8 Gauge Speaker Cable

Leo: That chart is pretty conservative. Especially if it's your surrounds that require the length, and you don't use them much, you can get away with smaller wire. 8 AWG is almost certainly sufficient, and Sean's pseudo-11-gauge might even do the trick. Maybe you can try a few things out, since you're not talking about huge outlays here.

Sean's mostly on target here. I didn't mean to ignore factors other than resistance, but to provide a simple guide that was more meaningful than the one Leo had been using. Capacitance can be a factor in longer runs of ANY cable, though I'd tend to worry about resistance first and foremost. Interference is situation-specific (and less common than usually imagined, IMO). We'll agree to disagree about the sonic superiority of solid wire. But his specific product recommmendations are good ones, at zipcord prices. (But, of course, I think all cables should be sold at zipcord prices.)

After monitoring this rather long open forum on speaker cable runs, would some one please write and assure me that this is not for the rear channels of a Bose AcoustiMass System? Thanks so much

Bomarc, series resistance doesn't mean a thing if your amp is oscillating. As such, i would first look into the stability of the circuit as a whole ( amp, speaker cables and speakers ) and base my decision on the specific factors involved. Since he was using the Goertz website as a reference and they produce what may arguably be the most reactive wire on the market, i felt the need to stress that point.

One does need to keep in mind that i'm NOT bad-mouthing Goertz, as i personally own three different runs of MI-2 and one run of MI-3. Obviously, i think that their design has merit. Then again, so do other brands and products.

As to the suitability of the wires i suggested, i wouldn't have suggested them if they wouldn't work and work pretty well. Try measuring the series resistance of a 13 gauge wire for a pretty long run and see what you get. It will be negligible and even less with an 11 gauge.

The only time that you would run into problem with either of the above is if you are trying to pump high current on a continual basis through them. The dielectric absorption would increase and so would your losses. As such, i sincerely doubt that any system would be seeing more than a VERY few amps on a steady state basis, let alone a pair of surround speakers. I was trying to keep this as "real world" as possible and still obtain more than suitable results. I think that the prices reflect that intent too.

As to RFI, anyone that lives in a highly populated area that has high powered CB or amateur radio operation taking place has probably heard broadcasts coming through their stereo, tv, telephone, computer speakers, clock radio, etc.. on occasion. If they haven't, they should consider themselves lucky. Either way, adding a long run of wire of ANY design would only increase the chances of stray RF finding its way into the audio chain. As such, nobody wants to shell out money for something that won't work under all of the conditions that they may encounter. It is better to plan ahead and take ALL of the various factors that may arise into consideration and be done with it. That is a lot easier to find out the hard way that they should have planned ahead just a LITTLE more. Sean
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Sean, I'm gonna try the 100-768. At $35 plus shipping for the lengths I need it's hard to beat and definitely worth a try. Any more pointers? I was reading that quad-star (which is the pattern I'm assuming exists inside the white jacket) increases capacitance of a cable and that this is good for analog signals and bad for digital. While I think I more or less understand why, you have a better explanation? Thanks again!