slammy77 Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I just got the RS-42 surrounds for Christmas (wife won't let me open them yet [] ) and I'm looking for some wire now... The wire will be going from a wall plate behind the receiver up an 8 foot wall, across the ceiling 18 ft to the back of the room, and down the back wall which of course is also 8 ft. That's 34' so far. The ceiling is a vaulted, which makes the math not work out so simply, so I'm estimating 50 feet of wire will be necessary for each speaker. Assuming my calculations are correct, will this speaker wire serve me well? http://www.amazon.com/Gauge-Stranded-Copper-Premium-Speaker/dp/B000RMDX5A/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197781108&sr=8-6 It's 14 gauge speaker wire 99.9% oxygen free copper, about $0.23 per foot. Or do I need to make sure I get 14/2 wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Slam, You start talking wire here, and it's like opening Pandoras box............ Should work though. But if your near a Radio Shack just go there to get your Wire. That way if it doesn't work out, you can return it. Also your helping your local economy...........Good Luck and Post Pics when you get set up!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Are you planning to run this inside the walls? If so, I'd recommend getting in-wall (CL) rated wire. If not, do you plan to try to hide it in some way - you might want a ribbon-type wire that can be painted and will be less visually obtrusive. Parts Express is a good source for speaker wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Before deciding on using this wire....I would look into pro's and con's of using tinned wire. I personally would not use tinned wire. Product Description Good Performance and Sound Quality for Most Speaker and Audio Equipment Connections Delivers fine quality sound in long runsParallel Conductors, Polarized Bare Copper-Tinned99.99% Pure Oxygen-Free Copper ConductorsClear Flexible PVC JacketBlack Plastic SpoolSpecsConductor 1 = Copper - 41 strandsConductor 2 = Tinned Copper- 41 strandsClear Polyvinylchloride 3.5mm Diameter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 yeah...I just goolged this....tinned wire...bad...is it true...is it not true...why save a buck or two by using it http://www.tanker.se/lidstrom/bswire2.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 http://www.tanker.se/lidstrom/bswire2.htm Interestingly, that site says that tinned copper is not as good as bare copper, but rates it above silver-plated copper, which is rated by most cable companies, at least, as being better than bare copper and is sold at a higher price. Everyone has an opinion.Tinned copper cable has much better corrosion resistance than bare copper and at least one cable dealer claims that the higher resistance of the tin provides a sort of pseudo-Litz effect, actually improving the sound.I've been happily using fine-stranded (735 strands per conductor) tinned 8AWG speaker cable for a couple of years, with two different speaker types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 ""I 've been happily using fine-stranded (735 strands per conductor) tinned8AWG speaker cable for a couple of years, with two different speakertypes."" you could be on to something.....735 strands per conductor vs 41 strands.....8 AWG vs 14 AWG......I think I read somewhere that 8 guage is good for up to 30 amps, that will fire up my amp electric dryer with no problem....so you probally could afford the extra 6% resistance that tinned add's...assuming the resistance value was true "" Tinned copper cable has much better corrosion resistance than barecopper and at least one cable dealer claims that the higher resistanceof the tin provides a sort of pseudo-Litz effect, actually improvingthe sound."" again...you could be on to something here....maybe this skin effect acts like a metal film capacitor ....is it good....is it bad...???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Actually, 8 gauge is good for 40 amps, as my electrician buddy exclaimed when he saw the speaker cable. I could use it to boost my car if I had to. Like everybody else, I'm on a budget, but wire of that size and decent quality, for only $1.65 a foot, let me feel that in at least one area I was not compromising. It sounds good and looks good, and I know it's definitely not reducing the damping factor of the amp to the degree that smaller cable would, plus the twisted pair construction is claimed to reject interference. As for acting as a capacitor, could be. I have no idea. With cables, all sorts of theories and thought experiments pop up, mostly with no clear way to prove or disprove them, other than a "listen-off" among the various contenders. Imagine if a number of people showed up at the Pilgrimage with their favourite speaker cable in hand to try. Then someone would say (maybe me) that you can't really tell in an A/B/X test, you have to live with it for a while, and we'd be back to Square One. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammy77 Posted December 16, 2007 Author Share Posted December 16, 2007 Are you planning to run this inside the walls? If so, I'd recommend getting in-wall (CL) rated wire. If not, do you plan to try to hide it in some way - you might want a ribbon-type wire that can be painted and will be less visually obtrusive. Parts Express is a good source for speaker wire. Why is in-wall rated necessary? Is it a safety issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Has to do with fire code, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Yes, it is fire code related. I agree with staying away from the tinned wire... why mess with a good pair of identical wires? While 8ga is certainly sexy - it is also way overkill for RS-42's. Myself, I run 14ga to my 42's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammy77 Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 Well... I may have spent a little too much, but I bought 100' of 12/2 from Parts Express. It was $72 with shipping... pretty pricy I guess but oh well. It's a done deal now. It's on it's way to my door already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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