"Using a larger cable gauge or bi-wiring will increase the amount of current required from the amplifier."
The word that has you pointed in the wrong direction is 'required'. That's not the way amplifiers work. The drive Voltage creates a 'pressure' in the conductor; the amount of current that flows is simply the inverse of the resistance that Voltage 'sees'. If the resistance is low, high current flows, generating lots of power. If the resistance is high, low current flows, generating a small amount of power. The amp doesn't 'work harder' in either situation.
In an audio situation, the load resistance--the speaker--is relatively constant*, and what varies hugely is the Voltage presented to the amp by the upstream component, usually some form of preamplifier. If one part of the signal is 20 times higher in Voltage than some other, 20 times as much Voltage will flow into the speaker.
What will change with different gages of conductors is how much of that amplifier power will be absorbed by the speaker cable, because the cable always has some, however small, resistance. Current flowing thru a conductor that has resistance, and they all do, is converted into heat. That's just one reason** we try to keep the resistance of speakercable as low as reasonable possible.
Albert's last statement is correct--there are MANY factors that influence the sound of speakercable. The thickness of the conductors is just one.
* Folks, I don't need any reminders about impedance v. resistance, just go with the flow of my highly simplified example, pls. :-)
** Another reason is so that we reduce the amplifier's damping factor as little as possible.
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The word that has you pointed in the wrong direction is 'required'. That's not the way amplifiers work. The drive Voltage creates a 'pressure' in the conductor; the amount of current that flows is simply the inverse of the resistance that Voltage 'sees'. If the resistance is low, high current flows, generating lots of power. If the resistance is high, low current flows, generating a small amount of power. The amp doesn't 'work harder' in either situation.
In an audio situation, the load resistance--the speaker--is relatively constant*, and what varies hugely is the Voltage presented to the amp by the upstream component, usually some form of preamplifier. If one part of the signal is 20 times higher in Voltage than some other, 20 times as much Voltage will flow into the speaker.
What will change with different gages of conductors is how much of that amplifier power will be absorbed by the speaker cable, because the cable always has some, however small, resistance. Current flowing thru a conductor that has resistance, and they all do, is converted into heat. That's just one reason** we try to keep the resistance of speakercable as low as reasonable possible.
Albert's last statement is correct--there are MANY factors that influence the sound of speakercable. The thickness of the conductors is just one.
* Folks, I don't need any reminders about impedance v. resistance, just go with the flow of my highly simplified example, pls. :-)
** Another reason is so that we reduce the amplifier's damping factor as little as possible.
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