Can I use 24 gauge speaker cable?

I have recent personal experience on this subject. I had speaker wire made from Mogami Neglex 2534 microphone wire - star quad 2 x 24awg per lead - so 2 x the 24ga the OP asked about. With that wire the highs were wonderful, the mids almost too strong, anything lower than upper bass almost non existent. As if the woofers were disconnected. I replaced that cable w 12 ga low voltage underground cable I picked up fm Home Depot. Seems like I lost much of the resolution but that may be because the bass returned & so its not as prominent. I just finished making cables from Canare 4S11. I'll listen tomorrow & see if I get the best of both worlds. Summation: Thin wire, lost bass; Heavier cable, bass returns. Cable length about 10'. YMMV. BTW, I'm very happy w the Neglex 2534 w RCAs as interconnects - just not as speaker wire. My experience pretty much jives w what rcronk posted above. 

So, I am wonderin about using both a 12 gauge wire and a smaller gauge (perhaps 24 gauge) wire each sleeved in its own teflon tube but banded  together for each + and - terminal.
This way, there would be a smaller wire for the skin affect for the higher frequencies and a heavier gauge for the lower frequencies.

Any thoughts on this approach?

ozzy

My favorite of all the cables I've tried is a 8' doubled pair of PTFE insulated single strand 22AWG UPOCC copper (equivalent to about 18AWG per lead) with a textile jacket.
While not the heaviest gauge speaker wire I've tried, I n an 8' run, is the most open, smooth and detailed cable that I've tried - performing very well with bass, mids and highs. I found them to work very well with both dynamic box and  planer speakers.

For longer runs than 8' or 10' - may need to do three runs per lead....Jim

I'm going to try using 12 ga,18, 24, 30 gauge .9999 solid  soft annealed silver wire. Each wire will be sleeved through individual PTEF tubing and combined at the speaker/amp terminals.
I may even try them bare with no connectors.

ozzy