This may be a silly question but...

Standard household electrical wire was used for ages before audiophile grade speaker wire was marketed by Monster. Generally called zip cord, it will work. Sonic quality is another story. Recently one of the audio mags recommended Home Depot orange and black colored heavy duty extension cord as a good alternative.

I'm guessing you're trying to compare Romex to the Anti-Cables? The Anti-Cables are made of OHNO Constant Cast, Oxygen Free Copper(one single, very long/very pure crystal), and covered with a very thin insulator(virtually eliminating dielectric absorption). Romex/house wiring utilizes some of the cheapest copper(multiplied thousands of oxygen/corrosion laden crystals per inch) available, and has very thick, very inferior insulation. Not even comparable.

Ncarv...Standard house wire is NOT zip cord. Zip cord is lamp wire, usually 18 gauge or 16 gauge "stranded" wire.

ROMEX is house wire which is usually 10 to 14 gauge "solid" core wire that is MASSED produced to really no tolerance at all. Just like Rodman above describes.

Paul Klipsch supposedly used to say that lamp cord was good enough.....