BASIC CONNECTIONS and WIRING
Power and audio signal cables are the most common sources of sound system failure. Well made and carefully maintained cables are essential to the reliability of the entire system. If long speaker cables are required, make sure the wire is of sufficient size to transfer all of the available amplifier power to the speakers rather than absorbing power itself. As a rule of thumb, the larger the wire the better (larger wire has smaller "gauge numbers").
Below are two charts listing speaker wire gauges and recommendations for best results.
SPEAKER WIRE GAUGE
Larger diameter (small gauge number) wire is expensive and long cables made from it are heavy. Rather than running long speaker cables, it is better to locate power amplifiers near speakers and run a
The use of stranded wire is highly recommended since it is flexible and less prone to metal fatigue breakage. If an end is nicked while insulation is
SPEAKER WIRE LENGTH
100'-UP
(30.5
8 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
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10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
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12 | 14 | *16 | 18 |
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14 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
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16 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
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2Ω | 4Ω *8Ω 16Ω |
being stripped for connection, only one or two strands will break and not the entire wire.
NEVER use coiled cords for speaker hookup, even in an emergency.
Coiled
SPEAKER IMPEDANCE [z]
*Example - If the speaker wire length required is between
AWG | mm2 | Resistance in Ω per foot | |
(30.5 cm) @ 77º F (25º C) | |||
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18 | 0.83 | .00651 | |
16 | 1.32 | .00409 | |
14 | 2.10 | .00258 | |
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12 | 3.32 | .00162 | |
10 | 5.27 | .00102 | |
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8 | 8.38 | .00064 | |
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coiled
The
Be sure to turn on all other equipment before turning on the
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