Speaker wire material
Speaker wire is a type of parallel bonded electrical wire used to create electrical connections between audio equipment and loudspeakers. Built with two conductors, each individually insulated by PVC, this cable is made for easy installation and durability. Speaker wire can be used in everything from digital audio, stereo speakers, jukeboxes, home theaters and more. Pacer Group speaker wire is constructed from finely stranded bare copper wire. One or both of the conductors is then given a durable tin coating depending on the wire gauge. This coating also serves to help distinguish polarity.
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Speaker Wire, 16AWG, 4C, Direct Burial, Oxygen Free, 500'
Updated: November 29, Choosing the best speaker wire can be a minefield. What gauge? Expensive or cheap? Get your questions answered in the ultimate guide to speaker wire. I mean, who cares about those annoying wires that just make your room look a bit messy?
The fun stuff is the amplifier and speakers! Well, you might be surprised to know that there are loads of exciting things to learn about speaker wire. So, if you want to understand more about the thrilling world of speaker wire, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. Speaker wire is used to connect an amplifier to a set of speakers. In some parts of the world, it is also known as speaker cable. An amplifier sends an electrical current audio signal to a speaker.
The current powers the speaker drivers and this is how they make a sound. Therefore, a speaker wire is just a means to conduct electrical current. Just like the wire that sends power to your lamp or television. Traditional speaker wire has two conductors for connecting to the positive and negative connectors on amplifiers and speakers.
Unlike the picture above, the wire usually has the same type of conductor for both cores — usually copper. The inner core is insulated on the outside by some form of plastic. Before connecting to your speaker or amplifier, the insulation needs to be removed at the end to expose the bare wire.
The bare wire can be connected directly to the speaker connectors. Or, sometimes a form of termination is added to make the connection easier and more reliable. See my guide on how to connect speaker wire for more information on this. You have to use something to connect your amplifier and speakers. So, what is the difference between speaker wire and plain old electrical wire?
Not as much as you might think. In theory, you could use anything that will pass electric current from A to B — the cable that is used to power your lamp, for example, or a wire coat hanger….
This comes in different sizes and at various price points; you just need to decide which is the right choice for your equipment. You will hear many opinions that you need to buy an expensive audiophile speaker wire to get the best sound in your room. However, if you think it helps, you should buy whatever you are comfortable with.
One advantage of buying wire that is designed to be used for speakers is that one side will be clearly marked with a line or with ridges. This makes it easier to connect positive to positive and negative to negative at the amplifier and speaker. It will also have a flexible and resilient outer insulation that makes it easy to install — and reduces interference from other electrical signals. However, you will also see other features of dedicated speaker wire that are supposed to improve performance.
Some of these include:. There have been arguments raging for years about if it is possible to hear the difference between different types of speaker wire. Some brands offer speaker wires with connectors already fitted at each end of the wire. This is why copper has always been used as the core conductor for electrical and speaker wires.
Copper is an excellent low resistance conductor for electricity. Speaker wire should also have low capacitance and inductance — but these are less important than resistance. The insulation should also protect the core from electrical interference and oxidization — and not deteriorate over time and contaminate the core. There are two main things to look for when buying speaker wire; the material that is used for the internal conductor and the thickness of the wire.
There are other differences that you will see, but most of it is marketing smoke and mirrors to make you buy the wire. There are 3 main conducting materials commonly used to make speaker wire you may find more exotic versions if you look hard enough :.
It is slightly confusing for me at least because the higher the gauge, the thinner the cable. This has always seemed a bit counter-intuitive to me. Although the AWG specifies a wide range of sizes, the most common sizes for speaker wire are probably 12, 14, and gauge. These will be ideal for most wiring duties in an average home theater and stereo music system.
I would like to say that this standard is recognized around the world. There are several different wire gauge standards used worldwide. Here is a wire gauge comparison download which might be useful if you want to compare wire sizes around the world.
In the UK, speaker wire is often measured by cross-sectional area in square millimeters. This is not the same as the diameter. And, sometimes the AWG is quoted. Here is a chart that shows the comparison of the most common AWG speaker wire sizes and cross-sectional areas:.
For example, 1. The gauge of speaker wire is the most important feature when deciding what to buy. Because as the wire gets thicker, the resistance decreases. And, to get the best audio performance, we want the resistance to be below a certain level. If you need long cable runs, then it is more important to use thicker wire to keep the resistance low. Depending on the length of the speaker wire that you need, a thinner speaker cable may have the same audio performance as a thicker one.
But if you need to run a cable for a longer distance then, yes, a thicker speaker wire might be better. What is the right size speaker wire for your room? Well, it depends on a couple of factors. The best speaker wire gauge for your system will depend on:. Here are his guidelines for 4, 6, and 8-ohm speakers connected with two-conductor copper wire. That should cover most speakers designed for the home.
As you can see from the speaker wire gauge chart above, if you have 8-ohm speakers, then even a skinny 22 AWG wire can be run up to feet with no loss of audio fidelity. Not that I would necessarily suggest you buy 22 AWG wire. Most systems will use 16, 14 or gauge AWS wire. So, if you want a wire size that will suit most circumstances, then a gauge copper wire is probably a good fit.
Roger suggests a maximum cable run of feet. If you buy copper-clad aluminum wire, then this will have an increased impedance compared to copper. So, if gauge copper wire is fine for your room, then maybe get gauge if you are buying CCA. Of course, this may cancel out the cost savings of buying CCA instead of copper! Life is full of tough decisions. You are unlikely to hear a difference. This means that it is an average value and at certain frequencies, it can go above and below the nominal figure.
Then, if I wanted to be sure of getting it right, I would use this as the impedance for my speakers. But, if you are close to the limit for a particular gauge, then you might want to consider the minimum impedance of the speaker rather than the nominal value. Choosing the correct speaker wire gauge might seem important for audiophile stereo speaker systems. So, just select the correct gauge depending on your speaker impedance and the length of the cable run. If you want a quick answer, gauge AWS speaker wire should cover most solutions with no problems.
And, most people will be fine with the cheaper gauge AWS. But, if you want to be sure, take a look at the maximum wire length table above and make the right decision for your room. Well, if you think that it improves the sound in your room, and makes you feel better buying it, then that is the best speaker wire for you.
Buy a reputable brand if you wish — but their basic wire is all you probably need. You can also get unbranded copper speaker wire very cheaply that will do just fine in most cases. In my opinion, the best speaker wire is simply the correct gauge for your system while taking into account:. If you want to save some money, then buy some CCA wire. Generally, I would choose copper if I had the choice. But what happens if you change your speakers or amplifier and want a different termination on the end?
While you can solder these connectors in place, most will just screw on and are perfectly acceptable. OFC is copper that has been refined to reduce the level of oxygen.
The theory is that this purity will aid electrical conductivity — and therefore it has become popular for making speaker wire. Because your sound system will improve if you buy OFC speaker wire. The copper that is regularly used for electrical purposes C has a purity of OFC has a purity of It might be all that is available.
Just buy the right cable for the job.
Cable myths: reviving the coathanger test
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read full affiliate disclaimer. It might be confusing to know that a lot goes into picking the right speaker cable, such as if the speaker wire can be too thick and what thickness is right for your setup. Can a speaker wire be too thick? This article will discuss how to determine the right wire thickness for your speaker and what factors determine it. We also talk about other factors that affect choosing the right speaker cable.
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Usually ships in days. Suitable for in-wall, direct burial, and other versatile applications, the wire is protected by an "easy pull" heavy duty premium UV-treated PVC jacket. It comes in boxes of feet. Wire products are not returnable. Structured Cable Products is a manufacturer of high quality structured wiring products, security, fire alarm, speaker as well as LAN cable and accessories. With over 15 years of manufacturing and distribution experience of quality cable and accessories SCP can provide all of your cable and accessory solutions. Javascript is disabled on your browser. To view this site, you must enable JavaScript or upgrade to a JavaScript-capable browser. Quantity discounts available. Quantity Price.
SPEAKER CABLE
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Speaker Cable
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The Best Speaker Cable
Some speaker wire can be hugely expensive and some see this investment as worthwhile, whereas others see the cost as over the top and they would rather spend it buying a better amplifier or other item of equipment. The loudspeaker cable is the wire or cable used to connect the amplifier to the loudspeaker system. Like all cables it has three main properties: capacitance, inductance and resistance. As a result of the environment in which speaker wire operates it is the resistance that is the most important. This is brought about by the relatively low frequencies used and the system impedance. Most speaker systems have an impedance of anywhere between around three or four ohms up to around 15 ohms.
Audio Cables & Wiring
Speaker wire. Speaker wire is used to make the electrical connection between loudspeakers and audio amplifiers. Modern speaker wire consists of two or more electrical conductors individually insulated by plastic such as PVC , PE or Teflon or, less commonly, rubber. The two wires are electrically identical, but are marked to identify the correct audio signal polarity.
Dual speaker cable
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How to Choose the Best Speaker Wire / Cable
Speaker wires are used to connect speakers with amplifiers or radios. Also, the best speaker wires should be made of oxygen-free copper OFC. As an Amazon Associate, ImproveCarAudio will receive a small commission from qualifying purchases made through the links in this article. Tip: The car audio system can be only as strong as its weakest link, and you do not want speaker wires to be the bottleneck and compromise sound quality coming out of your high-end speakers. For years I have been using KnuKonceptz wires for both power and speakers, and over this time, they never proved me wrong simply because they offer excellent parameters and functionality. Generally speaking, the best speaker wires for car audio are these specifically designed for car audio.
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