Suggestions for good cheap 12AWG or better speaker wires?

2

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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited January 2008
    For the price you just can't beat this (thanks William)
    http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/SQSCL1645WH
    OK So now you see that it is 4 16ga wires? If you take 2 of the opposing wires , and tie them together what you get is the equivalent of 2 13 ga wires. You can not beat this type of a setup at this price point. I believe in using HQ wires in a system, but for surrounds you would be hard pressed to beat this setup. I don't believe in going to heavy a wire. To heavy a wire increases capacitance, and inductance. Resistance is usually measured at a length of 1000'. Unless you are running 4ohm speakers with 400+ watts at a steady level a higher ga would just be a waste of money, and would actually have a detrimental effect at mids, and higher frequencies.

    Ben
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • wizzy
    wizzy Posts: 867
    edited January 2008
    Run down to the drug store one block away, get an electrical extension cord of the right length for $1.99 or $3.49, cut the ends off, strip, connect to speakers.

    If you need longer runs, in wall runs, read other posts here.
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  • Acadian
    Acadian Posts: 60
    edited January 2008
    My options are limited here in Canada when it comes to speaker wire (at reasonable prices):

    Monoprice is good, but out of stock.
    Blue Jean Cable is more expensive, but in stock.
    Accessories4Less have decent price, but the shipping is ridiculous (Fedex, $50+)
    PartsExpress is the same as Accessories, except they use UPS.

    So it looks like my options are (1) wait for monoprice stock and hop
    Rti8
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  • ShinAce
    ShinAce Posts: 1,194
    edited January 2008
    Provo distributes speaker cable for in wall installation in Canada. I'm not familiar with other available distributors.

    edit: minimum for a box is 250' on the gauge you're looking at(if my memory is still working).
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited January 2008
    wizzy wrote: »
    Run down to the drug store one block away, get an electrical extension cord of the right length for $1.99 or $3.49, cut the ends off, strip, connect to speakers.

    If you need longer runs, in wall runs, read other posts here.

    Or twist bread ties together:rolleyes:
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,781
    edited January 2008
    People also mentioned Home Depot....is their speaker wire any good?

    I have heard of the Home Depot wire turning green rather quickly, never used it myself. Is Home Depot the only option? Surely you have other building centers, or hardware stores in Canada. With shipping to Canada, and taxes, etc., these may actually be your cheapest choice.
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  • wizzy
    wizzy Posts: 867
    edited January 2008
    ben62670 wrote: »
    Or twist bread ties together:rolleyes:

    What's wrong with electrical cord? It's cheap, easy to find, solid copper, and if you are needing something in that length (probably 12ft max) the gauge isn't that shabby.
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  • Acadian
    Acadian Posts: 60
    edited January 2008
    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    I have heard of the Home Depot wire turning green rather quickly, never used it myself. Is Home Depot the only option? Surely you have other building centers, or hardware stores in Canada. With shipping to Canada, and taxes, etc., these may actually be your cheapest choice.

    The only ones i can think of are Home Depot, Home Hardware (not much there), nothing else comes to mind. I'm not in a big city either so that doesn't help!
    Rti8
    CsiA6
    Rti4
    PSW505
    Yamaha 6050
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited January 2008
    wizzy wrote: »
    What's wrong with electrical cord? It's cheap, easy to find, solid copper, and if you are needing something in that length (probably 12ft max) the gauge isn't that shabby.
    Because it probably sounds like garbage.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • Mike Kozak
    Mike Kozak Posts: 931
    edited January 2008
    I bought these from an audio store where I live, expensive, but they do my Paradigm Mini Monitors justice. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-lgBijUTTQKs/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=119U1K1010
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited January 2008
    ben62670 wrote: »
    deleted

    waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, must of been STFU;) dont know how we ever got along before our newest wandering mistrel expert joined the fray to set things right around the joint................

    I bought some of that Audioquest GBC solid cable wire, sounds nice, I should really sell it to someone who needs it.

    I wired my four surrounds in the HT room with Carol Cable CL-3, double shotgun runs of 14 guage and twisted the ends together, I like the results and the stuff was around 30.00 per 100 ft from www.parts-express.com

    RT1
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    ShinAce wrote: »
    I'm an electrical engineering student, and I can assure you, there is no acoustical benefit of solid wire over stranded wire. As a general rule, use unshielded stranded wire suitable for the length, and current requirements imposed on the wire.

    We have a resident Phd in electrical engineering who would put you to shame for making such a blaket statement and then trying to qualify your misinformation by saying you are an electrical engineering student.:rolleyes:
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  • ShinAce
    ShinAce Posts: 1,194
    edited January 2008
    Would you mind specifying the acoustical benefits of solid wire for use as speaker cable?
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    Nope! I just wanted to make a point that several others having been making but you just don't seem to see. I will ask you this, when was the last time you listened to solid core vs stranded speaker wire?

    Carry on.
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited January 2008
    For speaker cable, I use sold wire, the AG2 cables seen here: http://www.goertzaudio.com/mi.html

    I've compared them to a few different copper and silver cables, all stranded. I witnessed better bass and high end using these cables. Even my old lady noticed a big difference.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    Face wrote: »
    For speaker cable, I use sold wire, the AG2 cables seen here: http://www.goertzaudio.com/mi.html

    I've compared them to a few different copper and silver cables, all stranded. I witnessed better bass and high end using these cables. Even my old lady noticed a big difference.

    . . . and you're not even an lectrical engineering student!
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited January 2008
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    . . . and you're not even an lectrical engineering student!
    Yep, nothing but a overpaid babysitter. :D
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    Face wrote: »
    Yep, nothing but a overpaid babysitter. :D

    uh oh . . .you're not one of those preverts are ya?
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    Face wrote: »
    Yep, nothing but a overpaid babysitter. :D

    lectrical was not a typo!!!
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited January 2008
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    lectrical was not a typo!!!
    Just looking out. Fixed. ;)
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • wizzy
    wizzy Posts: 867
    edited January 2008
    Face wrote: »
    Because it probably sounds like garbage.

    Really? I can't find any documents right now, but it seems like I've read before that no one has ever put together a double blind test where listeners could figure out if they were listening to high priced speaker wire or a cheap electrical cord.

    Or even more precisely, tests have been done where no one could pick out which was high priced "speaker cable" versus plain old stranded copper wires.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    wizzy wrote: »
    Really? I can't find any documents right now, but it seems like I've read before that no one has ever put together a double blind test where listeners could figure out if they were listening to high priced speaker wire or a cheap electrical cord.

    Or even more precisely, tests have been done where no one could pick out which was high priced "speaker cable" versus plain old stranded copper wires.

    Who cares what documentation or one sided tests or studies you've read are.

    What we would like to know is what is your experience with these issues? What tests have YOU conducted that you can share with us your experience? Anyone can parrot what someone else says.


    Our ears are the best instruments that were ever created to detemine what one hears and they were NOT created by man.
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  • wizzy
    wizzy Posts: 867
    edited January 2008
    http://bruce.coppola.name/audio/Greenhill.pdf
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    wizzy wrote: »
    http://bruce.coppola.name/audio/Greenhill.pdf

    So you have NO experience with listening to different cables in an audio rig. Unless of course you are Lawence Greenhill.

    This is not surprising as most who come on here and try to push their unexperienced opinions have the same problem . . . parrot all you want. When you've done some listening then maybe you will have some credibility.
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  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 11,055
    edited January 2008
    Acadian wrote: »
    My options are limited here in Canada when it comes to speaker wire (at reasonable prices):QUOTE]

    That's not true. I sold my kimber 4prs here as well as my Audioquest type 2. So some come up for sale at great prices. I think right now someone in the FM is selling some Signals. You could also buy directly from Frank as I am in the process of doing. (but for some video cables).
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  • Kex
    Kex Posts: 5,205
    edited January 2008
    Uh Oh! Is the **** about to hit the fan here?! Time to hide?!

    hidesbehindsofa.gif

    Let me know when it's safe to come out.
    Alea jacta est!
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  • wizzy
    wizzy Posts: 867
    edited January 2008
    As humans we build our knowledge based on the compiled evidence and scientific studies of our peers and ancestors reaching back thousands of years.

    Just because I haven't went out and thoroughly investigated and tested myself that the Earth is truly round (more or less) versus flat, I'm not going to run around proclaiming The Earth Is Flat.

    Given the overwhelming body of evidence suggesting that 99.999% of the population can't determine a difference between regular copper wire of a given gauge versus high end "speaker wire" of the same gauge in a double blind test ... and the underwhelming body of evidence suggesting the opposite ...

    Good enough for me.

    If buying expensive speaker wire makes anyone else feel better, more power to them. If you are part of the 0.001% that can tell the difference, then that's great.
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  • mojo_13
    mojo_13 Posts: 22
    edited January 2008
    I know this is my first post here but I've been on other forums for a while. I have listened to a few different types of wire and the wire I use is from monoprice. I cant tell the difference between that and monster cable but if someone thinks that the upgraded wire is beneficial to them who are we to tell them no. It all comes down to the end listener.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited January 2008
    wizzy wrote: »
    Well, as humans we build our knowledge based on the compiled evidence and scientific studies of our peers and ancestors reaching back thousands of years.

    Just because I haven't went out and thoroughly investigated and tested myself that the Earth is truly round (more or less) versus flat, I'm not going to run around proclaiming The Earth Is Flat.

    Given the overwhelming body of evidence suggesting that 99.999% of the population can't determine a difference between regular copper wire of a given gauge versus high end "speaker wire" of the same gauge in a double blind test ... and the underwhelming body of evidence suggesting the opposite ...

    Good enough for me.

    If buying expensive speaker wire makes anyone else feel better, more power to them.

    BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!

    That article you posted was from a defunct magazine and dated August 1983, yeah man that is some overwhelming evidence.

    BTW could you please post the "overwhelming body of evidence suggesting that 99.999% of the population can't determine a difference between regular copper wire of a given gauge versus high end "speaker wire" of the same gauge in a double blind test ... "

    . . .or did you make that statistic up yourself?

    I don't need to touch a flame to know it's hot therefore high end audio cable make a huge difference.

    Sounds stupid and idiotic doesn't it.
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  • jakelm
    jakelm Posts: 4,081
    edited January 2008
    The popcorn is starting to smell good,, its almost done in the microwave.. damn...cant find my pillow..
    Monitor 7b's front
    Monitor 4's surround
    Frankinpolk Center (2 mw6503's with peerless tweeter)
    M10's back surround
    Hafler-200 driving patio Daytons
    Tempest-X 15" DIY sub w/ Rythmik 350A plate amp
    Dayton 12" DVC w/ Rythmik 350a plate amp
    Harman/Kardon AVR-635
    Oppo 981hd
    Denon upconvert DVD player
    Jennings Research (vintage and rare)
    Mit RPTV WS-55513
    Tosh HD-XA1
    B&K AV5000


    Dont BAN me Bro!!!!:eek:
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