Is 10 gauge speaker cable overkill?

[kurtphyre]

I'm going to be upgrading my speaker cable shortly. I currently use 16 gauge and want to up the thickness to either 12 or 10 gauge. Is 10 gauge complete overkill?

I was thinking about buying 2 spools of this --> http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023901&p_id=2789&seq=1&format=2&style=

But then I got to thinking. Maybe I should go with 10 gauge!

[Toka]

What length will you be running the cable?

[kpbalog]

That all depends...how long are you running the cables...how efficient are your speakers?

[kurtphyre]

Front runs = about 15 feet
Rear runs = 75 feet

My speakers are far from audiophile. Athena AS-F2 tower speakers. Although I do plan on upgrading speakers and components in the next year or so.

[kpbalog]

The following site has a nice reference based on length and ohm load:

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

[Gary]

Yes, for 75' runs I'd go for the 10g.

[fjhuerta]

75 feet? Wow... 10GA will be great...

[Doug Sclar]

My runs are about 12' and they are heavier that 10g. Actually I'm using dual runs which are about 10g each. Yes, I hear a difference, but there are a lot of factors other than just the amount of copper.

[Rolf Erickson]

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.. If you can afford to run 10 ga wire, why not? It certainly won't be bad for the signal. I can't hear a difference between 12 ga and 10 ga in less than 30 feet of run, but I can tell after 40 feet, but that's just me. Happy listening. R.E.

[Doug Sclar]

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.. If you can afford to run 10 ga wire, why not? It certainly won't be bad for the signal. I can't hear a difference between 12 ga and 10 ga in less than 30 feet of run, but I can tell after 40 feet, but that's just me. Happy listening. R.E.

If you had a 4 ohm or less load you'd no doubt hear more difference than with an 8 ohm load, but I know you know that. :D Just mentioning it for those that don't.

[RDK]

Just be aware that it can be more difficult to terminate thicker guage wires - and it can make it harder to fit them in the back of a receiver/amp. Check your amps connections first and see if there's room.

[jt1stcav]

I run 8' length 11 AWG cables to my loudspeakers, unterminated at both ends...works for me!

[gd0]

I don't think twice about running 12 awg bulk (generic brand-x) in all applications.

10 awg can only be better, esp for 75 ft.

How big izzat room, anyway??????

[YaQuin]

Just be aware that it can be more difficult to terminate thicker guage wires - and it can make it harder to fit them in the back of a receiver/amp. Check your amps connections first and see if there's room.

I agree. Terminiting my cables was a real chore.

Also 10awg wire is very hard to hide. I have 10 gauge wire in my setup. Sounds great, but some people might chuckle at how thick my speaker cable is. Maybe they're just jealous. :p

[jeff mai]

You guys would laugh at me. I use a twisted pair of 24 gauge wire for each conductor. I just strip it out of Cat 5 cable. Try it sometime. I think you might be surprised.

[rhkwon]

For long distances, I think it's necessary.

[Rolf Erickson]

I agree. Terminiting my cables was a real chore.

Also 10awg wire is very hard to hide. I have 10 gauge wire in my setup. Sounds great, but some people might chuckle at how thick my speaker cable is. Maybe they're just jealous. :p

It's called "Cable-Envy."

[OldCoder]

I run 10 ga in my system, and I've found single banana plugs that accept it with room to spare, so I use those everywhere to terminate the cables.

I purchase it at my local speaker repair shop, and while that may be a little on the expensive side ($1-$1.50 a foot), it certainly seems cheap enough compared to any of the Nordost products my audio buddy runs.

It may be overkill for my 20' runs, but I'm willing to spend that much to give my amplifiers a little more control over the speakers. And it lets me keep my audio rack just to the right of my listening seat, so swapping cds and adjusting volume could not be more convenient, all within reach when seated.

If you cannot find the banana plugs, PM me and I'll send you the name of the store where I get those, they'll be happy to ship them to you.

[tps]

I used 12 GA SJO with Hubbell 277V twist-locks for the speaker cables on my PA rig many years ago. The normal runs from amp racks to speaker stacks were around 15 ft. By all means, use as heavy gauge is convenient, especially for long runs.

[Plinko]

yes

[Taurus]

For my front mains, Boston Acoustics CR9s (2-way bookshelf w/8" woofer; 8 ohms; $425/pair back in 1998), the manual (http://bostonacoustics.com/tec_hp_pm.aspx) has this to say about speaker cable:
We recommend 18 gauge wire or thicker for runs up to 25 feet (8 meters) and 16 gauge wire or thicker for longer runs.BA engineers must have read Mr. Russell's site!

[mcow1]

This thread is making me think about using some 12 GA to biwire my B&W DM604s using the Grover SR I'm using now for the high side and 12 GA for the low.

[Gary Freed]

Heavy gauge wire helps. Some of the set ups I've seen at the higher end stores use cables as thick as a heavy lawn hose.

[jeff mai]

I know all the technical stuff about resistance / ft, damping factor, etc. I still say that for standard length runs try thinner wire. Are you sure the inductor coils (a lot of wire that is already in series with your woofers) in your speakers are made with 12 gauge wire? I'll bet they're not in most cases - even on expensive speakers.

A few extra tenths of ohms isn't going to make much difference to the damping in most cases! If you're biwiring at least try thin wires on the HF.

[Metralla]

There are no universals in audio, but 10 ga. wire for speaker cables could sound very poor unless the geometry was correct. Your typical multi-stranded cable of that gauge would not be my cup of tea.