questoin about speaker cables.
 

So I just upgraded to a new yamaha receiver, and was wondering what is the deal with speaker wire ?? Is it worth it to get Monster speaker wire or is a decent 16 gauge wire sufficient as long as its not the dollar store quality ??

The wife won't be impressed with wires everywhere , so I'll most likely have to wire through the walls. However, the longest length should still be under 30 feet (which I hear is the cut-off before you notice loss).

I see futureshop.ca has some Monster speaker kits with all the cables and clips. Its $130 bucks though. I don't mind spending the extra dough if it makes a difference, but I don't want to toss the cash if a decent quality 16 guage wire will do the trick. I see futureshop also sells spools of wire from Acoustic Research for around $50. These are canadian prices.

From the initial research on the net, it looks like the cheaper $50 cable will do the trick, but would like to hear your guys opinions.

Thanks in advance
Jas

Monster cables are too expensive for what you get. Try the following:

Sound King speaker cable
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage....7&WebPage_ID=3

Blue Jeans Cable
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm

AR stuff is good also.

16ga lamp wire is fine for a 30 foot run. If the runs will be longer go to 14ga. 100 foot runs with high-power amplifiers can benefit from 12 ga wire. Buy it in bulk at Home Depot etc.

Buying premium speaker wire is a waste of money.

RichC

I agree. I think I got mine at Lowe's for about $0.20/ft. Home Depot or any other major home improvement store should carry inexpensive wire that does everything the big brand name stuff does.

I believe I paid $.29/ft for 14 ga at Home Depot.

That is what I used and search around and you can find 10% off coupons (yes I'm that cheap!)

I agree with everything, except that I would recommend 12AWG for everything. It isn't too big that it will cause problems (due to high capacitance, etc.) and it isn't too small that it will cause problems (like limiting the signal). And it isn't too expensive that it's that bad compared to 14 or 16AWG.

If you're running speaker wire through walls make sure you get wire that is designed for that. Most homeowners insurance policies and building codes require a specific type of wiring for in-wall use (I believe the difference is in the jacket, not the wire itself).

I just went to walmart and bought a nice spool of 14 gauge speaker wire (for car stereos) in the automotive dept. and it works great for my surrounds. it was only $15 for a 50' spool.

There are CL3 rated speaker wires, not plenum rated, just inwall. And they are not much more expensive, if at all. PartsExpress.com is nice and cheap, $.20/ft for 12AWG Carol cable. Local codes vary so you should always double check where you live, but if you are running from wall plate to wall plate, might as well follow standard code. If you are simply running speaker wire into one hole and out another without extra connectors at the wall, it probably isn't a big deal.