18awg

[icor1031]

Is there any reason not to use 18 for my speakers, if I do not listen loud?

[Soundslike]

Re: 18awg

I'll leave that to the more knowledgeable types here -- but they're sure to ask:

Are you talking about wiring from amp to speaker? Or hook-up wire inside the speaker?

How long is the run?

[GranteedEV]

Re: 18awg

Is there any reason not to use 18 for my speakers, if I do not listen loud?

Are we talking about an inductor, or just wire ?

[icor1031]

Re: 18awg

Wire, from receiver to speaker.

[AJ]

Re: 18awg

It'll be fine. Any inductor dcr in the crossover will swamp the resistance of a few feet of 18AWG.

[icor1031]

Re: 18awg

?

Any inductor dcr in the crossover will swamp the resistance of a few feet of 18AWG.

[Herman Trivilino]

Re: 18awg

I think AJ's response referred to wiring within the cabinet. But your question is about the speaker wire that runs from receiver to speaker. I think 18 awg is probably ok for most applications. 16 awg is more often recommended.

I've got 16 awg in my living room, but at work where I've recently installed some DIY speakers I'm using 18 awg with no problems.

[[email protected]]

Re: 18awg

aj abviously thought you were talking about inductors. if you are doing a long
run use at least 14awg. imho

[Leroy R]

Re: 18awg

Asking what guage wire to use is one of those topics that is hotly debated. I'm in the camp that thinks the larger guage wires are just the product of marketing and serve no purpose other than relieving you of more of your hard earned money. 18 guage is fine in my opinion. I have used as large as 14 guage, but believe that is even overkill for the average runs in a home.

The inductors in your crossovers use typically 18 to 20 guage wire and if you unwound the wire off even one of those inductors, the length would be equal to or more than likely exceeding the length of your speaker wire runs from your amp to your speakers.

[billfitzmaurice]

Re: 18awg

Is there any reason not to use 18 for my speakers

Loud doesn't matter, load impedance and wire length does. Use this:
http://www.bcae1.com/images/swfs/spe...rassistant.swf

[AJ]

Re: 18awg

No, I was talking about all of the hook-up wiring, from amp to speaker and inside the speaker. The average inductor used in a low pass crossover will have more DC resistance (DCR) than a few feet of 18AWG wire, making the inductor construction much more critical than what gauge hook-up wire you use. And even then, it's not all that critical if you design the xo taking that dc resistance into account.

For a normal stereo setup 18AWG wire is all you need.

[icor1031]

Re: 18awg

Why does dB loss matter? Don't you just turn it up more?

But, here:

[billfitzmaurice]

Re: 18awg

Why does dB loss matter? Don't you just turn it up more?

I guess that's one way to look at it. But it's not like the difference in price between 24 ga and 16 ga, for instance, is going to require taking out a second mortgage.
The point of the calculator is that it allows you to figure out what gauge you need so that you don't have any audible insertion loss. Most of us think that it's worth spending what you must to have no audible insertion loss, but there's no point in spending more.

[icor1031]

Re: 18awg

O.K.

Regardless, I'm 1/4dB loss with mine. ;) And the 18 I'm getting is about 75% cheaper than the 16. $21 for 200ft.

Thank you, gentlemen.

[jmb]

Re: 18awg

Worst case scenario, if you use the 18g and feel that you have lost any significant signal, you can double up on the 18g (i.e., one wire for each path) and you have an effective 15g wire for less than you would have paid for the 16g.