how do i use this speaker wire?

[tende]

Okay, here's an admittedly stupid question.
I purchased a spool of Belkin High Performance Speaker Wire - 16 AWG, CL3 Rated - thinking it was good and inexpensive. I just want to connect my speakers using bare wire - thinking it makes for better connections than banana. The cable has: (a pair) solid wire, covered by a thin plastic sheath, surrounded by about a half dozen thin flexible copper wires and one thicker less flexible wire, then covered in the gray casing. Do I connect all the copper wires to the speaker terminals? why is there the one less flexible copper wire in the shielding? Did i buy the wrong wire? The 16 AWG seems awfully small compared to the twisted wire (Monster Cable) I'm used to using. Thanks.

 

[tende]

pics

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=860&pictureid=5076

 

[whoaru99]

Do I connect all the copper wires to the speaker terminals?

Yes.

why is there the one less flexible copper wire in the shielding?

The cables are built according to some theories that higher and lower frequencies "flow better" (for lack of other terms) in different gauges of wire.

Did i buy the wrong wire?

No. It should work just fine as long as your lengths are not more than ~40ft.

The 16 AWG seems awfully small compared to the twisted wire (Monster Cable) I'm used to using.

The type of stranding and twisting of the cable can make the same gauge of seem thicker or thinner. Also, if the Monster cable has clear jacket/insulation, that sometimes acts like a magnifying glass and the cable looks larger than it actually is.

 

[tende]

I'll twist all the wires together

Thanks for the help.
So, I'll, of course, strip the outside jackets off, also strip the clear sleeve covering the solid center inner wire and twist the solid center inner wire with the outside twisted wires and the one outside solid wire all together. great!

 

[von.ah]

There is a lot of architecture going on there. Great pics. The ribbon-like wire wound around the thinner guage solid strands is cool-looking.

I wonder if it'll slice up your fingers when you twist it.