Surrounds wire

VinnyP61 · May 2002

was wondering what gauge of speaker wire I shouls use with my Polkf/x300I running with denonon 3801 about 20 feet both dir thanks

VinnyP61 · May 2002

sorry for the bad speeling.

juice21 · May 2002

i run monster cable s14-2cl 14AWG to my surrounds and back surrounds from a 3801, and it works great! THX certified for up to 60ft. runs for surrounds.

RuSsMaN · May 2002

Juice made a good choice, depending on your budget, any decent cord, 16awg or better will work like a charm.

Cheers,
Russ

Ron-P · May 2002

14ga. here.

Peace Out~:D

elsid88 · May 2002

12awg for me.

Bought the 12awg spool from hell from Home Depot. 12awg for all my Polks. Have up to 45ft runs and I'm quite happy.

Remember, it's always how you like it. Most of us will never hear what you hear.

Good luck.:)

cgravil · May 2002

Personally I use the monster xp "flat" wire 16 guage and able to be painted ... I have a run of approx 30Ft and they sound execellent. I don't spend the money on Monster wires for connecting components, I use AR instead, as there is no difference in the wires themselves <that I could see... I saw SEVERAL of them cut open for display at HH Greg>, just in $$$ tag.

Clay

mantis · May 2002

For the receiver you own and the speaker's running off of it, 16gauge is min and 14 is max.No sonic benifit you you gain with larger wire, the speaker's will most likely be ran in small, no problems there.
Monstercables makes great inwall wire. the 14-2 the guy above uses is fantastic wire.I sounds real good.

jeberhart · May 2002

I'm with cgravil: monster xp flat 16 guage is all you need. I run bigger stuff on the front L/Rs, but with surrounds I just don't see the point of spending the extra money. Even with what I'm using on my surrounds and the remote speakers I have in another room, I think it cost me close to $200 to wire everything, but then I'm running 10 speakers in my main room and 2 speakers in an upstairs room of the house. Ridiculous...

dbournival · May 2002

I have two systems, one with 14-2 inwall monster cable, the other with 12-2 inwall from Home Depot ( Carol is the brand name, they have 14-2 & 16-2 also ) can't say there is a difference except the Home Depot was about 1/4 the price... Anything better the 16AWG should work.

mantis · May 2002

did you test Monster 14-2 vs. the Home Depot wire???and found no difference???Strange. So it sounded the same uh????

RuSsMaN · May 2002

Monster offers good products, at reasonable prices. I'm not knocking any monster gear, BUT, If I ran a double-blind-test with 14/2 monster, and 14/2 lamp cord......You might actually choose the lamp cord......

Cheers,
Russ

joe logston · May 2002

i run 12g monter flat white the paint able becuase of long lenths and i run it under the carpet. i could have went cheaper. it was $1.50 a foot. mybe i got robed.

mantis · May 2002

I dissagree with the lamp cord,
I tested the **** out of wire all my life.Lamp cord sounds harsh and tingy.Monstercable even bulk 14-2 has a warm natural sound to it.I personally think Monster makes some of the best sounding wire even slightly above its cost.Monster can't compete with Transparent in no way shape or form, but up against the others in it price class ans slighty above can really shine.
I'm suprised you said that Russ.
Then again if you like bright sounding cable, then you might pick the lamp cord.

RuSsMaN · May 2002

That's fine, you have your opinion, I have mine. Do you have any hard data to show that monster is better than bulk wire, or that transparent is better than monster? That's all I ask for, from anyone regarding speaker cable. If you simply 'hear' a difference, I can accept that for what its worth.

Cheers,
Russ

I'll leave it at this, and not meant cocky, or mean, just discussing......but I do not care to get into a ****-storm wire debate.....

Aaron · May 2002

I do not care to get into a ****-storm wire debate.....

If your **** is half as nasty as your farts, I wouldn't either!

Aaron

RuSsMaN · May 2002

man, my **** is like a trumpet today. Dizzy got NOTHING on me man, NOTHING.

Every 15 minutes, like clockwork..BRRRRAAAAAANNNNNTTT

Cheers,
Russ

nascarmann · May 2002

Monster offers good products, at reasonable prices. I'm not knocking any monster gear, BUT, If I ran a double-blind-test with 14/2 monster, and 14/2 lamp cord......You might actually choose the lamp cord......

I have not done years of testing and testing, but I will aggree with Russ on this one. This is not to say he or I am right, but I feel we try to make tooooo much out of this wire thing? 50 strand, 300 strand? Oxygen free? Copper? Silver? Gold? Does this really make a difference to our ears? Well, maybe it does, I don't know for sure? It's something "MY EARS" have a hard time hearing. OK, maybe my ears don't here it but it does make a difference? So, how much is something worth that makes sooo little difference in sound? ****, I dunno? For me, just a 12 awg wire with 50 strands is plenty good enough! If I had lots of money, I would buy this high dollar wire and coax and these 15G speakers and 20G amps and not care? But speaking for myself, if you can't "REALLY HERE IT", then what's the point? This is only MO, and by no means do I feel my say is the absolute, it is only what is right for me?

TroyD · May 2002

I'm right there with you man.....

the "placebo effect" with wire I think gets a wee bit exaggerated in a lot of cases...

I honestly don't note much of a telling difference between the monster XP, AR 16awg and Home Depot wire that I have in various places....

Troy

TroyD · May 2002

I was just thinking....and I am not trying to start anything.....but according to Mantis's reasoning....Polks are midfi speaks that are not neccessarily worthy of separates. If you go along with that line of reasoning, would you really be able to detect a difference in speaker wire??

BDT

johnnyamerika · May 2002

Regarding identical AWG wire, i.e. comparing Monster 14 to Lamp Cord 14, I don't think there's any difference at all.

What you're dealing with is oxygen-free, bound copper wire in either situation....how can the properties of Monster's copper wire differ so much from the lamp cord that it changes the way signals are percieved?!?

Move up to specialty wires, audiophile grade, and there may be a sonic difference...but how much? Take a look at a wire manufacturer's site. Rarely, if ever, do you see any technical data that backs up their writen propaganda. Show me an unbaised SPL chart from 20 to 25000Hz and we'll see.

I have heard a difference going between AWG, i.e. 16 to 14. Other than that, I agree with Russ and the like.

Nevertheless, I have Monster XP 14 AWG on my system? Why, the one major difference between monster and lamp cord is it's more attractive, and the tubing build is thicker and better. Plus at 60 cents a foot, what's the big deal?

Over and out.

mantis · May 2002

TroyD,
you are correct with that statement about the Polk's.I do feel that way to an extent.The rt line yes all day long the lsi and older lines of the past No I don't.

But thats not the case here, its wire.If you can't hear a Difference......then don't buy it.
Why but better amp's......can you hear a difference or is it the seperate thing your wrapped up in.Everybody talks about you need power amps to sound good.....right????
why buy the better interconnect when your gear comes with patch cords?Lamp cord , patch cords...all good ...right??

Speakers.........same thing.klh gets the job done......right you can hear it???

Ok enough with that.........here's my point.....(IF I even have one)

I personally have tested wire out my butt hole.I can hear d ifference even on Polk's with different kinds of wire.I think the brand isn't whats inportant...its what are you looking for in a wire to do???you start out with some cheap lamp cord and listen to what you know well.The change it out for some other kind of wire.Now something's different..is it better or worse???I don't know...so you try yeat another kind,and then another.......now you start learning what wire can and can not do.Sonically it makes as much of a difference as most source gear does.Almost as much as a better amp.
But sometimes it hinder's your sound and makes it sound terrible.

Here's the end of this or the short.............every componet weather it be a amp,speaker,interconnect,speaker cable,speaker,source,it's all important,none more than the other.
Debate this point........digital signal out of a cd player,can you hear a difference out of a cheap cd player and a higher quality cd player????well??? how about one amp to another???

mantis · May 2002

I'm not done...............................................

lets talk more about wire..............

WIRE WIRE WIRE.

If wire isn't important to you guys..WHY TALK ABOUT IT?????
You look for answers?Tech babble?who cares?????
Home Depot......THE WIRE SPECIALIST!!!!KING OF ALL QUALITY SOUND.
I think I will run right out....throw away all my Monster and Transparent and Straight wire I own and get HOME DEPOT WIRE.
While i'm ther i will get some romex...thats wire....sounds great.......why not use that.

Another point why waste it on thick wire????????????Thin is in.......sexy right??????thin?????12 gauge, what are you trying to do???sound better than 14???are looking cool????
Be the Judge!

RuSsMaN · May 2002

What the hell are you saying Mantis? Is it ok for a few of us to NOT see things your way on this topic?

Calm down, and go edit that post so we can make some sense of it.

Cheers,
Russ

hoosier21 · May 2002

Maybe some of the problem is Mantis was testing the wire out of his butt hole OUCH

One time at band camp...

Please take this as a joke

TroyD · May 2002

All I was asking is for some clarification of the logic.

Wire can make as much different as switching from a receiver to a decent amp?? NOPE. Dry that one out and you can fertilize the lawn with it. An under powered receiver is probably the biggest reason for poor performance and damage to systems. All parts of the system being equal? I don't really buy that either but if those are your opinions, certainly you are welcome to them but is it OK if we don't agree and can debate them?

All I'm saying is, if you can't hear an audible difference between a receiver and an amp then changing wire (monster and HD) should be a moot point as well. Using your own logic, that should be a reasonable statement. Personally, I don't buy either statement but that is my opinion. I'm just trying to understand your line of reasoning. I still stand by my statement that if you double blind test AR,monster and HD wire while they may each sound a little different, the differences would be very, very subtle.

Lastly, this is the second time you have taken a swipe at me personally and that isn't cool. If you have a problem with someone questioning your thoughts, well, that is something that I can't help YOU with. That's the LAST words that I will have on that subject because I would hope that even if we don't agree, maybe we can still all get along.

For the record, I prefer separates and can categorically say that they sound better than a reciever. My separates system is also Polk-free although maybe I will pick up a pair of powered towers later.......

Big, (maybe not so) Dumb Troy

mantis · May 2002

Troy,
everyone is intitled to there opnion.But I hate more then anything else is people talking out there A%%.
I prove all my own statements with real world testing.Do you??Thats all I ask.Not just you but everyone.
Go experience wire amps speakers and form your own results.Lamp cord suck's...do you use it, patch cords on your seperates???well do you????
Can you belive that if you hook up your preamp and amp with a cheap patch cable and then put in a better quality cable it won't sound better(of worse)???????
Troy...listen dude I think your posts are good,funny at times.But I take my hobbie and Job very seriously.I have alot of pride in my work.
I don't talk crap or just surf around the internet.
But I can be civil, I get mad, then glad again.

mantis · May 2002

Russman,
what do you use in your system and why?
thats all I want to know,I will tell you what I use and exactly why I use it.

TroyD · May 2002

Oh, so you are assuming that I use patch chord and have never listened to anything else. OK.

Here it is, I use 2 (3' each) pair Signal Cables from the cd to the passive pre to the amp. Before that, I have used standard AR interconnects (2 pair), before that I used to pair of monster, and before that for a basis of comparison I used patch chord. HAPPY?

I can tell subtle differences between each, obviously the greatest differences are between the Signal Cables and the patch chord but the patch chord doesn't render the system unlistenable. For speaker wire, I have AR, monster, HD and some Monster Z cables. I will be obtaining a better quality cable at some point but for now that's just how it is...

Finally, I really hate it when folks think they know everything. I'm not saying this is your case but I have known folks that have worked at something for 20 yrs. and still were incompetent so the experience factor in an of itself proves nada.

All I'm asking is questions and presenting opinions. I do not challenge ANYONES credibility. I would ask the same courtesy in return.

Troy

TroyD · May 2002

back to my original question......

At what point does higher quality wire become overkill with Polks??

BDT

RuSsMaN · May 2002

Mantis, per your rquest, I have a whole house system, ht system, garage rig, guest room rig, and man-cave rig.

I wired the whole house with Home Depot 14/2 cord. All terminations are with WBT Silver solder, and gold banana wall plates.

The HT system rears are wired the same as the house system. The front stage uses Radio Shack 12/2, banana terminated (factory).

The garage rig is 16awg, lamp cord, bare wire.

The guest room rig is yet to be wired, but I will use perhaps monster (due to this debate) 14/2, and terminate with silver solder and pins.

The man cave is bi-wired with 12/4 Carol Command, bare wire, currently, and I have a pair of MIT Terminator 4 just laying around. I have not decided as to the final 'choice' for this room.

I have some Audioquest Type 4 on loan to a friend, spade term (factory).

As to why I chose said wires, hard to single out each one. The radio shack I got for cheap-cheap, so it was a no-brainer. The whole house run was kept affordable, the slightly 'exotic' MIT and Audioquest were bought used, and partially due to the manufacturers rep, and partially to the cool, 'finished' look.

Cheers,
Russ

Oh, almost forgot, my truck is wired with Monster 14/2, got it free from a friend.

Who is talking out of their ****, btw?

Surrounds wire

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