New Speaker Cable, 12g or 14g?

SBTx

Hello everyone, new Polk guy here!

Just purchased the RTi8's, CSi3, and FX A4 yesterday and had a question regarding speaker cables. My room is only 14x10 and I was wondering if it'd be overkill to purchase 12g wire over 14g since the size of my room is so small. I was looking at the 12g or 14g monoprice cable, I hear good things about it in terms of the cost/quality.

dragon1952

Hi and welcome I can't believe there is much cost difference. But in that size room you probably couldn't tell the difference.

mantis

Don't waste your money 14g will do the job just fine. Your runs will be short enough.

Sherardp

I'd run 10 AWG on the fronts, 12 AWG on the rest of the setup. Though the difference is subtle, I like high quality 10AWG on my fronts. Oh well, either of your choices will serve you well, check out bluejeans cables also.

ben62670

On just a receiver it don't really matter much. I'd say your fine with the 14ga.

seeclear

The difference in sound will probably be negligible over shorter runs, but unless the cost difference is significant (to YOUR pocketbook), go with the heavier 12g.

Rike255

For the fronts smaller gauged wire works just fine. In fact I'm running 16AWG for my fronts. The wires are about 10 feet long. For the surrounds though bigger is probably better 12 or 14 depending on how far you need to run the wires.

SBTx

I think I'm gonna purchase a 100' spool of monoprice cable (12g). Its about 25 bucks and the reviews/feedback seems pretty positive, anyone use(d) this speaker wire?

spaceace414

Not trying to hijack your thread...but I hate to open another topic about the same subject.

I need to run two 30+ft runs for in-ceiling speakers. I had planned on using 14g...but do you guys think I need to up that up to 12g? I am going to use the in-wall speaker cable...to avoid any interference. Thanks...

WilliamM2

spaceace414 wrote: »

Not trying to hijack your thread...but I hate to open another topic about the same subject.

I need to run two 30+ft runs for in-ceiling speakers. I had planned on using 14g...but do you guys think I need to up that up to 12g? I am going to use the in-wall speaker cable...to avoid any interference. Thanks...

14ga will be fine for 30 feet. In-wall wire does not stop interference, it just has a special jacket and insulation that does not put off hazardous fumes when it burns. It is required to meet building codes.

ben62670

Hi Bill. I am in a better mood today. Sorry about the other day. I get a little passionate about my work:o

Mr. Mojo

Here is a link to an article I used for determining the wire gauge.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable

ShinAce

Make note that table is geared at "the resistance of the speaker wire not exceeding 5% of the rated impedance of the system." .

If you wish for the wire to account for even less resistance, a bigger wire is fine. Just because the chart says 16 ga is fine doesn't mean you can't use 12 ga.

mantis

ShinAce wrote: »

Make note that table is geared at "the resistance of the speaker wire not exceeding 5% of the rated impedance of the system." .

If you wish for the wire to account for even less resistance, a bigger wire is fine. Just because the chart says 16 ga is fine doesn't mean you can't use 12 ga.

This is true but what gains to do get from the larger guage wire? I don't see any reason to have such a large guage wire that doesn't do anything better then it's thinner 14 or 16 guage wire will get done. If you take ego out of it and think about getting a job done, you may think differently about having such heavy guage wire.

I once thought as you do.

ShinAce

Using a larger wire allows lower resistance from the amp to speaker. This results in better damping.

If you want to know, I'm running 16 ga for my fronts and 14 ga for my sub. Length runs are 20 feet and 3 feet.

If someone just spent $5k on speakers and has $250 devoted to cable, let them spend what they want. Just because 14 gauge is going to work, doesn't mean they can't get something bigger in the hopes of upgrading or not having to mess with it later.

Please, tell me, how do I think? The only opinions I've posted in this thread are in the paragraph above this one.

spaceace414

WilliamM2 wrote: »

14ga will be fine for 30 feet. In-wall wire does not stop interference, it just has a special jacket and insulation that does not put off hazardous fumes when it burns. It is required to meet building codes.

I am pretty much a newbie at this. So what you guys are saying is that if I am doing this project myself, I can just use normal speaker wire and not worry about the "in-wall" stuff? That will save me $15....it's not much but it will make the wife happy.

cambir

spaceace414 wrote: »

I am pretty much a newbie at this. So what you guys are saying is that if I am doing this project myself, I can just use normal speaker wire and not worry about the "in-wall" stuff? That will save me $15....it's not much but it will make the wife happy.

No, if you are putting the wires into a wall, ceiling or crawl space, get the "in-wall" CL-rated type of speaker wire. Blue Jeans Cable has great stuff.

reeltrouble1

dan when I went with 8 guage and magic boxes things sounded better. sure anything over 14 guage or even 16 in his case is overkill but so what? I like looking at my phatty wires and I love the way they make my 2-ch rig sound.

parts express has nice CL-3 carol cable at good prices. I have used it and its great for HT application's.

RT1

timswim78

What are the general rules about which gauge of cable to use for specific applications?

treitz3

Instead of asking such a broad question which always seems to go into a debate, can you please explain what you are trying to accomplish and ask for specific advice?

There should be less to read and we should be able to assist you in your specific needs. Thank you.

timswim78

treitz3 wrote: »

Instead of asking such a broad question which always seems to go into a debate, can you please explain what you are trying to accomplish and ask for specific advice?

There should be less to read and we should be able to assist you in your specific needs. Thank you.

OK, I am trying to drive speakers that run at 4 Ohms. The speakers are LSI 9's, and the cable will run about 35 feet, mostly behind my walls. The receiver is a Denon DRA-395. I will mainly be listening to FM and CD's.

ShinAce

12 gauge would be my choice, due to the 4 ohm load.

mhartman29

How hard is it to work with the Blue Jeans 12 white? I'm thinking about ordering some to wire my surrounds. I would love to keep everything Signal, but it's pricey for 45 foot runs! Is the 12 gauge going to be too thick to route through the walls and attic?