Recommended (or more like necessary) for Home Audio?

According to online recommendations 14AWG or even 12AWG is recommended for my speakers and amplifier at 115 watt max @ 6ohms / 80 watt max @ 8ohms

Speakers are fronts 75watt 6ohms though surrounds are 100watt 8ohms. Looking for new centre which will be 6ohms.

12, or even 14 seems a little over the top at 2mm or even 1.6mm.

 

Any thoughts or recommendations appreciated

Ps I don't think i will be buying the QED Supremus at £1760 per 5metre pair.

Edited 26 October, 20196 yr by Tilt

What Hi-Fi did a back-to-back listening panel test on wires, quite a lot of years ago.

They ran from ultra-thin-ultra-cheap-single-copper-strand stuff, right up to gold-plated-O2-free-unobtainium (I guess like the QED ones you mention), playing the same music through otherwise unchanged kit each time.

 

The panels agreed there was a difference in sound between them... but no agreement on which were best; some people even preferring the ultra cheapies!

 

So, buy the cable that suits your budget... and maybe if you will be able to see them at all, look nicest. I'm sure they'll be fine

Well, regarding the AWG, more research seems to point to the main factor being the length of cable run taking into account the Ohms of the speaker (and these also matching the amp).

16 AWG copper cable (NOT CCA) seems correct for my 11mtr (36ft) length required for my surrounds, to get the best out of them without overworking the amp.

Surprisingly, nothing like as big required for my fronts and centre. Seems nothing to do with power output either.

... and anyone who tells you you need thicker cables because of skin effect needs to check using this calculator.

 

At 20kHz the skin depth is 0.461mm so any cable over 1mm diameter will not be subject to skin effect.

On 27/10/2019 at 09:53, PetrolDave said:

... and anyone who tells you you need thicker cables because of skin effect needs to check using this calculator.

 

At 20kHz the skin depth is 0.461mm so any cable over 1mm diameter will not be subject to skin effect.

Dave- from my old C & G days ,skin effect is not relevant  at audio frequencies.

 

11 hours ago, VWD said:

Dave- from my old C & G days ,skin effect is not relevant  at audio frequencies.

Which is EXACTLY the point I am making - some audio "experts" witter on about how you need really thick speaker cables to avoid the AC resistance of the cable (at audio frequencies) being increased by skin effect, which is to put it bluntly is a load of  ******** (something found in fields frequented by bovines).

it's th same with other sorts of cables. All the "experts tell us that you need (name a precious metal) cable to get the best from any  AV device. Proved in an experiment on TV. NO difference. Then there's the name tag & frequency range on HI FI. I rmember an experiment, I did in my 30's with audio kit ( not just the cheak junk on the high street ,but pro broadcast quality gear , with pro oscillators and Amps) . We also tried this on apprentices. They could hear circa 18k , but no more. My recollection is that I failed to hear past 15k. But i did notice that the additional upr frequencies added to the quality. So again- not what the "experts " say, but I'd say if looking for HI FI - buy by what sounds best to you, not by label or response. 

 

I should have specified that the question was specifically in regards to my new surround speakers, rather than the fronts and centre.

 

And to do with the length of run to the rear. 

My old surrounds (off of my old tv and not really suited to the amp) had cables attached, but my new ones don't.

However, my new centre speaker's instructions states that rear / surround speaker cable is not so critical.

 

Thanks anyways guys.....will probably try to get some reasonable priced 1mm squared stuff. Should be adequate to get the best from the speakers.

I tend to use the 2.5mm 79 strand version of this:

 

http://www.cabling4less.co.uk/products/2039/ofc_high_grade_copper_speaker_cable/

 

Does the job nicely and cheap

i found some 2w on e bay. It's power cable multi strand ( circa 1mm when twisted), but it's got the advantage of being red & black, making it easier to phase speakers correctly .

@skomaz Thanks for the link bud...         I bought 25m of the 1.3mm for my surrounds (in post on it's way at mo) rather than risking ebay and ending up with inferior CCA cable.

 

I thought 2.5mm bit ott for me though. I'm sure 2.5mm can carry about 4.6kw??? 

 

Cheers again

2 hours ago, Tilt said:

I thought 2.5mm bit ott for me though. I'm sure 2.5mm can carry about 4.6kw??? 

The power handling of 2.5mm cable depends on the voltage.

 

At 240V (UK mains) it can carry 4.6kW but most amplifiers don't generate anything like that much voltage.

^^^Yeah, that is why I thought 2.5mm a bit ott. That's gotta be similar to cabling your oven, Lol.

 

However, 12 to 14AWG is recommended for long-ish runs for speakers............still seems a bit overkill to me tho.

 

Anyway, it's here now........should do the trick.

 

Cheers all.

2 hours ago, Tilt said:

^^^Yeah, that is why I thought 2.5mm a bit ott. That's gotta be similar to cabling your oven, Lol.

2.5mm is for a ring main, ovens should be wired with 4mm (or if a double oven 6mm).