Go cheap I always say…(tongue in cheek) that is to say save money on the things that you can, but buy things that will last! I could start a whole rant here on why Heinz is better than Hunts and why you buy name brand cereal, but when it comes to wire HDMI (and this HDMI review) or other…go cheap! I have that wire from 1974 that I have always had in a box, been waiting to use it. I have the latest 5.1 digital sound time for my 1974 wire! Right?
So I have the above mentioned problem/luxury of putting in new surround sound speakers, so i write this post just so I can remember, because I am doing this in a rental house and then will get to redo it when we move to our permanent house. So I googled it, which is how every question and problem is solved in 2013 right whether it’s speaker cable or medical issues we are all suddenly experts! Here is what I found.
An Excerpt from Crown International Site their site:
The longer the run, the heavier gauge you will need to minimize power and damping factor loss. You will also want to consider the size of power amplifier you are using. The larger the amplifier, the heavier gauge you will want to use. Generally speaking, runs of 25 Ft or less work well with 14 gauge. Over 25 one should use 12 gauge if possible. Read Crown Article
On the other hand we have crutchfield who has been selling and installing electronics since 1974 and they recommend 14-16 Gauge wire or AWG (American Wire Gauge) which is stouter all the way around.
You can use the following chart as a guideline:
Length of wire needed Gauge Less than 50 feet 16 50 feet or longer 14 You may want to consider thicker speaker cable if:
- You’re connecting an audiophile-quality music system or a surround sound home theater setup. Thicker wire can help your system deliver fine musical detail or the explosive effects of 5.1-channel surround sound.
- You can’t avoid long wire runs to your speakers; for example, in the case of a wired multi-room system, where you’ll likely use in-wall speaker wire from room to room. Thicker wire reduces the overall resistance, lightening the load on your receiver or amp. This can mean not only a difference in sound quality, but also in the long-term dependability of your system.