Speaker wire too big?

river25 said:
12 gauge cable - Depends on the actual distance between the amp and the speakers, plus power you wish to push through the speaker wires.
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No, it really has nothing to do with the power, just the distance. You want minimum resistance in the lines to the speakers, but even a 16 gauge wire can carry enough current to destroy almost any speaker.
 
river25 said:
12 gauge wire is good for 20amps! You seriously pumping 20A out of your amp?
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So, if I go by this logic what size wire do you think I would need for this spec?

Parasound HCA 1200
Current Capacity
40 amperes continuous
57 amperes peak, up to 200msec.

Sorry about the hijack, but I just got to ask.
 
AVService said:
This is why God invented Speakons!
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Back in the day, the best pro audio (music PA's, etc.) connectors were made by Hubbell. Big yellow locking connectors!

I wish that vintage receivers all had these type of connectors built in (Hubbell, Neutrik, etc).

I wish ALL gear used them STOCK as speaker termination.

I do realize that, for the most part, they are (in all but the cheapest systems) the industry standard in pro audio applications.

I'm sure that the home audio way (spring loaded holes, screw posts) is a more cost-effective way to skin that cat. :yes:
 
purple1 said:
So, if I go by this logic what size wire do you think I would need for this spec?

Parasound HCA 1200
Current Capacity
40 amperes continuous
57 amperes peak, up to 200msec.

Sorry about the hijack, but I just got to ask.
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Dunno about you but for a 2270 driving a pair of Heresys in a home environment, 16 gauge is more than adequate.
 
Markw said:
Dunno about you but for a 2270 driving a pair of Heresys in a home environment, 16 gauge is more than adequate.
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But going by the logic of #12 carries only 20 amps maybe I should be using a much larger wire than the #12 I got hooked up. Looks like #6 might be a better choice for me. :scratch2:
 

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I'd recommend what Taowolf51 said: use a pin connector. Cardas makes really nice rhodium-plated ones, but other, cheaper brands probably work just as well. You'll get a nice, solid connection into even very small holes. I used a pair for a while with 12 gauge speaker wire and those cruddy little spring connectors on the back of NS-1000Ms. Worked fine.


You want size-reduction troubles? You should have seen what I gerry-rigged when I tried using elevator cable (total strands thicker than my wrist!) as speaker cables, just for fun. (Incidentally, it sounded great, but the weight of the cables had to be supported, or it would have pulled the speakers off the stands! lol)
 
purple1 said:
But going by the logic of #12 carries only 20 amps maybe I should be using a much larger wire than the #12 I got hooked up. Looks like #6 might be a better choice for me. :scratch2:
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The amp supplies only as much currrent as your speakers draw. Realistically, do you really expect to draw anywhere near that much current?
 
Markw said:
The amp supplies only as much currrent as your speakers draw. Realistically, do you really expect to draw anywhere near that much current?
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No. I don't. I was simply pointing out a flaw in the logic of the current vs wire size in an audio system. You can't go by house wire size standards here.
 
I soldered some brass escutcheon nails into the ends of some wire that was too large to fit into the spring connectors of an old pair of ADS speakers. The sharp end of the nails easily slipped into the core of the wire. I then took some side-cutters and removed the mushroom capped end, and filed off the cut-off burr. They worked great for those speakers.

14x1.5oz.jpg
 
Worked with a couple ideas with my 2270.

You could try these (pic at the bottom). Wire goes up and in the bottom piece, spreads out, then you screw the top piece over it, pins go into 2270 speaker holes.

BE VERY CAREFUL THAT THE TWO CONNECTORS NEVER TOUCH or POOF. The pins fit nice in the holes but they can swivel to the left and right. Something like shrinkwrap or insulated tape might do the trick.

Ultimately I found the 18 ga RS speaker wire to be the best for my app. It has just 6 or 7 stiff strands in it (not a bunch of hair like strands in some). It's stiff, twists together, fits easy into the 2270 holes and, IMO, sounds better this way.

I doubt your Heresys would benefit from the larger gauge but if you think it does, that's all that matters.

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purple1 said:
But going by the logic of #12 carries only 20 amps maybe I should be using a much larger wire than the #12 I got hooked up. Looks like #6 might be a better choice for me. :scratch2:
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How many amps do you think your amplifier is producing? 300 watts into an 8 ohm speaker is about 6 amps.
 
i would vote for tinning the ends of the wire. it will keep them from fraying and shorting, and stave off oxidation of the copper.
 
Tom Bombadil said:
How many amps do you think your amplifier is producing? 300 watts into an 8 ohm speaker is about 6 amps.
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I think you may have missed my point in post #29. So lets clear things up a bit. We don't need 10 or 12 gauge wire to carry large current. We need that gauge for the low resistance it places in the connection path to our speakers. BTW try your math with a 4 and then a 2 ohm load. :yikes:

I could use larger gauge wire but would have the same problem as the OP. It will not all fit into the speakers or the amp.
 
I know about the resistance factor. The typical rule of thumb for 12AWG is that it is good for up to a 30' length into a 2 ohm load, up to 60' into 4 ohms. At those lengths, the resistance in the wire is at 5% of the impedance of the system.
 
Grab 10 feet of standard house wire and 10ft of gauge 12 wire, or monster cable, or 6 gauge wire, and measure the resistance of all of them. You normal multimeter will probably register 0 ohms for all the above. You will need a very accurate meter, which can go down to 100ths of an ohm to find any difference. Try it with 20ft lengths and the results will be still very similar.

Unless you have a really long run from the amp to the speakers, you do not need any specialised or large gauge wire.

Furthermore, measure the voltage coming out of the wall socket at the outlet that is furthest from your meter box. If house cables have too much resistance you would see a substantial drop in voltage, compared to the power coming into your house.

If you think the larger gauge wire makes your system sound better then use it. It certainly can't hurt, but it offers no real benefits over a smaller gauge cable (ie one that will fit into your amp and speaker connectors).
 
I've always recommended people wrap electrical tape around these to prevent shorts. Yes, it's ugly and hides the pretty gold color but, hey, it's their choice. Odds are they will touch eventually and, like you said, POOF!

onemug said:
Worked with a couple ideas with my 2270.

You could try these (pic at the bottom). Wire goes up and in the bottom piece, spreads out, then you screw the top piece over it, pins go into 2270 speaker holes.

BE VERY CAREFUL THAT THE TWO CONNECTORS NEVER TOUCH or POOF. The pins fit nice in the holes but they can swivel to the left and right. Something like shrinkwrap or insulated tape might do the trick.

Ultimately I found the 18 ga RS speaker wire to be the best for my app. It has just 6 or 7 stiff strands in it (not a bunch of hair like strands in some). It's stiff, twists together, fits easy into the 2270 holes and, IMO, sounds better this way.

I doubt your Heresys would benefit from the larger gauge but if you think it does, that's all that matters.

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