Speaker wire help..

[Frank White]

hey guys, my friend recently got me a 50' rocketfish 16 awg speaker wire since he works at BB and can get em for cheap. but ive read that 12 awg is really what you need and thats what most members have on these forums. does it really make a big difference if the wire is thicker?? im going to use them for my polk 50s 30s and cs1 and i dont get my receiver till later this week so im in no hurry but id hate to get new wire. thanks in advance

[Opips2]

if your loudspeaker is 8 ohms Impedance.
12 awg wire is expensive for good use 4 ohms Impedance.

16 awg wire is good 8 ohms only maximum at 48 feet max.

[Rob J in WNY]

The 12-gauge wire will offer less electrical resistance, but 16 is perfectly fine for your setup. Any wire smaller (which is actually a larger gauge number, such as 18) would not be recommended.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Rob J in WNY

The 12-gauge wire will offer less electrical resistance, but 16 is perfectly fine for your setup. Any wire smaller (which is actually a larger gauge number, such as 18) would not be recommended.

I'll 2nd that !! That wire will work fine for you !

[Frank White]

ok, thanks for your help guys. ill guess ill keep the 16 gauge then.

[Big Daddy]

Use this table as a guide for speaker wires.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I love speaker wire questions , but I'll say you're fine!

John

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by John72953

I love speaker wire questions , but I'll say you're fine!

John

Exactly what is the problem with running under sized wire to a speaker? I can see some power loss, but I would think balancing the speakers handles that issue. As far as increasing the resistance of the circuit which is almost trivial, 16 gauge copper has 4 ohms in a 1000', that would possibly be beneficial to the receiver's output stage power dissipation. It is hard for me to understand how much current a speaker is really using on average say in a very loud interlude, is it enough to heat the wires?

With power tools the wire gauge of an extension is critical simply to reduce the low voltage condition they would experience under full load which causes the motor to pull more current, results in a lot of heat in the windings and breakdown of the wire insulation, etc. However power tools don't have the cooling fins I see on modern speakers, but they do have fans. But a power tool really pulls a lot of current consistently, I just don't see speakers doing that. Does the speaker coil get hot when the wiring is too small?

I would think things like how you run the cable to avoid inductive coupling from a lamp cord, or using balanced pairing, etc. would be as important as the gauge itself but that doesn't seem to be discussed much.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

Exactly what is the problem with running under sized wire to a speaker? I can see some power loss, but I would think balancing the speakers handles that issue.

The issue is power dissipation; and that leads to attenuation of the sound. The signal will degrade as it reaches your speaker - primarily the higher frequencies - and the modification of your signal from the amplifier/receiver may not make up for it.

It's not worth it to go with very small wire guage over longer runs. For most home theaters, it's not an issue, since the runs are fairly short. But very small guage wire can definitely affect the sound over longer runs.

[Go Blue]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

The issue is power dissipation; and that leads to attenuation of the sound. The signal will degrade as it reaches your speaker - primarily the higher frequencies - and the modification of your signal from the amplifier/receiver may not make up for it.

It's not worth it to go with very small wire guage over longer runs. For most home theaters, it's not an issue, since the runs are fairly short. But very small guage wire can definitely affect the sound over longer runs.

What do you consider a long run?

[jkwest]

Originally Posted by Schultzy

What do you consider a long run?

over 50 feet.

I always suggest 14 gauge...I had to run my wire under my house and back up behind my sitting area, so, if you do do that, make sure its shielded....plus, 14 gauge is still easy enough to get into banana plugs..unlike 12 gauge...thats a real *****...

[Sonny]

I use 14 AWG .

[callas01]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but my question pertains to speaker wire, on the back of my brand new beautiful Energy C-300s are the 5 way binding posts, do I put my speaker wire into the ones labled H or L? and do I need to take off the bar connecting the binding posts? Thanks.

[Sammy]

16 gage to go about 30 feet to the rear and surrounds (well to a hidden splice from the four-wire cable to 2-two-wire 18 gage cables to to the final 5 feet or so) and 18 gage to the fronts and centers is what I've got.

BigDaddy's table can be proven using basic electrical theory and assuming a maximum permissible voltage drop of say 5% for 8ohm speakers. The allowable voltage drop goes down as the capacitance of the speaker goes down.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by jkwest

over 50 feet.

I always suggest 14 gauge...I had to run my wire under my house and back up behind my sitting area, so, if you do do that, make sure its shielded....plus, 14 gauge is still easy enough to get into banana plugs..unlike 12 gauge...thats a real *****...

Really? I have never had an issue with 12 AWG into Banana plugs or spades.

John

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by Schultzy

What do you consider a long run?

Anything over thirty feet.

Edit: (noticed that somebody said fifty feet, which is fine, but I'm paranoid - that's with a beefy amplifier, your mileage may vary with a lower powered amp).

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by callas01

Not trying to hijack this thread, but my question pertains to speaker wire, on the back of my brand new beautiful Energy C-300s are the 5 way binding posts, do I put my speaker wire into the ones labled H or L? and do I need to take off the bar connecting the binding posts? Thanks.

Doesn't matter which one you plug into. You would only take off the bar if you are planning on biamping, which the 920 cannot do.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by JasonR

Doesn't matter which one you plug into. You would only take off the bar if you are planning on biamping, which the 920 cannot do.

Close. The OP could also bi-wire his speakers, which would necessitate removing the jumpers.

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by richteer

Close. The OP could also bi-wire his speakers, which would necessitate removing the jumpers.

Thought about it and didn't mention it, as I didn't feel it was worth mentioning. You're right though I should have covered all of the bases.

[Digital-Man]

Does it matter to have both rear speaker wires the same length? My theatre room is odd shaped, requiring the right rear speaker to be at the far end of the sweet spot on the couch. I have not run any wire yet, and was wondering if the wires need to be the same length or will the auto setup on the receiver take care of that? I found 100' all copper 14 gauge speaker wire at Lowe's for $25!