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Canare 4S11 two strands vs four strands

Hi, I'm going to run about 160' of speaker wire to a pair of outside speakers. I'm thinking about using Canare 4S11 which has four strands in a cable. If I understand it correctly, two strands are the equivalent of 14 gauge and 4 strands are the equivalent of 11 gauge. So if I want 14 gauge per speaker I could use one cable, but if I want 11 gauge per speaker I would need two cables.

Questions:
1. Has anyone at shorter/normal distances (say up to 30 feet or so) listened to 2 strands per speaker vs. 4 strands per speaker? Can you hear any difference?
2. Does anyone think that given the relatively long distance of 160 feet from amplifier to speakers that using 4 strands (effectively using 11 gauge vs 14 gauge) would make a sonic improvement? Would it be in gain, or some other sonic attribute? And how much of an improvement would it be (barely noticeable, clearly detectable but only in a A-B comparison, or something you'd notice instantly)?

If I could get by with 2 strands per speaker, the price for the cable (along with the conduit installation) would be less/about half since I'd only have to run one cable out to the speaker location. For what it's worth, Crutchfield shows a chart that says they recommend 14 gauge speaker wire from 80 to 200 feet, and they recommend 12 gauge for distances greater than 200 feet; according to their chart I could use 14 gauge (2 strands) per speaker - but I don't want to have to redo this, so if I need to run two Canare 4S11 cables and use four wires (two per terminal) per speaker, it's doable.

Also, one other question: if you use one cable with 4 strands per speaker and two strands per terminal, does it matter which color strands you mate together into pairs?

Thanks for sharing any experience or advice.

Hi_hifi
hi_hifi
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Anything you use will probably work, but here's a couple of things to consider:

1. Not sure why but with speaker cable you want the send (pos) and the return (neg) to be together, molded side by side like lampcord, or twisted around inside the same sheath like Canare Quad or otherwise interwoven like Kimber. Simply put, a separate cable for each terminal is not recommended. For optimal results with the Canare use one Quad per speaker.

2. Consider using bulk Home Depot power cord as speaker cable. No idea how stout the gauge but it's probably pretty thick, at least worth a look. This idea got a rave or two a short while back.

Here's to keeping everything clearly marked!
tgrisham
1,291 posts
 
It does not matter which strands you pair as long as you are consistent end to end. I have used 4S11 but for my 30 foot run I used a pair of them and did not compare 2 vs 4 strands. Since you are going for outdoor speakers, will you notice the difference? And, it may depend more on the amplifier you use and if it can handle the long run. Good luck!
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I beleive the 4S11 is made up of four strands of 14 gauge wire. I've used it for wiring amps and speakers and by the size of the individua; strands I'm sure it's 14 gauge each. When I strip it with wire stripper I use the 14 gauge stripper and it works perfectly. Anyway that gives you exactly what you need. It is very nice budget cable IMO.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Timrhu is right on about the Canare. Verbatim from the HAVE Inc. catalog: 4S11 is 14 gauge with effective 11 AWG of combined twin conductors.
hi_hifi OP
120 posts
 
Thanks for the replies - so do you think I could get by with one cable for the pair of speakers (two strands would be the plus and minus for the left speaker and two strands would be the plus and minus for the right speaker)? Or at 170 feet would I get a better sound if I twisted the strands so as to use one full (4 strand) cable for the left speaker and a second full (4 strand cable) cable for the right speaker?

- Also does anyone know if comparably priced Belden or Liberty cable would sound any better or worse than the Carnare 4S11? How about standard 12 gauge Lowes zip cord - think it would sound any better or worse than the Canare 4S11?

Thanks again
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