Here is my opinion on this.....as Albert Porter said, the gauge of most speaker wire is overkill - strictly considering the insulation breakdown point. I other words, 16 awg wire can easily pass 15 amps of current without melting the insulation and causing a short or even a fire. However, from an audio perspective, wire needs to pass a lot of transient signals to sound good (fast, short-term power demands). I my experience I have found that the series inductance of the wire has the most influence on sound. Inductance resists current flow, so wires with lower series inductance values will pass short-term, transient signals better, resulting in better sound. That said, I agree that the results should be audible, which is the ultimate test of any component. :o)
Speaker cable gauge and amplifier power
Based on my limited understanding of electricity, sending electricity through a wire is like sending water through a pipe. Using a larger cable gauge or bi-wiring will increase the amount of current required from the amplifier.
It seems like there must be a way to optimize speaker cable gauge and length based on an amp's current and watt ratings. Lower powered amps would mate best with narrower gauge speaker wire, and a powerful amp would benefit from thicker wire.
Am I oversimplifying, or are there established guidelines based on calculations of current, capacitance, etc.?
It seems like there must be a way to optimize speaker cable gauge and length based on an amp's current and watt ratings. Lower powered amps would mate best with narrower gauge speaker wire, and a powerful amp would benefit from thicker wire.
Am I oversimplifying, or are there established guidelines based on calculations of current, capacitance, etc.?
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- 19 posts total
- 19 posts total