In wall speaker cable?

jaritta
jaritta Posts: 277
edited February 2011 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
Hey guys, hopefully this thread will die quickly, but here it goes.

I am finishing a basement and installing a theater room, My question is about speaker wire.

My plan is to go with 14awg wire that isnt rated for in wall installation....well when doing some research i stumbled accrost 12awg stuff that is jacketed with the wire inside kind of like power wire that is jacketed..... and rated for in wall installation, obvously i am running these behind the wall. Do i actually need the wire rated for in wall use or will the 2strand non jacketed work?

Here is the link to monoprice incase i was unclear on the white jacketed in wall rated wire.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239
Harman kardon signature 2.1 amp
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Comments

  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited February 2011
    You should use what your local electrical code requires in your state, which I bet is in wall rated only. Don't create a potential hazard just to save a couple bucks. Sure would avoid the insurance denial if something happened.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited February 2011
    Just curious, but why is speaker wire rated for in wall use? I would assume it has to do with fire, but I'm not sure why. How often does speaker wire outside the wall catch on fire? Or start fires?
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
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  • jaritta
    jaritta Posts: 277
    edited February 2011
    I was wondering more for interferance, and performance reasons....My dad is an electrician so I will ask him on the code...but i was wondering about performance and interferance with power cables.
    Harman kardon signature 2.1 amp
    Denon 3312
    Epson 8700ub
    Chief mount
    Screen Innovations Performance Series 110in
    Kef q 500 (RL)
    Kef q 200 (C)
    Kef q 800 (Rear RL)
    REL T7 (SUB)
    mx 450 remote
    Sonos-Amp, Connect, Play5
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,201
    edited February 2011
    Use CL3 rated in wall speaker wire , As far as interference rule is 6 inches away from electrical wires and if you have to cross one , do it at 90 degrees. Do not run parallel any closer then 6 inches.

    14awg is fine for most runs and system under 50 feet.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • John K.
    John K. Posts: 822
    edited February 2011
    Fox, here's a Blue Jeans article that discusses it at some length. Yes, it has to do with fire, but with low-voltage speaker wire, it's not about starting one. If a fire is present the PVC(polyvinyl chloride)jacket on typical speaker wire will break down and release noxious fumes dangerous to humans, so an outer jacket which is more resistant to this occurring is required in certain types of installations, especially multi-family dwellings and commercial buildings.
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