Belden 9497 16 Gauge vs 12 Gauge Pyle Speaker Wire

[MacWorks]

I was hoping for some sage advice on the Belden 9497 16 Gauge vs 12 Gauge Pyle Speaker Wire . Currently using the Pyle thinking less resistance was better for my CW1's.

 

Specifically looking at the Belden sold by HighEnd Audio Auctions - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Belden-9497-Speaker-Cable-16ft-Wire-Tube-Amp-Altec-Western-Electric-Shindo-/331941506380?

 

Audible difference?

[jason str]

For a little cash you can test your own ears.

[Dave A]

I am not a fancy wire guy. 12g zip cord with a good visible positive wire marker is all I need and buy it by the 500' roll. That 12g covers me for everything I might ever do and decent length runs. My needs are more than likely much different then yours but the goal is the same. 

[Bubo]

2 hours ago, MacWorks said:

I was hoping for some sage advice on the Belden 9497 16 Gauge vs 12 Gauge Pyle Speaker Wire . Currently using the Pyle thinking less resistance was better for my CW1's.

 

Specifically looking at the Belden sold by HighEnd Audio Auctions - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Belden-9497-Speaker-Cable-16ft-Wire-Tube-Amp-Altec-Western-Electric-Shindo-/331941506380?

 

Audible difference?

Audible difference probably not

Belden makes superb cable

- twisted pair is std in the phone network to prevent crosstalk, 6 twists per ft (good feature)

 

If happy with the Pyle leave it alone

12GA is less resistance than 16, but in audio freqs probably doesn't matter

Shielded coax is the best, but unneeded unless you are running over noise emitting equipment or unshielded noisy wires

 

[wvu80]

The Pyle is the cheap stuff, I'm very sure it's CCA, Copper Coated Aluminum.  What you want for a few dollars more is OFC, Oxygen Free Copper which has less resistance.

 

I use high strand OFC.  Good speaker wire will list its specs and the cheap stuff does not.  I also use and recommend Mediabridge locking banana plugs.

 

Will you hear a difference?  Probably not.  However I am in the camp of a lot of little improvements add up to a big improvement.

 

Quote

 

Get the most out of your home audio system with high quality, oxygen-free, pure bare copper speaker wire from Monoprice!

This speaker wire features two conductors made of high purity (greater than 99.95% pure), oxygen-free bare copper. Pure Bare Copper is a superior conductor to the copper clad aluminum (CCA) conductors used in most other inexpensive speaker wire. CCA is only about 68% as conductive as pure bare copper. This additional resistance is added to the impedance of your speakers and can negatively effect the sound.

 

For the wire to have no audible effect, the total wire resistance should be no more than 5% of the lowest impedance of your speakers. Even speakers rated for a nominal 8-ohms, may dip to as low as 4-ohms at some frequencies, which further reduces the total cable resistance allowed in the wire. Using Pure Bare Copper speaker wire ensures that the total load put on the amplifier remains as close as possible to the impedance curve of your speakers.

 

For example, a 16AWG 2-conductor Pure Bare Copper speaker wire has a total resistance of 0.803 ohms per 100 feet (both directions must be considered). By comparison, a 16AWG 2-conductor CCA speaker wire has a total resistance of 1.181 ohms per 100 feet. Assuming 4 ohms is the lowest impedance of your speakers, a speaker wire run can be no more 0.2-ohms total. 20 feet of 16AWG Pure Bare Copper would be 0.1606 ohms, well under the 0.2-ohm limit. On the other hand, 20 feet of 16AWG CCA would be 0.2362 ohms, well OVER the 0.2-ohm limit.

 

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2747

 

 

[JohnA]

Maybe.  Your 12 ga wire will always be better.  The Belden is unremarkable pvc insulated tinned copper.  You can make wire with measurable improvements by braiding Teflon insulated CAT5/CAT6 to get a 10 ga equivalent.  You might not hear a difference, though.  I didn't.