Pro Audio Speaker Wire Gauge Guide

Naturally thicker wire will cost more than thinner wire.

Pro audio speaker wire gauge guide.

A loss of 3 db would mean that half the amplifier s power is being dissipated by the wire not the speaker. You can buy speaker wire with connectors or without. Four wire 16 gage inwall cable will serve you well wire it as a star quad that means you use two wires positive and two wires negative. Although subjected to debate and discussions audiophiles are convinced that speaker wire has an impact on the quality of the sound output in an audio system.

Low impedance speaker system example. The only issue here is this cable tends to be hard to work with and terminate. The following information comes from jbl. Comparison of size watts and connectors read.

More than 0 5db 12 5 loss 12 gauge speaker cable would be required. It s up to you to select the right gauge thickness and type of wire for your system. For headphones and short connections to active speakers essentially any cable will do as the power transfer is much lower. For in wall or ceiling speakers you ll need ul rated speaker wire labeled cl2 or cl3.

The configuration of the wires in the four wire twist will be positive negative positive and negative so the polarities alternate all the way around the four wire twist. The recommended speaker impedance ratings are usually listed above the speaker wire posts. Meanwhile 16 gauge wire is fine for runs under 50 feet to 8ω speakers. It is most evident especially speaker wire gauge guide.

As you can see an 18 gauge cable with a 4 ohm speaker at 100 feet results in 2 5 db of loss. In the case of speaker wires you ll normally see choices of 12 gauge 14 gauge 16 gauge and 18 gauge with the smaller numbers thicker than the larger numbers. I personally run 10awg speaker cable for all of my audio systems in the audioholics showcase home. When the sending voltage is increased the current in the speaker cable is lower while delivering the same power to the speaker.

Also attempting to wire two 8 ohm speakers in parallel to an 8 ohm stereo would have the same effect. 14 gauge speaker wire for example is thicker than 18 gauge and offers less than half the resistance to audio signals. Image of the rear of a home stereo receiver amplifier. That means 12 gauge 12awg speaker wire is much thicker than 18 gauge awg wire so if you re looking for the thickest wire you d want 12awg.

A home stereo for example may often list 6 16 ohms as being ok for use. 25v 70v and 100v speaker systems by design have reduced power loss in the speaker cable. 14 4 cable is another good choice that is easier to terminate and has an effective gauge of 11 awg. It shows some suggested wire gauges for different distances and different impedances.

Read our in wall wiring guide for more information. Speaker wire is a vital part of any audio set up because it is used to connect your speakers to the audio amplifiers and tuners.