Monoprice speaker wire help

[I Bleed Blu]

I know Monoprice is a great place for cables etc I have bought HDMI cables from them before, but I need some speaker cable for my surrounds I'm buying. It will be ran inside a wall and I want the best quality, and if I'm not mistaken isn't the smaller the gauge the thicker/better the wire? They have so many different wires I dunno what to get. Can someone post some links from their site as what you would recommend I get? Thanks!

[I Bleed Blu]

Anyone?

[crackinhedz]

yes, smaller the guage number the thicker the wire.

[I Bleed Blu]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

yes, smaller the guage number the thicker the wire.

Thanks that's what I thought. Now can someone help me pick out some wire from their site?

[Mega-Prime]

If you're going in-wall, use 12 gauge,

Plain speaker wire

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

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



In-Wall speaker wire (although the regular stuff will be just as good for in-wall & cheaper)

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

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

[I Bleed Blu]

Thanks!

[jkwest]

12 gauge seems a little extreme for surrounds

14 should be just fine.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by jkwest

12 gauge seems a little extreme for surrounds

14 should be just fine.

agree.

(some speaker stands also may not accomodate the thicker wires)

[I Bleed Blu]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

agree.

(some speaker stands also may not accomodate the thicker wires)

This is going to ran a long distance 25+ feet; I thought the thicker the better for longer distances?

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by I Bleed Blu

This is going to ran a long distance 25+ feet; I thought the thicker the better for longer distances?

correct, thick is ideal for longer distance (and in wall). But it is not mandatory. Would you notice any audible difference vs a thinner wire to the surround speaker? maybe, maybe not.

Remember, surround channels are not pushed as often or as hard as the front channels.


If your speakers can connect to the thicker wires, and you don't mind paying a little more...then by all means thicker can be better. And heck, its from Monoprice.com ... not expensive either way.

[Mega-Prime]

Originally Posted by I Bleed Blu

This is going to ran a long distance 25+ feet; I thought the thicker the better for longer distances?

You're right.

You can go with smaller cable, but if it's going In-Wall, you won't really have a 2nd chance if you change your mind later. (Or at least it won't be easy to rewire).

[I Bleed Blu]

Ok, thanks for your help guys!

[bageleaterkkjji]

well i read the bigger the cable the less of a chance of losing sound quality so i went with 12 being the biggest

[crackinhedz]

Speaker Cable Length Differences: Do They Matter?

"The typical 12AWG zip cord has about 3.4 mohms of loop resistance per foot, .200uH/ft of Inductance and about 20pF/ft of capacitance. As the cable length increases, these three parameters increase proportionally. However, it takes very long lengths of cable to cause measurable, let alone audible differences."

"It is a good idea however to use lower gauge wire (10 AWG or less) for runs greater than 50ft to minimize these losses especially when driving loudspeakers with a low impedance (4 ohms or less) profile."

[saprano]

another thing, are those 12gauge wires really 12 gauge? i read some reviews on there, and people are saying the wire is to thin? anybody care to elaberate?

[jkwest]

BTW...if you buy 12 gauge...you might want to invest in some banana plugs...makes it a whole lot easier plugging them in....

grab em off monoprice...the screw ones work great with the 14 gauge..but, not sure about 12 gauge...it might be too thick to get in the plug.

[saprano]

Originally Posted by jkwest

BTW...if you buy 12 gauge...you might want to invest in some banana plugs...makes it a whole lot easier plugging them in....

grab em off monoprice...the screw ones work great with the 14 gauge..but, not sure about 12 gauge...it might be too thick to get in the plug.

thats what im asking, are those cables really 12 gauge? people who have them say ther are not because there to thin. i just bought a 12g wire from monoprice and it was not hard at all....as you said.... to get in the banna plugs, i guess they seem thin. but i wouldint know the differince cause this is my first wire i evere got.

[bageleaterkkjji]

Originally Posted by saprano

are those 12gauge wires really 12 gauge? i read some reviews on there, and people are saying the wire is to thin? anybody care to elaberate?

i got 12 gauge from monoprice and its pretty big.. any bigger and it wouldnt fit in my speakers or in the back of the reciever

[I Bleed Blu]

Sense a couple of you have mentioned banana plugs, what are the advantages of them compared to not using them? How do I know if they will work with my Klipsch Reference speakers? And I noticed Monoprice has 2 different kinds, solder and screw type, whats the difference or which is better? Thanks

[Doc_Stew]

Originally Posted by I Bleed Blu

Sense a couple of you have mentioned banana plugs, what are the advantages of them compared to not using them? How do I know if they will work with my Klipsch Reference speakers? And I noticed Monoprice has 2 different kinds, solder and screw type, whats the difference or which is better? Thanks

IMO, screw type banana plugs are easier to work with. Both screw and solder do the same thing, so it just depends on if you have solder nearby and really want to solder.

It's advisable to use banana plugs over just bare wires because bare wires oxidize over time, causing corrosion and signal degradation. They fray, and you are at risk of shorting out your receiver (or worse) if they ever touch. Plus banana plugs are MUCH easier to work with. And for $1.76 a pair from Monoprice, it's a no brainer!

Not sure about your Klipsch reference speakers, but they fit great into my Klipsch Quintet III set