Optimal Speaker Wire Gauge

I have a pair of SDA-1Cs coming in from Maryland to replace my 2Bs. And for some reason, for the 25+ years I've had them, I never questioned the gauge of the speaker wire used with the 2Bs. What I got originally was Monster Cable with 4 copper wire bundles per length of cable, using two strands twisted together per each + and - . I'm using the same cable now and no matter how hard I try, I can't see the gauge, though it appears in the 12-16 gauge range.
My question is: what gauge should I be using for an optimal setup? Wire lengths are going to be 6-8 feet. Running 165W @ 6 ohms.
Thanks.
My question is: what gauge should I be using for an optimal setup? Wire lengths are going to be 6-8 feet. Running 165W @ 6 ohms.
Thanks.
Polk SDA-1Cs
Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080
Yamaha M-80
Yamaha CD-S1000
Sony UBP-X800M2
Technics SL-1400
PS Audio Dectet
AudioQuest Red River ICs Yamaha<->Yamaha
WAudio PCs
RapcoHorizon High Def High 413-Strand 10AWG Speaker Cable
Auralex Isolation Pads
Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080
Yamaha M-80
Yamaha CD-S1000
Sony UBP-X800M2
Technics SL-1400
PS Audio Dectet
AudioQuest Red River ICs Yamaha<->Yamaha
WAudio PCs
RapcoHorizon High Def High 413-Strand 10AWG Speaker Cable
Auralex Isolation Pads
Answers
Well that is going to be different for everyone. The wire you have now should be sufficient, does it worry you? Can you see green corrosion inside the cable?
Once one gets past generic speaker cable one realizes gauge is much less of a factor than some make it out to be.
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
And truly 0 gauge is the only way to go, if you are not using shears to cut it, it's not good enough
"No, that's silly talk. Dude, you can't possibly be this audio dumb so quit the act." - Doro
There, fixed that for you.
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
Left channel positive lead....
That banana plug will need to articulate.... some
🤓
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
hmmm... acceptable for supertweeter use, I'd opine...
... and I certainly prefer my banana plugs -- like my life partners -- articulate.
... and I certainly prefer my banana plugs -- like my life partners -- articulate.
PS: theoretically insulation is important so maybe 4th on the list, with low dielectric insulations like polyethylene or teflon foams preferred. I haven't done any comparisons of wires with crappy PVC insulation with these so I am going on theory or faith here.
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080
Yamaha M-80
Yamaha CD-S1000
Sony UBP-X800M2
Technics SL-1400
PS Audio Dectet
AudioQuest Red River ICs Yamaha<->Yamaha
WAudio PCs
RapcoHorizon High Def High 413-Strand 10AWG Speaker Cable
Auralex Isolation Pads
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
I disabled, I am the South Carolina woman who gouged her eyes out on meth.
Naah -- those suck the life out of the sonics.
Ha...we used to pull that old cable out of the ground by hundreds of feet. Slice it up with a stihl saw in 3 foot sections. Then steal a shopping cart, fill it with the wire, poor gas on it....the rubber coatings drip through the cart and your left with a nice haul of copper for the scrap yard. Kept the new guys busy and out of our hair.
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's
post a pic please? I knew someone that had something like what you describe. I think you have a double run of 10 gauge = 7 ga.
If your speakers are a genuine 6 ohm load, minimum 10 ga - but that’s my experience from my days* messing w/a pair of 3.2 ohm subs.
*nearly 30 years ago
Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro
Samsung BDP, Dish Rcvr, Xbox, Phillips CD chgr
Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; CC outside
BJC 10 ga - LCR mids, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline - LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered
LR: tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; M&T - 981
CC: Rotel RB985 -> tri-amped CSi A6
5 Audio Pro Subs: 1 B1.39: an Evidence at each corner
Surrounds: Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3
Power Conditioning & Distribution:
3 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 4 Furman Miniport 20s
http://www.bcae1.com/dampfact.htm
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
https://products.electrovoice.com/na/en/cableloss/
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
I won’t argue well “engineered” cables will improve imaging, “remove the veil,” etc, etc.
The links below describes my recent* and not so recent** experience w/what I like to call reducing Connection Resistance (CR) - cable gauge increases, bigger binding posts, soldering where practical. All the while, one change at a time, one channel at a time to allow comparison. Each time I changed/reduced the CR, I experienced a volume increase and more percussive bass. Same held true for my center channel
The first link ends near “the end of a long road” of modding my RTi A7s. You’ll see 2 links to earlier RTi A7 threads. I still have a few but important mods that include better cabling to the tweets & mids (for another day)
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/174880/tri-amped-rti-a7#latest*
(sorry for the length, ignore the last 4-5 replies)
This link you’ll read some theories but no refutations of my conclusion: lower impedance systems prefer bigger cables or bi-wiring if easy to do.
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/172939/why-did-my-subs-get-louder#latest**
About 10 years ago on this forum you would always find people ARGUING over internal rewiring speakers. The nay sayers, though not one tried it, would claim “...a waste of time.” I always weighed in w/ my “one channel at a time” story from about 1981 concluding w/ “...explain to us why...” causing them to tuck tail and run.
So... like the Hot Rod adage: “no replacement for displacement.” Or, no amount of cable “engineering*” can get around the reduced CR of larger cables, etc.
*assuming equally finely stranded OFC of the same gauge.
Y’all are entitled to your opinions but I stand behind the above. I’ll wait behind a shield for the tomatoes
Tony
Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro
Samsung BDP, Dish Rcvr, Xbox, Phillips CD chgr
Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; CC outside
BJC 10 ga - LCR mids, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline - LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered
LR: tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; M&T - 981
CC: Rotel RB985 -> tri-amped CSi A6
5 Audio Pro Subs: 1 B1.39: an Evidence at each corner
Surrounds: Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3
Power Conditioning & Distribution:
3 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 4 Furman Miniport 20s
Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro
Samsung BDP, Dish Rcvr, Xbox, Phillips CD chgr
Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; CC outside
BJC 10 ga - LCR mids, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline - LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered
LR: tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; M&T - 981
CC: Rotel RB985 -> tri-amped CSi A6
5 Audio Pro Subs: 1 B1.39: an Evidence at each corner
Surrounds: Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3
Power Conditioning & Distribution:
3 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 4 Furman Miniport 20s
I too have experienced volume increases and punchier tighter base with gauge increase and attention to contact resistances. I also favor silver platelet grease, used very sparingly on removable contacts. It fills in the gaps on a molecular level and increases conductivity.
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
So, considering that and all other criteria being equal, dare I try a larger gauge? Rather than run the length of each cable looking for questionable areas, I was going to change the cables anyway.
Whaddaya think guys?
Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080
Yamaha M-80
Yamaha CD-S1000
Sony UBP-X800M2
Technics SL-1400
PS Audio Dectet
AudioQuest Red River ICs Yamaha<->Yamaha
WAudio PCs
RapcoHorizon High Def High 413-Strand 10AWG Speaker Cable
Auralex Isolation Pads
Polk 7B main speakers, most mods comp. (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Crown D150 amp
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
I think you should buy some real speaker cable.
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
That *was* real speaker cable (Monster) circa 1995 and that's the point of my thread. I plan to replace this cable and I'm trying to at least replicate the gauge, as I'm pleased with the sound that I get, but while I'm at it, can I do better?
Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080
Yamaha M-80
Yamaha CD-S1000
Sony UBP-X800M2
Technics SL-1400
PS Audio Dectet
AudioQuest Red River ICs Yamaha<->Yamaha
WAudio PCs
RapcoHorizon High Def High 413-Strand 10AWG Speaker Cable
Auralex Isolation Pads