Speaker wire enlightenment

Mike Sweeney

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I bought a pair of Sony speakers for now ( SS-5000P) and I had always been disappointed with them. The backstory is I used the OEM wiring that came with them. At the time, I just had my TV and with a non-restored Marantz 2226B driving them along with a Technics turn table. But they worked and that is what counted at the time.

Roll the clock forward and I've added a restored Marantz 1030 amp and I restored the 2226B. But the speakers still didnt have good depth or bass. When I was wiring in the 1030, I saw that OEM wiring and went, hmmmmm.. I have some 16 awg speaker wire I bought a while back so I made up some new leads and swapped them in. Suddenly I have depth, I have bass and the speakers dont crackle on the high end. Out of curiousity, I measured the actual wire in the sony kit. I went from 24 awg to 16 awg. I measured the sony stuff three times because I couldnt believe it was such a thin wire. I doubt I would ever hear a different with anything larger given my miminal wattage but the jump from 24 to 16 was really noticable.. go figure ;)

I just posted this for everyone's amusement on a saturday :D
 
Hard to put out a fire using a garden hose connected to a fire hydrant. that 24 gauge wire is kinda puny. It might even be copper coated aluminum.

16 gauge is a good size for many applications.
 
Hard to put out a fire using a garden hose connected to a fire hydrant. that 24 gauge wire is kinda puny. It might even be copper coated aluminum.

16 gauge is a good size for many applications.

Ah yes, copper-coated aluminum, or just CCA. I got stung on that junk TWICE. Never again, and for all of you, stay away from CCA wire, whatever else you do, or don't do, in audio.
 
I bought a pair of Sony speakers for now ( SS-5000P) and I had always been disappointed with them. The backstory is I used the OEM wiring that came with them. At the time, I just had my TV and with a non-restored Marantz 2226B driving them along with a Technics turn table. But they worked and that is what counted at the time.

Roll the clock forward and I've added a restored Marantz 1030 amp and I restored the 2226B. But the speakers still didnt have good depth or bass. When I was wiring in the 1030, I saw that OEM wiring and went, hmmmmm.. I have some 16 awg speaker wire I bought a while back so I made up some new leads and swapped them in. Suddenly I have depth, I have bass and the speakers dont crackle on the high end. Out of curiousity, I measured the actual wire in the sony kit. I went from 24 awg to 16 awg. I measured the sony stuff three times because I couldnt believe it was such a thin wire. I doubt I would ever hear a different with anything larger given my miminal wattage but the jump from 24 to 16 was really noticable.. go figure ;)

I just posted this for everyone's amusement on a saturday :D

Come on, everybody knows wires and cables don't change the sound............Well, everyone except you and me
 
I bought a pair of Sony speakers for now ( SS-5000P) and I had always been disappointed with them. The backstory is I used the OEM wiring that came with them. At the time, I just had my TV and with a non-restored Marantz 2226B driving them along with a Technics turn table. But they worked and that is what counted at the time.

Roll the clock forward and I've added a restored Marantz 1030 amp and I restored the 2226B. But the speakers still didnt have good depth or bass. When I was wiring in the 1030, I saw that OEM wiring and went, hmmmmm.. I have some 16 awg speaker wire I bought a while back so I made up some new leads and swapped them in. Suddenly I have depth, I have bass and the speakers dont crackle on the high end. Out of curiousity, I measured the actual wire in the sony kit. I went from 24 awg to 16 awg. I measured the sony stuff three times because I couldnt believe it was such a thin wire. I doubt I would ever hear a different with anything larger given my miminal wattage but the jump from 24 to 16 was really noticable.. go figure ;)

I just posted this for everyone's amusement on a saturday :D

Not surprising at all to me Mike. I have been testing gauge vs perception and in my system found 10 parallel 18 gauge solid wires sounded best. I did not think it would be that touchy. Neither 8 nor 12 in parallel sounded right in my system. 10 wires 18 gauge wire in parellel is a very general approx. 8.2 gauge.

keep on truckin

joe
 
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