Question about some speaker wire.

comfortablycurt

I've been looking to replace all of my speaker wire here pretty soon, because the stuff I'm using now is some old 18 guage, and it's getting pretty beat up. I've got different sections joined together in a few places and all that even. It's time to upgrade.

I want a wire like the 4 conductor Canare 4S11, but I'm looking for a cheaper alternative.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023902&p_id=4040&seq=1&format=2#description

Would that wire be good? I'm looking to do the "twisted pair" construction to use the wire for a single speaker. Would this stuff work for that, or is this just for Bi-wiring? I assume this stuff will work in the same way, but want to make sure first. Should I get a thicker guage? My surround speakers are going to require runs of about 30-35 feet. Would 14 guage be fine for that?

Also, I plan on terminating them myself with banana connectors. Any suggestions for some good 'nanas? Do the locking bananas really affect sound quality at all? I wouldn't think they would really. Is that more of just a "peace of mind" thing?

comfortablycurt

Well, I think I've figured one part out. I think I'm gonna go with the GLS locking bananas. They come very highly recommended from what I've seen on this board so far...plus they look great, and I do like the locking feature, now that I've seen how it actually works.

McLoki

what price range are you trying to stay at? the cheapest I found for the Star-Quad is .96/ft. so it would cost about $75 for the runs needed for your rear speakers. I do not know if Star Quad is in-wall rated though. If you are running wire in the walls, it may be worth putting what you want in the first time though because redoing it will be a pain in the ****.

Michael

comfortablycurt

I don't believe the Canare is rated for in wall use, but I'm not putting it in wall anyway, so that's not a big deal.

I need it for all of my speakers too, not just the surrounds. Altogether I'd probably need about 170-180 feet. I've still gotta measure it all out.

That's not a bad price for the 4S11 though. I may just end up getting that instead. My price range is somewhat flexible...I'm just trying to save a few bucks wherever I can right now.

Would that other wire work though?

ben62670

22ga speaker wire from Home Depot. The kind that the wire turns green in 6 months or so. It would be a very nice alternative to those big ugly wires that stick out like a sore thumb.
Ben

Lowell_M

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I don't believe the Canare is rated for in wall use, but I'm not putting it in wall anyway, so that's not a big deal.

I need it for all of my speakers too, not just the surrounds. Altogether I'd probably need about 170-180 feet. I've still gotta measure it all out.

That's not a bad price for the 4S11 though. I may just end up getting that instead. My price range is somewhat flexible...I'm just trying to save a few bucks wherever I can right now.

Would that other wire work though?

The Canare wire has a very thick outer jacket that would be fine for pulling through the wall.

comfortablycurt

ben62670 wrote: »

22ga speaker wire from Home Depot. The kind that the wire turns green in 6 months or so. It would be a very nice alternative to those big ugly wires that stick out like a sore thumb.
Ben

I was thinking about just getting a really long extension cord and chopping it up for speaker wire. Would that be a good alternative? I know there have been tests that have shown them to be better than Monster Cable...lol

I've also kinda had my eye on the powerlines in front of my house...now that's some heavy gauge stuff there. All I have to do is disconnect them and yank em down in the middle of the night too...the cheap alternative...lol