What speaker wire to get

[jason str]

Looking up what Klipsch might use in their new products, in house brand Audiovox along with partner RCA brand wants people to think Copper clad Aluminum is acceptable. At least there's lots it on the market.

Anybody care to have a look at at a newer model and see what is currently used.

[Edgar]

57 minutes ago, jjptkd said:

"Across all comparisons and samples, the vote broke down like this:

 

• 1,456 preferred the coathanger (45.5% with first comparison, 36.2% without)
• 1,049 preferred the cable (32.8% with first comparison, 37.7% without)
• 694 chose “both are the same” (21.7% with first comparison, 26.1% without")

 

They must have stacked the deck by using cryogenically-treated coathangers. 😈

[richieb]

2 hours ago, CWelsh said:

43,016 members, 43,016 opinions.  🥳

This is good. And the equivalent of asking which oil is best in an automotive forum - .

What is the saying - “ - - - - everybody’s got one” 

[314carpenter]

3 hours ago, Marvel said:

Knuconceptz Kord... 12 ga. Super flexible, reasonable price, yadayada...

 

I used zip cord for 50 yrs... finallyy got this as I was doing sound for a party at a convention center, large room. The HD, Lowes, etc., all were too stiff and hard to handle.

 

Exactly. OP stated this for DJ purposes. Easy in, easy out. No need to have everyone tripping over an un-wielding stiff cable that takes hours to straighten out. High strand count is very important for this application. Rolls up tight when your finished, stores well, rolls out flat.

 

I wish everyone would pay attention and temper their 30 year old blanket responses to apply relevant information to the questions that are presented on this forum. Whatever speaker wire you have used in your basement system since your were 20 years (40 years ago) has nothing to do with this thread.

[billybob]

You could stub your toe...

[CWelsh]

13 minutes ago, 314carpenter said:

I wish everyone would pay attention and temper their 30 year old blanket responses to apply relevant information to the questions that are presented on this forum. Whatever speaker wire you have used in your basement system since your were 20 years (40 years ago) has nothing to do with this thread.

Agreed!

 

I tend to fall into the cable is cable camp, but Marvel's response is what I would call "value added". It's just cable, but it will make your job easier.

[wstrickland1]

8 minutes ago, billybob said:

You could stub your toe...

put an eye out even...

[captainbeefheart]

4 hours ago, jubilee333 said:

So, I notice this isn't for speakers per se, but it will do the trick anyway? Wondering why one might choose something like this over a conventional speaker wire. It does seem much more protected than like the amazon link above.

 

The laws of physics do not care what is written on the label for marketing. The majority of the public do not know anything about conductors/wires/cables so it's smart to write "speaker wire" on the outside and push the price up. Speaker signals are large signals, they do not need anything special, you are most concerned with losses and damping factor so the only variable it comes down to is impedance. The larger the gauge wire the lower the impedance per foot, for 30' 14awg is a good choice, you could even get away with 16awg but I would go with 14 for slightly lower losses and slightly better damping. There is absolutely no need to purchase anything specifically marketed as "speaker wire". You could even use Romex but solid wire is tough to bend and coil up etc..

 

As you noticed I chose a 14/2 conductor that has an extra outer layer of insulation around both wires, this is a wise choice if you are planning on DJ'ing, this is what professional sound engineers would choose for this application.

 

Signed electrical engineer

[billybob]

5 minutes ago, wstrickland1 said:

put an eye out even...

Dang...

[Peter P.]

30ft. runs-16 gauge is fine. If you were using the full 40W of the Kenwood  (not likely), the wires would see a mere 2.2A assuming an 8 ohm speaker.

 

I like the Parts Express wire because of the black/red color coding which makes it easy-peasy to identify polarity. Edit: I forgot that I bought unjacketed (no jacket enclosing both conductors), TWISTED speaker wire because I was having an interference issue that I thought was being induced in the speaker wiring. I can't recall where on-line I found it but it wasn't Parts Express. It was red/black, twisted, and I bought a 50ft. length, cheap.

 

I agree with Alexander-don't bother with copper coated aluminum. The big box hardware stores that sell Southwire brand wire will have at least one conductor of copper clad aluminum, to save money.

 

You could buy regular lamp cord/zip cord as some have suggested. It's cheap, one conductor is identified, and both conductors are all copper too. The only reason I don't like it for speaker wire is it's not as pliable as speaker wire.

[captainbeefheart]

1 hour ago, jason str said:

Looking up what Klipsch might use in their new products, in house brand Audiovox along with partner RCA brand wants people to think Copper clad Aluminum is acceptable. At least there's lots it on the market.

 

What's wrong with copper clad aluminum? Your overhead power distribution lines are aluminum? The fact aluminum wire is half the price of copper makes it very appealing.

 

For speaker wire we are going to oversize the wire for best performance, I can see why we strayed away from aluminum inside our walls of our home but for cheap speaker wire for a DJ gig it won't make any difference. For power distribution if you have an unacceptable loss across the wire aluminum is inferior as it will be less stable compared to copper when temp increases but this isn't an issue for this application when sized correctly. Since it is half the price you could even jump up to 12awg and it will be cheaper than 14awg copper and have less impedance.

 

Both copper and aluminum oxidize, aluminum oxidation is harder non-conductive crusty stuff so just make sure you make good connections but since it's usually copper clad aluminum this point is moot.

 

 

[billybob]

Ran into copper clad problems in my industry. Seems the CC would corrode of course where the copper skin was nicked resulting in signal loss and service calls. Low dc catalytic corrosion. The chalky Venus Blue type.

Not good...

 

[jjptkd]

48 minutes ago, 314carpenter said:

I wish everyone would pay attention and temper their 30 year old blanket responses to apply relevant information to the questions that are presented on this forum. Whatever speaker wire you have used in your basement system since your were 20 years (40 years ago) has nothing to do with this thread.

 

So glad to have an arbiter of truth and common sense on this forum-- I mean when someone asks for product recommendations how dare people answer with personal anecdotal experiences, what are they thinking! 

 

On 12/18/2021 at 9:37 AM, jubilee333 said:

What sort of specs should I be looking for in speaker wire? Are there any brands you would suggest?

 

Thanks!

June

 

[captainbeefheart]

3 minutes ago, billybob said:

Ran into copper clad problems in my industry. Seems the CC would corrode of course where the copper skin was nicked resulting in signal loss and service calls. Low dc catalytic corrosion. The chalky Venus Blue type.

Not good...

 

 

Yes constant DC with + voltage type systems the conductor becomes an anode and so with the constant DC current applied anodization occurs much faster. I would think this would be not an issue with AC speaker system with no DC, of course many SS amps still have a very small amount of DC offset at the output which may still may have enough current to anodize the conductor. 20mV of DC across an 8 ohm voice coil will produce 2.5mA of current, probably enough to cause problems.

 

Old cars that ran -6vdc systems do not suffer the anodization issue like the cars today, of course the body would then become the anode and oxidize faster which is why they switched to + type power, easier to replace wire than the frame and body.

[jason str]

21 minutes ago, captainbeefheart said:

 

What's wrong with copper clad aluminum? Your overhead power distribution lines are aluminum? The fact aluminum wire is half the price of copper makes it very appealing.

 

For speaker wire we are going to oversize the wire for best performance, I can see why we strayed away from aluminum inside our walls of our home but for cheap speaker wire for a DJ gig it won't make any difference. For power distribution if you have an unacceptable loss across the wire aluminum is inferior as it will be less stable compared to copper when temp increases but this isn't an issue for this application when sized correctly. Since it is half the price you could even jump up to 12awg and it will be cheaper than 14awg copper and have less impedance.

 

Both copper and aluminum oxidize, aluminum oxidation is harder non-conductive crusty stuff so just make sure you make good connections but since it's usually copper clad aluminum this point is moot.

 

 

I don't know anything. Just wondering is all.

[Emile]

Monoprice.com is a great (and inexpensive) source for cabling and connectors. For 12/14 gauge, 50/100ft wire, see https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2747 

[captainbeefheart]

5 minutes ago, jason str said:

I don't know anything. Just wondering is all.

 

Wire inside speakers are very small length. With the price of raw materials including copper increasing going with copper clad aluminum is a way to keep prices of products competitive in the tough market. Engineers sit around and try and beat the cost curve so when you can cut the price of wire in half it's kind of a no brainer when performance is the same.

[michaelwjones]

How about this from Klipsch Heritage Speakers owner's manual?

 

• Use 16-gauge (AWG), two conductor, copper wire at a minimum and larger gauge wire for longer runs. 

 

And the spec sheet for the new La Scala states they are internally wired with Audioquest cabling.

[jubilee333]

Thanks all again for your responses! Thinking I'll go with the 12 awg knuconceptz kord.

[jason str]

58 minutes ago, jubilee333 said:

Thanks all again for your responses! Thinking I'll go with the 12 awg knuconceptz kord.

Positive or Negative nothing sticks to the jacket. Below is exactly what to expect and it works as good as others though the + & - not easy for blind folk to find.