Newbie with questions

[PDiddy]

I just purchased the items listed in my signature. I do not yet have any cables for them. My questions are these:

1. Klipsch recommends at least 18 gauge speaker wire. How is the gauge of the speaker wire done. Is 12 gauge bigger than 18, or does it just go by numbers? I have not found much 18 gauge, but have found a lot of 12. What

are your thoughts?

2. What type of connection do I use from my speaker wire to my speakers? Is it a "bannana plug," or is it something else?

3. Is there really a big difference in the type of cables used? For instance, Monster vs. RCA brands, THX Certified vs. not, etc?

Thank you in advance for the help.

[lynnm]

1.) The higher the AWG number the smaller the wire. I recommend AWG 12 for most purposes.

2.) Banana plugs are handy if you do a lot of connecting/disconnecting. Spade lugs or bare wire also work fine.

3.) This is essentially a matter of theology with umpety-eleven adherents to all versions of " The Truth ". I recommend that you wait for other opinions FWIW I normally recommend simply using a good grade of wire but other highly knowledgeable forum members have very strong feelings as to the relative merits of various high end cables.

[ShapeShifter]

Hi,

Welcome to the Klipsch Forum and congratulations on your new Klipsch Speakers. Ahhh, your questions on wire and interconnets generally result in some tense debates between the believer and non-believer camps. So some are hesitant to wade in with their opinions and preferences.

You will be pretty safe in using 12 AWG Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) wire for most moderate runs. If you like convenience, then Banana Plugs offer an ease of connection and removal. A secure bare wire connection to the terminals works equally well. As for interconnects, the choices and preferences are too numerous. Just try a set from your local retailer and let your wallet be your guide.

Sure you aren't RKelly trolling incognito? Just kiddin'

Wes

[jdm56]

The lower the "gauge" number, the bigger the wire. As a rule, 16ga. is sufficient for short runs (under 10-12 ft.), but for long runs, thicker is better. I use 12ga. practically everywhere.

Speaker wire can be terminated a number of ways. Which you use is mostly determined by the terminals on your receiver and speakers. Banana plugs are very popular as they make it very convenient to hook and unhook your wire from the receiver and speakers without a lot of fumbling around. They are my preference, but there are many options: bare wire, tinned wire, pin connectors, spade lugs, etc. Sound quality is not much of an issue with regards to choice of termination. As long as it's solid, that's the main thing. You do want to be careful if you pick dual banana plugs, as some receivers/speakers do not use standard spacings between terminals.

Difference in speaker wires? You just had to go there, didn't you! ...depends on who you ask. As far as I'm concerned, the main difference in cables is in price. Sure, there are the cheap "gimme" cables that most makers throw in the box, and then there are esoteric cables you could pay thousands of dollars for. And everything in between. Let your ears (and your common sense!) be your guide. Personally, I think it's size that matters most. If it's big enough for the length of the run, and it's solidly terminated, you're 98% there.

[dougdrake]

FWIW, and not rendering any opinion on the merits of different cables, www.accessories4less.com has some pretty good prices on speaker cable by the foot, preterminated speaker wire, and interconnects. Also, a great price on RG6 quad-shield coax for any of you making your own video or subwoofer cables.

DD

[Bill H.]

Hi- welcome to the form! Looking at your present componets I am (I Know), assuming your on a budget, I buy my wire from Radio Shack,(I am not gonna go there with a brand), which works just fine. Get the gage that the people above recommend and you should do fine............good luck

[arthurs]

If you want some really good cable, and yes it can make a difference, try looking at cobaltcable.com They're a small company so they build and test each order, great sounding cable, great to look at, guaranteed quality, and reasonably priced for high-end cable. You won't be disappointed, and if you are, they'll take it back, no questions asked, they also replace it no questions asked for the life of the cable. I ran all 6 of my speakers for about $600 and I have some long runs. Enjoy

[artto]

Try this DIY speaker cable project. Works great!

It is a DIY project that anyone can do provided you obtain precisely the correct materials. These cables will produce the most dramatic improvement in your system, more than any single thing will, guaranteed! I made these cables by stringing together southern north pole magnetically petrified hardwood balls of various sizes using tightly rolled up BLACK electrical tape. The entire cable structure is completely suspended in a Strawberry Banana Jello pudding (must be Jello brand) sprinkled with loose debris from #2 grade steel wool which also provides the shielding (I've found that soaking the steel wool in a coffee can filled with water for a week so that the iron oxides build up on the wool improves the shielding characteristic by a whole 0.0001%)(Beaver brand steel wool works best). I used common straight pins at both ends for grounding. The cables are terminated using invisible gas filled (methane) highly polished uranium rods. Maximum performance can be obtained from these cables by suspending them precisely 0.003 meters from the ceiling or wall surfaces (not the floor). For those of you not so inclined to take on a project of this magnitude I can make these for you in any length up to 17 for $1,000,000,000.00 each (US$). Additional lengths cost $1 per foot up to a maximum of 5,280 feet.

Seriously, this is the least of your worries, especially if you're new to this. Just use high quality materials, good CLEAN connections, etc., & avoid the hocus pocus stuff & you'll have money left over to buy more recordings.

[mattbugz]

With a login name of an entertainment tycoon, I figure you'd be sporting RF7's all the way around!!

I recently had a similar dilemma of what type/brand of cables to use. I ended up using 12g Monster cables and also their banana plugs. (Not to mention the coaxial audio/video cables) Monster products is a debatable topic as far as the price vs performance they deliver. In retrospect, I probably spent too much since you can pick up similar quality cables for a considerably less amount of $$.