wire gauge

j allen

Okay, I'm not going to mention what kind of wire I'm using, as that leads to a bad, bad place, but I have a wire question. I'm currently using 14 gauge wire for my fronts (app. 6 foot runs) and 18 gauge for my surrounds (app. 25 foot runs). Would it behoove me to go to 12 gauge wire for the surrounds, or will more of the 14 gauge I currently have suffice just fine? I'm going to switch it either way, but I'm unsure of whether the surround runs are long enough to require a bigger wire.

Please assume that the brand and type of wire are irrelevant, and just focus on wire gauge; I don't want this to turn into a hate fest.

You can see my sig if you questions about what sort of equipment I'm currently using.

decal

My opinion,14 ga. will be just fine.I'm sure someone will disagree,but that's fine with me.

PerfectCreature

Basically, longer runs require higher gauge...
I mean just buy a spool of 14 gauge and you should be ok.
Or, if you wanted...you may or may not get better bass response its a toss up just buy 12 and be had with it.Usually only 5-10 more a spool...

John K.

JA, this excellent explanation of speaker wire in general includes a table of suggested gauges that you should study. Your TSi 100s are rated at 8 ohms, so even the present 18ga wire is sufficient for that run. Since you already have more 14ga, you can hook it up if you want, but there's no necessity or real advantage in doing so.

TECHNOKID

IMHO 18 gage is rather small while 12 gage is rather heavy for home audio use. I think you should use 14 gage all around without any issue.

Cheers!
TK

PerfectCreature

I think we all agree then. Just keep your 14, buy a little extra and do your system with it then forget about it and enjoy your music and movies.

j allen

Okay, I'll go with the 14awg option. What's up with that link? I've read that article before, but didn't get much out of it...

My concern was exactly what Keiko said in post #6, that 18awg would introduce resistance to the circuit, thus altering (if not reducing) performance.

Thanks guys!

F1nut

There's a lot more to good audio cable than gauge.

polkfarmboy

I find heavy gauge looks awful on surrounds if your mounting plus its a real pain in the **** to hide along the base board when you have 4

helipilotdoug

polkfarmboy wrote: »

I find heavy gauge looks awful on surrounds if your mounting plus its a real pain in the **** to hide along the base board when you have 4

LOL, I guess it comes down to do I care how it looks, or how it sounds.

K-daugh

BlueFox wrote: »

Let me answer your question with my own experience on this subject.

At the time, my HT consisted of 4 LSi15s and an LSiC. The amp is on the side wall between the front and rear left speaker. This made the cable runs 7’ to the front and rear left, 9 feet to the center, and 18 feet to the front and rear right speaker.

At the time I was only using the AVR for power, and it was a Sony STR-DA7100ES (dgital amp 175W/ch). The speaker wire was a mixture of 14-16 gauge generic (clear insulation, twisted copper) speaker wire.

did the different length of runs make a difference in sound...... because my future set-up will be similar ....also did the 14gauge sound different than the 16....when used together???

K-daugh

sorry i was trying to qoute blue fox but have realized i am a complete dumb dumb

K-daugh

my question still stands though

TECHNOKID

j allen wrote: »

Okay, I'm not going to mention what kind of wire I'm using, as that leads to a bad, bad place, but I have a wire question. I'm currently using 14 gauge wire for my fronts (app. 6 foot runs) and 18 gauge for my surrounds (app. 25 foot runs). Would it behoove me to go to 12 gauge wire for the surrounds, or will more of the 14 gauge I currently have suffice just fine? I'm going to switch it either way, but I'm unsure of whether the surround runs are long enough to require a bigger wire.

Please assume that the brand and type of wire are irrelevant, and just focus on wire gauge; I don't want this to turn into a hate fest.

You can see my sig if you questions about what sort of equipment I'm currently using.

Quoting the OP, he was clear the question is about wire gage NOT a debate on esoteric cables and the GOOD LOOKS so let's stay on topic please

K-daugh

question for blue fox.......well lets just say im running all twelve gauge ....should the front three channel all be the same length....wll this affect sound if lengths are different.....same question for rear channels...should the lengths be the same length amongst the front ...and should they be the same amongst the rears????thanks pal:D:cool:

TECHNOKID

Technically all cables should be the same lenght but we are talking home audio and in most cases the the legnth are quite insignificant and will not make really audible difference. Personnally I keep all wires the same gage and lenghts. The only draw back to this is if you have cables looped which can cause other issues.

K-daugh

i would honestly like a proffesionals opinion .....honestly guys who wire up ht systems every day for a living .....do they wire custom lengths for each speaker....especially with in-wall set ups......or do they make all lengths the same?????it doesn't seem vry cost effective to run all wires the same length.....

K-daugh

i believe mantis is a pro????

K-daugh

thanks .....thats the answer i was looking for ......yes my avr has adjustment for speaker distances .....and no i can't hear a nanosecond difference....lol .....i will cut custom lengths to fit each speaker....:)

comfortablycurt

John K. wrote: »

JA, this excellent explanation of speaker wire in general includes a table of suggested gauges that you should study. Your TSi 100s are rated at 8 ohms, so even the present 18ga wire is sufficient for that run. Since you already have more 14ga, you can hook it up if you want, but there's no necessity or real advantage in doing so.

Ahh...the good ole Troll Bible...Roger Russel is like a god to some people apparently. He has an article on the internet, so he MUST know what he's talking about. I haven't seen that nonsense article get posted on here for a while.:rolleyes:

I've heard differences in cables in MY rig with MY ears. According to a lot of people though, I haven't really. I'm just imagining it. Never mind that I've changed my cabling, and had friends over...and without even mentioning that I changed anything in my rig, they've asked me "did you get something new? your stereo sounds better than it used to! The bass output seems stronger!!" I guess my friends must have gotten a "contact placebo affect" just from being in the same room as my "snake oil" cables...regardless of whether or not they knew they were even there.

Judge with YOUR OWN ears. Some people's hearing isn't good enough to detect the differences in cables apparently...and these people are upset I suppose. That's why they try to rally against us people who can.;) Personally, I'm really glad that I can hear the differences in cables. My AQ's have made a very pleasing difference in my rigs sound, and they made for a very cheap and VERY effective upgrade.:) Contrary to what some of these people say...you don't have to spend $500-1000 to get a set of high end cables, despite how much they like to throw those figures around. Between all of my speaker cables and IC's in my 2 channel rig...I have less than $300 invested in cabling. This includes two pairs of speaker cables, and about 6 pairs of IC's.




To the OP-You'll be fine with 14 gauge. That's what I've always used for my surrounds, which are about 30' runs. They made for an EXCELLENT improvement over the cheapo 20 gauge I was using before.

K-daugh

Has anyone tried Romex 15 amp electrical wire .......its probably about 12 -14 gauge solid copper .....in-wall rated ....and carries about the same shielding as your basic in-wall speaker wire ......
Yes this is a serious question

PerfectCreature

I can agree with the AQ cables, I have about $200 in my cables and everything audio related is AQ, it sounds so much better than before. Mainly it is clear, and well defined.
I mean really for now though, pick up a spool of 14 and then as budget allows buy better wire. That is what I did and it worked out perfect.

WilliamM2

K-daugh wrote: »

Has anyone tried Romex 15 amp electrical wire .......its probably about 12 -14 gauge solid copper .....in-wall rated ....and carries about the same shielding as your basic in-wall speaker wire ......
Yes this is a serious question

By code, 14 gauge Romex is rated for 15 amp, 12 gauge for 20 amp. Neither has any shielding, just insulation. It would work fine, but it's a pain to work with, very stiff.

TECHNOKID

WilliamM2 wrote: »

By code, 14 gauge Romex is rated for 15 amp, 12 gauge for 20 amp. Neither has any shielding, just insulation. It would work fine, but it's a pain to work with, very stiff.

Exactly, I agree with you on all points.

TECHNOKID

You are forgetting that any decent AVR allows you to adjust each speaker level to the same SPL. This easily compensates for any cable length variants, and I seriously doubt if you, or anyone else, can hear the micro-pico-second delay between 8’ and 16’.

That was exatly my point previously... While I have technical training and years of experience, I figure you don't need to be a proffessional installer or even have much schooling to realize that, right (the comments are not pointing at the QP)?

comfortablycurt;1361599]Ahh...the good ole Troll Bible...Roger Russel is like a god to some people apparently. He has an article on the internet, so he MUST know what he's talking about. I haven't seen that nonsense article get posted on here for a while.:rolleyes:

Sorry Curt but IMHO, for esoteric-exotic followers it may seem that way however, for the few that may have a little electronic background (schooling I mean, not toying and experimenting WK) this article does makes sense since it goes along with the laws of electronics.

Judge with YOUR OWN ears. Some people's hearing isn't good enough to detect the differences in cables apparently...and these people are upset I suppose.

I'll agree with you that some hearing abilities are a must in order to properly calibrate audio but this is also subjedtive and the brain more than the actual hearing is at play here much more than the actual hearing if you get my drift :rolleyes:

That's why they try to rally against us people who can.;) Personally, I'm really glad that I can hear the differences in cables.

I found quite the opposite, the esoteric believer rallying and ridiculing people that came in the discussion with just a tad of common sense. As far as I am concerned, the more esoteric believers and buyers the merrier since they are the targetted people for mass profit which leads for much more friendlier pricing on the actual real important gear :cool:

To the OP-You'll be fine with 14 gauge. That's what I've always used for my surrounds, which are about 30' runs. They made for an EXCELLENT improvement over the cheapo 20 gauge I was using before.

Now, you finally provide an answer to what the OP was asking not counting he was clear about NOT getting into cable debate. You and some actually derailed the OP, ignoring is request for cable debate and again tried to take a shot against people that don't share your personal beliefs. Faith is NOT imposed, simply shared and proposed Keep in mind that NO NON believer tried to go into cable debates but simply replied to the OP legitimate question, so who actually is bullying and riduculing here?

I sure hope that the OP got his answers even if is request was ignored, his thread trolled and highjacked

If people could simply learn to get involved in the threads they actually can get along with and limit the info provided to what the actual OP has requested for instead of ridiculing or trying to impose their own views. I've seen the babble on cable and what it can do, I learned to stay away out of what I don't agree with out of respect for the believers, I just wish the participants of cable religions could do the same, especially when requested in the OP. I guess it is too hard for some to be asked.

Cheers!
TK

heiney9

TECHNOKID wrote: »

That was exatly my point previously... While I have technical training and years of experience, I figure you don't need to be a proffessional installer or even have much schooling to realize that, right (the comments are not pointing at the QP)?

Sorry Curt but IMHO, for esoteric-exotic followers it may seem that way however, for the few that may have a little electronic background (schooling I mean, not toying and experimenting WK) this article does makes sense since it goes along with the laws of electronics.

I'll agree with you that some hearing abilities are a must in order to properly calibrate audio but this is also subjedtive and the brain more than the actual hearing is at play here much more than the actual hearing if you get my drift :rolleyes: I found quite the opposite, the esoteric believer rallying and ridiculing people that came in the discussion with just a tad of common sense. As far as I am concerned, the more esoteric believers and buyers the merrier since they are the targetted people for mass profit which leads for much more friendlier pricing on the actual real important gear :cool:

Now, you finally provide an answer to what the OP was asking not counting he was clear about NOT getting into cable debate. You and some actually derailed the OP, ignoring is request for cable debate and again tried to take a shot against people that don't share your personal beliefs. Faith is NOT imposed, simply shared and proposed Keep in mind that NO NON believer tried to go into cable debates but simply replied to the OP legitimate question, so who actually is bullying and riduculing here?

I sure hope that the OP got his answers even if is request was ignored, his thread trolled and highjacked

If people could simply learn to get involved in the threads they actually can get along with and limit the info provided to what the actual OP has requested for instead of ridiculing or trying to impose their own views. I've seen the babble on cable and what it can do, I learned to stay away out of what I don't agree with out of respect for the believers, I just wish the participants of cable religions could do the same, especially when requested in the OP. I guess it is too hard for some to be asked.

Cheers!
TK

Pot, Kettle, Black (Red letters). Funny how your type preach this but never, ever follow your own advice. Just give him an answer, the rhetoric is not needed. You are not the Savior of all things cable.

H9

kevhed72

Just go with 12 AWG and be done. This is more than adequate.
Another option - go with higher-end speaker cables for the fronts and center for a better, more 'musical' sound for even HT use, and use the standard 12 AWG for the surrounds only. There is really no need to go above standard cable for the surrounds. IMO.

Timobi

Will the 12AWG copper wire from monoprice fit my RTi4 and CSi5 Center?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023901&p_id=2789&seq=1&format=2

Think it will but don't want to use banana plugs. Thanks!

Tour2ma

Yes... 12 AWG wire is roughly 1/12th of an inch in diameter.

Now let us pray that this thread quietly sinks back into the depths from which you pulled it...