Speaker Wire Guage

busdriver850

Is it ok to run two different guage wires. Will running 14 gauge wire to my rears and 16 gauge wire to my fronts be a problem. I understand the lengths have to be the same but what about the guage ?

verb

busdriver850 wrote: »

Is it ok to run two different guage wires. Will running 14 gauge wire to my rears and 16 gauge wire to my fronts be a problem. I understand the lengths have to be the same but what about the guage ?

Hey busdriver - welcome! Tell us a bit about your system. Technically it should work, IMO, but others here might encourage you to make em common, in fact up the speaker wire game a bit.

Lot's of info here on the benefits of good quality speaker cables! I went down that road a while ago, and glad I did!

Let us know!

BlueFox

Sure, it will work. However, it's best to have good habits right from the start, so don't go smaller than 12 gauge for speaker wire. Assuming you are using regular wiring for the speakers. You can get some esoteric wire that is smaller, but it costs more.

busdriver850

I don't have anything really fancy. Just a basic setup. Onkyo TX-NR585 reciever, Polk Audio 70 Series 2 fronts , Polk Audio CsiA4 center and Polk Audio R150 bookshelf speakers for surrounds. I wanted to try bi wiring my front speakers to see if there was any difference and I'm not sure if I'll have enough 14 gauge to do it all. Haven't gotten a sub yet. That's next 👍

delkal

Like others have said.......It is a good idea to use the same gauge wire but for now basically anything will work. Especially if you are now using basic lamp cord. For home theater when you start upgrading focus on your front and centers since that is the most important and where most of your sound comes from. I am sure others will disagree but its hard to justify spending a lot for expensive cables to power 2 rear satellite speakers that don't do much. You can do more focusing on the front.

For now I would save your money and get a subwoofer. Get your basic system up before you start upgrading. Same with biwiring. For now just remove the brass plate and jump the connection with the thickest wire you have.

VR3

For ht, meh

My center and mains are sharing a single 13 gauge ground, since the receiver has a common ground.

Would bet real money you could never tell the difference 🤑

tonyb

I'd put the larger gauge wire on the fronts, smaller gauge on the rears.

busdriver850

Well I had enough wire to go 14 gauge all around. I did bi wire my fronts. Like anything you look up on the internet , you kind find tons of arguments for our against it . So I'll take a couple days and try it out. Either I wasted my time and money or I'll hear a difference. At least I'll know either way.

tonyp063

busdriver850 wrote: »

.......So I'll take a couple days and try it out. Either I wasted my time and money or I'll hear a difference. At least I'll know either way.

^^^^^^^
This.
One of the many important things preached on this forum.

"Try it & see. My ears aren't your ears"

verb

busdriver850 wrote: »

Well I had enough wire to go 14 gauge all around. I did bi wire my fronts. Like anything you look up on the internet , you kind find tons of arguments for our against it . So I'll take a couple days and try it out. Either I wasted my time and money or I'll hear a difference. At least I'll know either way.

Keep us posted!

busdriver850

Well first thing I've realized is I bi amped my speakers not bi wired. Two different things lol. I'm new to this.
I have to say I'm happy with the results. I can hear a difference. Now it's not mind blowing but the highs and vocals seem to be a little crisper if that makes sense. Also seems to depend on the music. Heavy music like Five Finger Death Punch dosent really sound any different. . Where I notice the difference is with lighter music . Bohemian Rhapsody is a song I like to use to check sound quality and I have to say it sounds better. It sounded good before but I hear the difference 😊
Haven't watched a movie yet but hoping for a little more clarity there too.

pitdogg2

what amps and active crossover are you using?

busdriver850

I don't have any fancy equipment. Just an Onkyo TX-NR585 reciever. I don't have a sub yet. Crossover is just for that isn't it ? It does have equalizer setting for every channel but I have no idea what to do with that lol. This stuff is all new to me 😁

pitdogg2

You're not "bi-amping". Marketing will lead you to believe that you are but you're not.

busdriver850

So what am I actually doing. Am I just redistributing power ?

rooftop59

busdriver850 wrote: »

So what am I actually doing. Am I just redistributing power ?

Your receiver has a single power supply that can feed up to X number of channels. Let’s say it can do 90 wpc into 2 channels (which is probably optimistic for that little guy). 5 channels drive, the power drops at least to half, often lower and then down to 30-40 wpc at 7 channels driven. Don’t believe me? Find a review for a comparable entry level receiver on sound and vision and see the numbers for yourself. So, you are not increasing the power to your mains, just using an extra run of cable. But hey, if you like the way if sounds then that’s all that matters.

delkal

busdriver850 wrote: »

So what am I actually doing. Am I just redistributing power ?

You can only get so much power from one transformer so hooking up more channels doesn't get you anything extra. But that is at max power and normal listening levels are much lower.

And more power doesn't correlate with improved sound. So who cares why it works (or what you call it). If you can hear a difference that is all that matters.

You are probably doing something similar to Bi wiring but instead of just the cables transmitting the highs and lows separately from one channel you are getting the highs and lows separately from two different channels. Not everyone agrees why (or even if) biwiring works. But if it does work there is no reason to believe your setup wouldn't work just as good. Maybe even better since the individual channels don't have to transmit the full audio spectra.

busdriver850

Think it's 80wpc with 2 channels driven. So when I put on a Blu Ray in 5.1 It's now only about 30 or 40wpc ? Its still sounds good. Enough volume to feel the couch vibrating during action scenes in movies. I'm sitting about 11 feet from the fronts.

rooftop59

busdriver850 wrote: »

Think it's 80wpc with 2 channels driven. So when I put on a Blu Ray in 5.1 It's now only about 30 or 40wpc ? Its still sounds good. Enough volume to feel the couch vibrating during action scenes in movies. I'm sitting about 11 feet from the fronts.

Correct. That is all channels driven simultaneously at the same power, which is pretty much NEVER going to happen in everyday use. So yes, if you have a smaller room, efficient speakers, and are redirecting the bass to a sub, its enough power to have fun. However, you would notice a BIG jump is clarity, dynamics, soundstage, and tightness of the bass if you get some real current behind the speakers. But for now, ignorance is bliss!

The larger point is the "bi-amping" from a receiver isn't bi-amping at all. It's just using two runs of cable instead of one and essentially getting the same power...

pitdogg2

rooftop59 wrote: »

The larger point is the "bi-amping" from a receiver isn't bi-amping at all. It's just using two runs of cable instead of one and essentially getting the same power...

BINGO. Tweeters are only going to get a fraction of it anyway since it is going through the speaker crossover. Use a small piece of the cable you are using to jump from top to bottom and just run one cable to the speaker if you like.

busdriver850

Thanks guys. I was always a little confused about the watt thing. My front speakers say they can handle 275 watts. So even though I find them loud now , with a more powerful amp they would be louder and clearer or just clearer ?

pitdogg2

busdriver850 wrote: »

Thanks guys. I was always a little confused about the watt thing. My front speakers say they can handle 275 watts. So even though I find them loud now , with a more powerful amp they would be louder and clearer or just clearer ?

It's not all about watts, current delivery also plays a big part. It can get very confusing for sure. It's easier to cook drivers being under powered than it is to have TOO much power. A clipping amp or receiver will toast things rather quickly.

busdriver850

The TX-NR585 is a 7x 80-watt-per-channel receiver with an exhaustive list of features, 

That's from the Cnet review. So isnt it always putting out 80 watts per channel even in 5.1 ?

pitdogg2

busdriver850 wrote: »

The TX-NR585 is a 7x 80-watt-per-channel receiver with an exhaustive list of features, 

That's from the Cnet review. So isnt it always putting out 80 watts per channel even in 5.1 ?

NO.

most of the time they do the test at 1khz which is only a tiny part of the sound spectrum. Even if it were 80 x 7 @ 20hz to 20khz it could be down to 30-40 wpc with all speakers driven. 99.9999% of the time that spec ONLY applies to 2 channels being driven.

Power supplies are a very expensive part of the unit and the first area they cut corners. "exhaustive" features really only play a smell part of the picture.

busdriver850

Lol so confusing. Like someone else said. Ignorance is bliss. I have fun with it watching movies. Getting a sub in a couple weeks can't wait.

pitdogg2

busdriver850 wrote: »

Lol so confusing. Like someone else said. Ignorance is bliss. I have fun with it watching movies. Getting a sub in a couple weeks can't wait.

That will help take some pressure off the receiver for sure. Just be sure to run your room correction software and move the speaker cut off to 80hz so the sub can take over the low frequencies.

A receiver is a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Enjoy the movies and what you have just do not try to make it do more than it can, that is where you get into trouble cooking tweeters and resisters.

mrloren

Here is how I put it to make bi-amp easy to understand.

a garden hose will allow so much water to flow. Hook on as many "T" connectors as you want but the same amount of water will come out. your AVR power supply works the same way there is only so much power there.

Get some decent 12AWG speaker wire, either Amazon Basics or Monoprice. Use some for jumpers on your speakers removing that brass POS jumper.

Watt's don't let that fool you. in car terms Watts = HP, Current = torque. as with a car you need both for great performance.

Mr. Sharpe

I use 12 for my center and I have 10 for my front RTA 12's:-)

Skies the limit