Gentlemen, the reason for all of the uncertainty about the gauge of the Tara cable is that the wording at their website is ambiguous, in two respects.
First, the Omega Gold speaker cables are described as having a "separate positive and negative conductor run for each channel." However, every speaker cable in existence has a separate positive and negative conductor run (or runs) for each channel. At least electrically separate, that is. Whether or not the positive and negative conductors are physically joined together makes no difference with respect to gauge.
If by a "separate positive and negative conductor run for each channel" they mean that there are TWO conductor runs for positive for each channel, and another TWO conductor runs for negative for each channel (i.e., a "shotgun" connection), that would mean the aggregate resistance is half of what it would be if there were only one conductor run for positive and one for negative for each channel (everything else being equal), and the aggregate gauge would be 3 sizes lower than in the latter case.
But although I'm not familiar with the specific cable, I suspect that they do not mean that there are two conductors per polarity per channel, and that there is only one conductor (comprised of many individual rectangular strands, of course) per polarity per channel. Correct me if I'm wrong about that, with regard to this specific cable.
In any event, any reputable manufacturer, Tara certainly included, will define the gauge of a speaker cable based on the conductor(s) of ONE polarity, either + or -, and NOT define it as if the conductors for the two polarities are electrically connected in parallel, which of course they are not.
The second ambiguity relates to the reference to the gauge being 6+. That can be interpreted in two ways, as I see it:
1)The conductor(s) for each polarity are in total a little narrower than 6 gauge, and their resistance, correspondingly, is a little higher than a 6 gauge conductor of the same length would be. But the gauge is closer to 6 than to 7.
2)The conductor(s) for each polarity are in total a little thicker than 6 gauge, and their resistance, correspondingly, is a little lower than a 6 gauge conductor of the same length would be. But the gauge is closer to 6 than to 5.
After looking through their website pretty thoroughly, I see no way of being certain as to which of those two interpretations they are trying to convey. However, unless the impedance of the speakers that are being used is exceptionally low (examples being some older Apogee models, or Infinity Kappa 9's perhaps), AND the length of the cables is longer than usual, I doubt that it would make any difference either way.
Regards,
-- Al
