Speaker Wire: How to Choose the Right Gauge and Type

In a nutshell: Most speakers don't come with speaker wire. It’s up to you to select the right gauge (thickness) and type of wire for your system. You can buy speaker wire with connectors or without. For in-wall or ceiling speakers, you'll need UL-rated speaker wire labeled CL2 or CL3. Read our in-wall wiring guide for more information.

Usually, 18 gauge wire is sufficient, except for high power (subwoofer) applications. Different wires will have different line capacitances, which can cause the wire to act as a low pass filter. This is one of the selling points of high end cables. You may be temped to use typical electrical wire instead of speaker wire to save money.

Always use wire that's rated for in-wall installation. Look for speaker wire with a CL2 or CL3 rating. Wire rated CL2P or CL3P is for placement in a plenum-rated airspace above a drop ceiling in a commercial building. You'll want cable rated for direct burial if you're running it through the ground to outdoor speakers. Speaker wire gauge and ...

Wiring the Right Way: Creating the Perfect 5.1 and 7.1 Setup. Sure, it’s great to throw down a bunch of cash for a nice complete home theater speaker system and the amp that makes it all work together, but this is only the beginning. Although many people take wiring for granted or consider it only as a necessary afterthought, the way people hook things up makes every difference in how their ...

If a speaker wire doesn't have a two-tone color scheme, look for a single stripe or dashed lines (these usually indicate the positive end) along one of the sides. If your wire has light-colored insulation, this stripe or dash may be dark. If the insulation is a dark color, the stripe or dash is more likely to be white.

Speaker Gauge Wire Watts. To avoid short circuits and to ensure safety, the power or wattage of your source should be compatible with your speaker gauge wires. For home theatre applications, which usually utilizes from 150 to 1000 watts amplifiers, the most ideal and recommended is the 12-gauge speaker wire.

Click the buttons at the top to add Audio/Video components to the diagram. Click or to add or remove outputs from a component. Use the first drop down list on each component to connect to a different component. Use the second drop down list to change the type of wire. More stars below means better quality wire.

Then the connection that sends the audio from the amplifier to the speaker is called a wire or cable. However, in home theater wiring discussions these terms are often used quite loosely and the term cable, lead or wire is used for all types of connections.

Whole house audio systems are a big deal, and they are certainly one of the more exciting aspects of thinking about the functionality and use of your home during the pre-construction phase. Wiring your audio correctly, and with a mid on the future possibilities, is a big part of that consideration.

Multi-room audio allows you to enjoy music and other audio content all over the house. You can pre-wire as many rooms as you like. You can pre-wire for surround sound, individual speakers, and audio bars for home cinemas. Home Security. You can pre-wire entire security systems or, if you’re going