. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 14 AWG is A ok for your system,if you want someting better looking(more impressive)and not spend too much money may I recomend some 12 AWG UltraLink or some Canare cables.Just add some IXOS banana or spade terminators and you are set for a good while. I stick with 12 AWG as a minimum,but what do I know.I am a technophile freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rav4fran Posted October 20, 2002 Author Share Posted October 20, 2002 Thank you all for your replies. I guess I'll just stick with what I have. Any more suggestions are welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Pete Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I wonder if I am compromising anything by using 16 gauge wire for my 20ft runs with my RF-3IIs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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