2. cables
  3. 980549755

Does gauge of speaker cables matter?

Now a dumb question.For a full range speaker is it better to use say,a 9 gauge as opposed to a 12 gauge? Also if one were to use a double run of 12 gauge to the woofers would this be equal to a single 6 gauge run.Im considering this and using an 11 gauge single run to the tweeters.I would be using Harmonic Technology cables..Thanks!
david99
geno
11 posts
 
David, I always thought "the bigger the better", until I found out about Mapleshades cables here on Audiogon. I have used Cardas, Straightwire, PAD,ARC & several others. When I recieved the M.S.double golden helix cables I almost sent them back before I gave them a try. I thought no way could these small wires push my old inefficient Magnepans but they sound better than any thing I've used. I know all of this may be system dependent & is subjective but I wanted to give you something to consider. I can't explain why this worked for me, others here or Pierre @ Mapleshade would be able to provide an explanation. Good luck in your search for better sound.
drumsgreg's avatar
drumsgreg
154 posts
 
David, I can say the same for the Mapleshade stuff,it is very very good and when you see it you think man that shit can`t sound that good there is nothing to it, but be prepared to scrach your head in disbelief. I had some Omeaga Micro a-2 that when you saw them you wouldn`t have thought those cable could do what there did , but they do and they were the best IC I`ve ever had. they are very fragile and that is why I let them go, but last week I order two pair of there Clearview. They are very close to the Omeaga`s , they are only $65 for a one meter pair.I`ll let you know how they came out. Greg
tml2
234 posts
 
Dave i have found that lowe gauge 16/24 gauge makes the besy choice.If you can get 24 better and the run 8 or 16 conductors of it to get your desired heavy gauge.
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
Must be a guy thing,always obsessing about size./ My olds 454 can whip your ford 289/and the like. Speaker wire isn't only about size. Would,that it were that simple. A? What's next?-Diamonds by the pound?
milo
58 posts
 
To confuse things even more, there are some who feel that higher frequencies travel better on smaller guage wire (ie. 22-30 AWG) while lower frequencies should use larger gauge (8-12 AWG). But keep in mind that material used, whether copper or silver, will matter. You really should audition a number of cables of different types to see what sounds best in your system. Good luck, Dave
More to discover