Does thicker speaker wire sound better?

Does thicker speaker wire sound better?

Do expensive speaker wires “sound” better? Thicker wires are better: It’s true that for long runs, thicker wires are better at reducing the effects of resistance. But for most set ups (those with speakers within 100 ft of the amplifier), 16-gauge lamp cord is fine. For speakers 100 to 200 ft.

Does the size of speaker wire matter?

The size of the speaker does not matter. What matters is the resistance, or impedance, given in ohms. The rule is the total resistance of the wire should be less than 5 percent of the rated impedance of the speaker. Your Insignias are 8-ohm speakers, which means 16 gauge is good for up to a 48-foot run (per speaker).

What happens if you use the wrong gauge speaker wire?

The answer: yes, it matters. Bad cable equals bad sound. The most important thing to think about is AWG (American Wire Guage). Getting the wrong AWG for your speaker setup can end up giving you horrible sound quality.

What is the best gauge for speaker wire?

Check your stereo system and speaker’s owners manual for the recommended gauge of wire. Most will be between 10 and 16. If you are running the wire under carpets or along walls then flat wire will be ideal. Most surround sound systems work best with 16 gauge wire and 14 for normal speakers.

What size speaker wire should I use?

The size of your speaker wiring depends on the amount of power going to your speakers and the length of wire from the amplifier to the speakers. Most systems will need to use 16 gauge to 12 gauge wire. Rarely would you want anything larger or smaller than that.

Does speaker wire affect the sound?

Answer Wiki. Because speakers are a “low impedance” load on the power amplifier, the length of the connecting cable can affect the resulting sound quality. For the relatively short cables found in a home audio system, however, these losses are insignificant (inaudible) even when wires as small as #18 are used.

Does speaker wire gauge make a difference?

Counter intuitively, the higher the “gauge” of the wire, the thinner it is. So, a 24-gauge wire is half the diameter of a 12-gauge (and about one fourth the impedance). For comparison, common lamp cord, sometimes called “zip” cord, is 18 gauge. There can be a synergy between a particular speaker and a particular speaker wire.