Understanding Speaker Wire Gauges Let’s face it; we all want high-quality sound whether its in our living room, home theater room or automobile. We want to the sound of our movies, television shows and music to help us feel like we are part of the action. Whether you are installing a car audio system or a home surround sound system, understanding speaker wire and the different gauges it is available in is extremely critical if you want to maximize the quality of the speakers you have purchased. Contrary to what some may say, the speaker wire you decide to use definitely can have an impact on the quality of your overall sound system. You could buy a set of very expensive and high quality speakers, but they won’t be used to their full potential without the proper wire. It can definitely be confusing to understand the different gauges, brands, etc., but here are a few tips to help you select the appropriate wire for your speakers.
Determining What Gauge You Need Typically, a “gauge” number labels the thickness of speaker wire. Most of the speaker wire that is available for purchase is between 12 and 16 gauge. In this case, the lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire. Thicker wire possesses a higher capacity to pass through an amplified audio signal. So what does this mean for you? When deciding what gauge of wire is best, you need to evaluate the quality of your speakers and audio components, the type of sound quality you desire, and of course, how much money you want to spend. One thing that is commonly ignored is the distance between your speakers and the amplifier powering them. This is a mistake, because if your speakers are located a ways away, the long run of wire can reduce power. For this, you would require the use of thicker speaker wire. You may also want to consider lower gauge (thicker) speaker wire if you are setting up a surround sound home theater system or if you have a whole home audio system with speakers in various rooms. These multiple connections and long distances will require thicker wire to make up for the loss of sound quality. If you want high quality sound from your system, make sure to take the time to understand the difference in quality between the various gauges of speaker wire out there.
Speaker Wire Connectors Another important thing to consider when deciding on what kind of speaker wire you want to buy is the connection method to both your speakers or your amplifier. Are your speaker terminals spring clips or binding posts? What about the terminals on your amplifier? Deciding what connection methods your components have can help you decide on what type of speaker wire and connectors to purchase. If you are looking for high-quality speaker wire, look no further than 21st Century Goods. We have speaker wire in multiple gauges and lengths. Check out our available products to learn more. Photo Credit: I.Stack.Imgur, Made-in-china