twisted1272 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Finally got all the right speakers and now need some advice on speaker wire gauge and brand. Center channel is ref rc10 which will use about 10' of cable. Floorstanding speakers are rf-35 and will use around 10' of cable also per speaker. Surround speakers are rs-10 and will use about 50' of cable each. Was reading in the manual about recommended speaker wire gauge and it says 16. Is lower better or will there not be any noticeable difference? I had a lower gauge and better wire on my towers before i moved everything around and now have 16 gauge and believe also cheap brand of wire and I can tell a noticeable difference. Any help would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 16 should be fine, if you think the longer run needs 14 gauge that's fine too, The real question is what size will your power unit accept.............Many will tell you Home Depot, or Lowes is good for wire............Take a couple of minutes and search Amazon for deals on wire.............Any wire 16 gauge or lower should be fine..........Some even use big rolls of CAT 5 wire, twisted together........I have never tried it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm review wire chart based on the impedance of your speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Without a flaming discussion from all sides.. do this. Stay with the same size all around.. 12 guage is pretty normal for most in here. You can spend THOUSANDS, trust me, on wire..?? Can u hear it... or can't you.... is debatable? And do we really want a wire changing the sound good or bad? OK, I will shut up. I used 12 guage shielded Monster cable myself. I am pretty sure they had 12, 14, 16 at the local hardware store Menards. I purchased it on a BIG Monster Cable spools at I am sure a discount had I been to best buy or my local stereo store. I am happy with the results.. and I pulled it through cunduit.. you can always use extra fo anything else you might use or get around to later.. The stuff is OK to use in walls, fire rated, and seemed to be great for my application. Good Luck.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 16 ga is sufficient for your specific distances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Run what cha got! 16 is fine, 14 or 12 for much longer runs. I replaced my no name, 20 year old 16 gauge wire with super flexable 10 gauge O2 free wire and heard NO difference. The 10 gauge wire is a good quality wire that I bought at my local electronics store for $35/ 50 feet. Other than it looks cool, there is no difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I would just worry about the 16 gauge and the 50 feet run... you are nearing maximum distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 twisted1272: I pretty much agree with my fellow members here: 16 gauge stranded is fine. I prefer to use 12 gauge stranded, but that's just my personal preference. Brands don't matter to me. Use what you can afford. Whatever you do use, I recommend using the same gauge size on all of the speakers, regardless of the length of the run. Most importantly: OBSERVE PROPER WIRING POLARITY!!! Welcome to the forum! Have fun and good luck! -Glenn AVOID THIS!..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.