Best quality in speaker wire

[monty123]

I am looking to pre-wire a dedicated home theater room. I have pretty good components so far, but I will probably up grade in the future. I want to know what the best speaker wire I can use for this room. I also want to know if it makes a difference at all? I currently have most of the room wired with Monster XPHPCIBIG. Should I keep this, or should I go with something else? It is going in the walls and I don't want to have to do this again. I appreciate any and all responses to this query.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by monty123

I am looking to pre-wire a dedicated home theater room. I have pretty good components so far, but I will probably up grade in the future. I want to know what the best speaker wire I can use for this room. I also want to know if it makes a difference at all? I currently have most of the room wired with Monster XPHPCIBIG. Should I keep this, or should I go with something else? It is going in the walls and I don't want to have to do this again. I appreciate any and all responses to this query.

Your Monster speaker wires are ok. If you need additional wires, buy them from Monoprice. If you plan to run them inside walls, make sure you buy in-wall speaker wires. Buy the 12 gauge for long runs.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...02&cp_id=10239

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Your Monster speaker wires are ok. If you need additional wires, buy them from Monoprice. If you plan to run them inside walls, make sure you buy in-wall speaker wires. Buy the 12 gauge for long runs.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...02&cp_id=10239

For most of my cabling, I love monoprice - especially their HDMI cables. However, I cannot recommend their speaker wire. I purchased quite a bit a few years ago from them and the insulation around the wire was so uneven that it was next-to-impossible to strip without cutting into wire strands. The copper also had noticeable oxidation in just a few years.

I would recommend bluejeanscable.com for speaker wire, but monoprice for just about everything else.

[nezff]

I run monoprice in wall 12awg

[oppopioneer]

Belden/Bluejeans makes a great quality speaker wire at a affordable price, their Belden series are made mostly in the U.S.. Their entire Belden line is great!

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

[JJ]

Originally Posted by oppopioneer

Belden/Bluejeans makes a great quality speaker wire at a affordable price, their Belden series are made mostly in the U.S.. Their entire Belden line is great!

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

If Monoprice has failed you, this is the next step.

[brap88]

i also am using 12awg from monoprice. all my hdmi, digital coax, component, ect. and wall mounts are also from them. i have never had any problems with anything that i purchased from there.

[TKNice]

I used 12 guage in wall from monoprice as well.

Make sure you run to all of the locations you think you will ever use.

[Beta Man]

I think there are some good recommendations, but nobody has stated the "Best" one yet.....

Assuming the Monster XPHPCIBIG is this same one :

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-XPHPCI.../dp/B00006345D

It says in the description:

Same award-winning XPHP technologies now in CL3 rated jacket for in-wall use.

If this wire is in fact already CL3 rated, I say "Use it"

No need to order more wire, unless of course you don't have enough etc..... If you don't, just order another spool for your rears etc.... I doubt mixing the speaker wire would be noticeable (I.E. Left speaker this cable, Right speaker new Bluejeans/Monoprice cable) but it wouldn't hurt to keep the L/R/C on the same kind of wire, and surrounds/rears on the same, etc.... in the event that you don't have enough of this to run in-wall.

Just verify that the XPHPCIB or whatever, is, and always has been CL3 (since Amazon's descriptions have been wrong in the past)

Save your money... you got wires

[monty123]

There are some good suggestions here. I would love to keep what I have, but I wanted to know if I wanted to bi-wire in the future can i and should I use 12AWG CL2 Rated 4-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation). There are 4 strands in each. Would this work, temporarily as straight feed and later be used as bi-mire?

[oppopioneer]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I think there are some good recommendations, but nobody has stated the "Best" one yet.....

Assuming the Monster XPHPCIBIG is this same one :

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-XPHPCI.../dp/B00006345D

It says in the description:


If this wire is in fact already CL3 rated, I say "Use it"

No need to order more wire, unless of course you don't have enough etc..... If you don't, just order another spool for your rears etc.... I doubt mixing the speaker wire would be noticeable (I.E. Left speaker this cable, Right speaker new Bluejeans/Monoprice cable) but it wouldn't hurt to keep the L/R/C on the same kind of wire, and surrounds/rears on the same, etc.... in the event that you don't have enough of this to run in-wall.

Just verify that the XPHPCIB or whatever, is, and always has been CL3 (since Amazon's descriptions have been wrong in the past)

Save your money... you got wires

Monster is a scam and a company the runs horrible business practices that has been exposed for making erroneous and outright lies for it's claims, especially for it's HDMI cables. Any company that sells 5 feet long HDMI cables for over $300 dollars shouldn't be trusted. Out of a moral stand point it's best people boycott Monster till they change their business and marketing practices.

More honest companies are Bluejeans Cable and Monoprice. Bluejeans uses the broadcast industry Belden cables and are of higher quality and made mostly in the U.S., not China where Monster's are made.

When it comes to CL3 rated, I believe CM rated is a higher standard which Belden is CM rated.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by oppopioneer

Monster is a scam and a company the runs horrible business practices that has been exposed for making erroneous and outright lies for it's claims, especially for it's HDMI cables. Any company that sells 5 feet long HDMI cables for over $300 dollars shouldn't be trusted. Out of a moral stand point it's best people boycott Monster till they change their business and marketing practices.

More honest companies are Bluejeans Cable and Monoprice. Bluejeans uses the broadcast industry Belden cables and are of higher quality and made mostly in the U.S., not China where Monster's are made.

When it comes to CL3 rated, I believe CM rated is a higher standard which Belden is CM rated.

Bottom line though..... his cables will work perfectly fine, and replacing it when he already has it isn't necessary.

Originally Posted by monty123

There are some good suggestions here. I would love to keep what I have, but I wanted to know if I wanted to bi-wire in the future can i and should I use 12AWG CL2 Rated 4-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation). There are 4 strands in each. Would this work, temporarily as straight feed and later be used as bi-mire?

If you want to "future proof" that aspect, just make sure you pull two lengths of the monster cable you have per speaker, and pull whatever speaker wire you choose for the rest that has 4 connecting points, since you obviously won't have enough of the monster cable wiring you already own to run 2-lengths to each speaker.

You can go two ways..... pull 2 lengths for each speaker, and connect one length to a wall-plate with one Red/Black connection and leave the second length inside the wall taped to the other wires so if you decide to bi-wire in the future you just have to remove the plate and put a new one on....

or the better option would be to install all the wall plates with 2-red/2-black connections, and just use one pair now......

Just get these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

[frogmort]

I bought the Monoprice 12awg 100ft spool for about $20.

[monty123]

I appreciate all the advice that I received for my question. It is great to know that there are people willing to help people with questions that seem as menial as speaker wire.

I am also trying to figure out that since I began this thread, I have not been able to open a new one. Anyone have any idea as to why? I can reply and review, I just can't seem to be able to open new threads. Even at the bottom it says I have the ability to begin new threads, yet I am having a difficult time figuring out how. Please help me.

[oppopioneer]

Originally Posted by monty123

I appreciate all the advice that I received for my question. It is great to know that there are people willing to help people with questions that seem as menial as speaker wire.

I am also trying to figure out that since I began this thread, I have not been able to open a new one. Anyone have any idea as to why? I can reply and review, I just can't seem to be able to open new threads. Even at the bottom it says I have the ability to begin new threads, yet I am having a difficult time figuring out how. Please help me.

hmmm, not sure, try contacting one of the mods.

[Dusso Janladde]

Originally Posted by kefrank

For most of my cabling, I love monoprice - especially their HDMI cables. However, I cannot recommend their speaker wire. I purchased quite a bit a few years ago from them and the insulation around the wire was so uneven that it was next-to-impossible to strip without cutting into wire strands. The copper also had noticeable oxidation in just a few years.

I would recommend bluejeanscable.com for speaker wire, but monoprice for just about everything else.

Monster's standard speaker cable with clear insulation and no outer jacket isn't that great. The insulation is much thicker than necessary and won't fit inside their banana plugs, you have to strip almost an inch of the insulation to get them on. It does look pretty, though.

However, their in-wall cable is fantastic, separate red and black wires with thin insulation, and a thick white outer jacket. Blue Jeans' speaker cable is very similar, and theirs goes up to 10 gauge.

[akelley20]

I am new to the home theater game and i am looking for the best fit speaker wire and sub cord for what i have. I recently got a Polk RM 705 speaker system along with a Sony STR-DH510 receiver. I heard Monoprice is probably the best bet to find something but what kind? Suggestions?



AK

[Tufelhundin]

Since August '10 I have been using Monoprice 12 gauge as well. When we moved I decided I would just replace all of my speaker wire runs and that was my justification for the purchase.

[Mr.Poindexter]

I did a blind ABX comparison of a $1900 pair of speaker cables against a spool of 12ga wire I bought off a spool at Home Depot. On a $42k 2-channel sound system, not a single person could pass the ABX test.

Just stick with the right guage and use wires that are UL rated for inwall use and you will be fine.

[frogmort]

I am also using Monoprice 12AWG. All of my cables are from Monoprice. Incredible quality at an incredible price!