What gauge of wire would one recommend for rear speakers -- the wire run will be about 25 feet ?

Thanks

I'd [I do!!!] use 16 gauge lamp cord. Cheap and available everywhere.

But I'm sure the audiophiles will dis that suggestion big time.

I don't plan on getting "Moster" type cables -- I just want a half decent gauge I could buy in a reel at somewhere like Home Depot.

Anyone second the 16 gauge ?

I think mine is the 16 gauge too, works fine! its not lamp cable exactly but no reason why that wouldnt function adequately.. dont get the monster cables!

Oops just checked, its 14.. the white flat stuff that is easy to run along the baseboard..

For long lengths, it's always a good idea to go to a bigger gauge. For 25 to 30 feet, I suggest either 12 or 14 gauge....assuming that your speaker can take it....depending on the type of terminal...either speaker clips (14 gauge is likely the max permitted) or 5 ways (go with 12 gauge...bare or with bananas/spades).

Dave

Originally posted by DavidY For 25 to 30 feet, I suggest either 12 or 14 gauge

This doesn't make sense to me. The wire that's used in the coils inside each speaker element is typically 24 or even 28 guage and is much longer than 25 feet. So any loss in using 16 instead of a heavier gauge will be trivial in comparison.

....assuming that your speaker can take it....depending on the type of terminal...either speaker clips (14 gauge is likely the max permitted) or 5 ways (go with 12 gauge...bare or with bananas/spades).

I always solder the strands at each end, either "as is" if attaching to screw-down posts, or to spade clips or banana plugs as appropriate. Loose connections cause noise. One doesn't need gold-plated stuff as long as the connections are tight and secure.

Originally posted by Chuck What gauge of wire would one recommend for rear speakers -- the wire run will be about 25 feet ? Thanks

Get either Home Depot 12G or pickup some Cat5e cable and make your own(this is what I will be doing).

ht_addict

I use the same as othdawg, 14 gauge flat cable. I am considering paying to have them wired professionnally though so as to not have to see the cable.

Originally posted by bylo This doesn't make sense to me. The wire that's used in the coils inside each speaker element is typically 24 or even 28 guage and is much longer than 25 feet. So any loss in using 16 instead of a heavier gauge will be trivial in comparison.

Just quoting a rule of thumb....there is an explanation for the larger gauge, but I don't know the exact arguments for it. But these arguments seem valid....as a result of that and my own preference, I won't use wire less than 14 gauge for 25 feet plus range.

Dave

Originally posted by bylo This doesn't make sense to me. The wire that's used in the coils inside each speaker element is typically 24 or even 28 guage and is much longer than 25 feet. So any loss in using 16 instead of a heavier gauge will be trivial in comparison.

You can't think of that way! The speaker element relies on a clean signal to deliver clean sound and has nothing to do with how its wired.

You have to treat the speaker like a black box....the internal flaws due to resistance of the coils has already been taken into account when they designed the rest of the speaker around it. They might have decrease the damping rate of the cone to compensate for lack of transient response. For some other speaker technologies like electrostatic speakers, there is very little internal wiring at all since there is no speaker coil.

The manufacturer designed the element to perform a certain way. That is, it should sound and measure a certain way when a clean signal is fed into it.
Adding extra resistance/capacitance/inductance using a long run of thin gauge will basically contaminate the signal and possibly hurt the sound. It won't sound the way it was designed to. The speaker impedance is already low and is sensitive to variations in impedance.

The whole debate whether different cables are audibly different is another topic altogether. Some experts say cabling has an audible effect including those that work in the music industry and listen to music all day long. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, it's best to use good cable if you're serious about sound quality. There's a lot of voodoo science involved in cables, and not much is known about how different factors like cable do affect the sound.

I personally use 12 and 14 gauge wire to my speakers as a minimum. I used 12 gauge for my audiophile quality speakers, and 14 for my less demanding applications. I spent thousands on my sound system, it certainly can't hurt to make sure it gets a nice clean signal. You can just buy the 12 gauge in bulk at Home Depot or some other stores.

Originally posted by DavidY Just quoting a rule of thumb....there is an explanation for the larger gauge, but I don't know the exact arguments for it. But these arguments seem valid....as a result of that and my own preference, I won't use wire less than 14 gauge for 25 feet plus range. Dave

Isn't it the other way around, the lower the gauge number the thicker the cable. Thus a 12 gauge cable is thicker than a 14 gauge cable and the longer the run the thicker the cable should be...

I am moving into a house and they are just working on the basement now, so I wanted to run wiring under the livingroom floor and just poke holes in the floor just below where the rear speakers are going. I think i will look for the 14 gauge wire -- my current rear speaker suck, however I plan on getting my matching PSB's in the near future.

Make sure you don't run the cable near/alongside other electrical cables otherwise you may get humming or interference. You don't want to be picking up that talk radio station through your speaker lines. Using twisted pair (e.g. Cat5) LAN wire might be a good idea if interference becomes a problem.

PSB makes some nice speakers and should benefit from good cabling.

I have Cat5 wire at my work, however doesn't each cable have like 4 or 5 pairs of wires in each and aren't those wire tiny ?

Originally posted by Chuck I have Cat5 wire at my work, however the doesn't each cable have like 4 or 5 pairs of wires in each and aren't those wire tiny ?

I have heard of people making their own "audiophile-grade" (feel freely to comprehend that term any way you wish ) using CAT5 by twisting pairs together (ie. 4 wires for the negative side and 4 wires for the positive side). I tried it, but I couldn't tell the difference between it and lamp cord.