Mixing 12 and 16 gauge wire
Hilbert
Posts: 316
Celebrating promotion to Polkster by asking the sort of stupid question only a Polkie should be allowed to ask.
I have some speakers coming from ebay Polk direct (today!! 4 days to NC from San Diego!!) and when they arrive I'll have five + sub. Haven't enough 12 gauge to connect all 5. If I use 16g for either the fronts or the surrounds, and 12g for the other 3, will anything bad happen? I'm thinking of fireballs engulfing the amp or molten speaker wire, not sound quality---this is I hope merely a temporary fix.
I'm assuming there won't be any problem. But better safe than sorry and asking is free.
Thanks in advance.
I have some speakers coming from ebay Polk direct (today!! 4 days to NC from San Diego!!) and when they arrive I'll have five + sub. Haven't enough 12 gauge to connect all 5. If I use 16g for either the fronts or the surrounds, and 12g for the other 3, will anything bad happen? I'm thinking of fireballs engulfing the amp or molten speaker wire, not sound quality---this is I hope merely a temporary fix.
I'm assuming there won't be any problem. But better safe than sorry and asking is free.
Thanks in advance.
Post edited by Hilbert on
Comments
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You should probably be fine."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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I would use the thicker wire for the fronts.
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Use the 12ga on the longest runs.
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Uh oh. Contradiction and confusion.
Actually my "long" runs are quite short. One will be perhaps 10 feet, the other just a couple of feet (he room is small and oddly shaped). So I shall use the 12g for the channels carrying the most info.
Thanks again for the replies; it's nice to feel confident I can turn on the amp without having a fire extinguisher handy. -
With the runs that short, it really won't matter.
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Do you suppose there's anything to be gained by replacing the 16g with 12 eventually?
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Do you suppose there's anything to be gained by replacing the 16g with 12 eventually?
Its certainly possible, although you'll get arguments on both sides.
For now, and if you have enough 16awg cable, you can double the cable up. 2 x 16awg cables will be equivalent to a 13awg cable. You could even do quad and get 10awg .
Longer runs should get higher gauges due to increased resistance and other physics involved.
Its been said that too large a gauge can affect the high frequencies, but then again on short runs its usually not an issue.____________________
This post is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.
HT:Onkyo 805, Emotiva XPA-5, Mitsu 52" 1080p DLP / polkaudio RTi12, CSIa6, FXi3, uPro4K
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Pool: Atrium 60's/45's -
Also just because it thicker doesn't always mean it's better.
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You could even do quad and get 10awg .
A guy who quadruples his cable on a 2 foot run to achieve 10g would have to be considered an audiophile, would he not.
Come to think of it (duh) I shall have to buy ICs for the new speakers, and new 12g wire would be a not terribly significant additional expense, so that's what I'll do. The Blue Jeans ICs I got a couple months ago made a huge improvement. -
Also just because it thicker doesn't always mean it's better.
Copper is copper. The electricity runs on the outside edge of the wire, so a solid wire will have slightly more resistance than braided...TV: Sharp 46" Aquos
AVR: ONK SR-806
Fronts: RTi 12
Center: CSi A6:D -
Copper is copper. The electricity runs on the outside edge of the wire, so a solid wire will have slightly more resistance than braided...
Further, a solid wire will have less resistance than a stranded wire, but then it'll be so stiff you can't work with it.-Eric
-Polk Audio -
Longer runs should get higher gauges due to increased resistance and other physics involved.
Did you mean longer runs should use lower gauges?Its been said that too large a gauge can affect the high frequencies, but then again on short runs its usually not an issue.
Depends on the electrical properties of the cable, if it has alot of inductance then it may roll off the highs. But you're right as such a short length, there will likely be no difference at all. Ever see how thin voice coil wire is?-Eric
-Polk Audio -
Did you mean longer runs should use lower gauges?
Doh-my bad--:o Yes, that is what I meant to say--lower guage/larger diameter for longer runs-thanks for catching that. It's one of those phrases-in my mind I was thinking higher guage or larger diameter, not higher guage number/smaller diameter.
Ya know its funny--another term/phrase that's oft misunderstood in my house is when asking somebody to turn the air conditioner down-Do they mean turn the coolness level down or turn the degree setting down (increase coolness). Usually not a problem when talking about heat.____________________
This post is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.
HT:Onkyo 805, Emotiva XPA-5, Mitsu 52" 1080p DLP / polkaudio RTi12, CSIa6, FXi3, uPro4K
2-chnl : Pio DV-46AV (SACD), Dodd ELP, Emotiva XPA-1s, XPA-2, Odyssey Khartago, LSi9, SDA-SRS 2 :cool:, SB Duet, MSB & Monarchy DACs, Yamaha PX3 TT, SAE Tuner...
Pool: Atrium 60's/45's