I had a few people tell me that running wire contiguous( unbroken ) from the receiver to the speakers is the best method and yields the best performance.
I would prefer to have connecting plates on the walls. How much does having a the wiring broken effect performance? Also, if a broken setup is used, does it hurt performance to run a thicker gauge within the walls and a thinner gauge from the plate to the receiver or speakers? Thanks.

Christopher

You'll be fine either way.

A continuous piece may offer some theoretical benefit but, in actual practice, it would be difficult (at best) to prove out any difference. Assuming, that is, all your connections are up to snuff.

Perhaps the biggest concern using the in-wall/wall plate approach is to make sure the wires are connected such that you can be sure of amp/speaker polarity when you connect it all.

I had a few people tell me that running wire contiguous( unbroken ) You mean continuous. Contiguous means adjacent or abutting but not without a border. http://m-w.com/dictionary/contiguous

Oh, yes, it is preferable for the wiring to be continuous but it may be more convenient, in practice, to have connections.

Oh, yes, it is preferable for the wiring to be continuous but it may be more convenient, in practice, to have connections.


Preferable to whom and for what technical reason?

It makes no technical difference one way or the other. If it made a difference, you would not have connectors on receivers and speakers. For that matter, you would not have electrical connectors inside a receiver and inside speakers.

You mean continuous. Contiguous means adjacent or abutting but not without a border. http://m-w.com/dictionary/contiguous


Actually I meant "Contiguous". I felt it better described what I was trying to say. I suppose you can also use "Continuous".

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/contiguous

"Connecting without a break:" or "uninterrupted"


http://m-w.com/dictionary/contiguous

This would probably be the closest from your dictionary link:
"connected throughout in an unbroken sequence"


And thanks for the wiring advice.

Christopher

Preferable to whom and for what technical reason?Any connection is susceptible to wear and tear and, perhaps, corrosion/dirt/oxidation. As I said, convenience usually trumps that concern................even for me.

Actually I meant "Contiguous". I felt it better described what I was trying to say. I suppose you can also use "Continuous".

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/contiguous

"Connecting without a break:" or "uninterrupted"


http://m-w.com/dictionary/contiguous

This would probably be the closest from your dictionary link:
"connected throughout in an unbroken sequence"I saw that link/definition but, imho, it fails to distinguish between the words even if that is casually acceptable.

For example, in my regular (day job) business, the relationship between most connected and communicating neurons is a contiguous one but, since each neuron is a separate cell, they are not continuous. There are exceptions but the terms serve to distinguish one relationship from another.

A highway between two cities, with no gaps or turns, is called 'contiguous'. :)

oh boy... fun with words... :D

"contiguous" implies sharing a boundary (either in time or space)...

"continuous" implies uninterrupted...

two cities that are connected by a road but do not share a boundary are not "contiguous", and the road that connects them is not "contiguous", but may be "continuous"... a single entity, such as a road, cannot be considered to be "contiguous", as there is nothing for it to share it's boundary (either in time or space) with...

kal wins... :D

A highway between two cities, with no gaps or turns, is called 'contiguous'. :)Not by me. The highway may be continuous (no gaps or turns) but the cities are only contiguous if their legal boundaries abut. Otherwise, they are merely neighbors.

................the road that connects them is not "contiguous"
Of course it is.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=contiguous+highway&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8

your link proves my point... ;)

your link proves my point... ;)
From that link:

"A contiguous loop surrounds the entire Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro area."

"This scenic route is actually three separate segments of highway. Monterey and San Luis Obispo portions are contiguous."

"Florida 84 exists in two segments: one in Naples and the other in Fort Lauderdale and Davie. These two segments used to be contiguous until the Everglades Parkway/Alligator Alley was recommissioned as Interstate 75/Florida 93."

This site is great. In the words of Forest Gump, it's like a box of chocolates. You never know what your going to get, regardless of what question you may ask. !!!!!

Route 66 (http://www.sunset.com/sunset/Premium/Travel/2000/06-Jun/RoadTrips0600/RT06004Route66.html)

"Today, the longest contiguous strip of that immortal blacktop cuts through northern Arizona."

Route 66 (http://www.stjo66.de/contiguous.htm)

"There is lot of contiguous road all along the original 2448 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles you can drive thru. AZ claims the sector between Ashfork and Topock as the longest contiguous stretch of remaining US66 - but that statement is well discussable."

From that link:

"A contiguous loop surrounds the entire Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro area."

the author of that line uses the word incorrectly if he is considering it to be "one road"... although, technically speaking, since it is labeled as 2 different roads (i-494 and i-694) they do share a boundary (in this case where i-94 splits it)....

again, contiguous implies sharing a boundary... or, in the case of something like land (i.e. states), a sequence of shared boundaries... the "lower 48" can be considered to be "contiguous" when taken as a whole, but maine and california when taken individually are not...

on topic (just for the heck of it :p )... as long as the connections are good, it should be "transparent to the user"...

Route 66 (http://www.sunset.com/sunset/Premium/Travel/2000/06-Jun/RoadTrips0600/RT06004Route66.html)

"Today, the longest contiguous strip of that immortal blacktop cuts through northern Arizona."

usage is incorrect... :)

usage is incorrect... :)
No, it's not.

A stretch of beach is often described as 'contiguous' as well.

Rutland Trail (http://www.rutlandtrail.org/)

"The trail starts from Railroad Ave in Norwood, (proceed eastward along the south side of the Conrail tracks), and is contiguous to Winthrop, where the bridge was removed."

A stretch of beach is often described as 'contiguous' as well.Examples of use and misuse are not....... useful. They are common.

So would my speaker setup perform better with "contiguous" or "continuous" wiring? :confused: <--- That was a joke. :D Haha. Maybe I'll start a new thread for that one!

Can someone help me with this one:
If a broken/interrupted wiring setup is used, does it hurt performance to run a thicker gauge within the walls and a thinner gauge from the plate to the receiver and speakers?

Your performance is likely to be more affected by how you place your speakers and limitations that you or your wife may place on what you're 'allowed' to do.

Can someone help me with this one:
If a broken/interrupted wiring setup is used, does it hurt performance to run a thicker gauge within the walls and a thinner gauge from the plate to the receiver and speakers?



No, it does not hurt performance. It also makes connections from the wall outlet to the speakers or receiver a heck of a lot easier.

I run 12 AWG in the walls. I run 16 AWG from speakers and receiver to the wall outlets. Nice and clean llok and very dependable.

Can someone help me with this one:
If a broken/interrupted wiring setup is used, does it hurt performance to run a thicker gauge within the walls and a thinner gauge from the plate to the receiver and speakers?

Generally no, but what do you have in mind?

Most here will recommend 14 or 12 gauge end-to-end. You can get by with smaller stuff, but that depends on the installation. Can you be more specific?

What distances are you dealing with?

Interrupting the wire with wall plates is a total non-issue; it's expected. If you're running 12 gauge wire in-wall and want to run a lot of power with 28 gauge on the ends, that could be a problem.

As far as I'm circumcised, the OP used the word 'contiguous' properly.

Generally no, but what do you have in mind?

Most here will recommend 14 or 12 gauge end-to-end. You can get by with smaller stuff, but that depends on the installation. Can you be more specific?

What distances are you dealing with?

Interrupting the wire with wall plates is a total non-issue; it's expected. If you're running 12 gauge wire in-wall and want to run a lot of power with 28 gauge on the ends, that could be a problem.


16 AWG is just right between the outlet and speaker. 14 AWG is nice for in wall use, with 12 AWG for longer runs.

As far as I'm circumcised, the OP used the word 'contiguous' properly.That's not a great vote of confidence.:D

As far as I'm circumcised, the OP used the word 'contiguous' properly.

well...

no. i'm not gonna go there... :D

The plan is to run approx 50 - 60 feet of 14 gauge in-wall and outside. I will run about 3 - 6 feet of 16 gauge from the wall plates to the speakers and receivers.

The plan is to run approx 50 - 60 feet of 14 gauge in-wall and outside. I will run about 3 - 6 feet of 16 gauge from the wall plates to the speakers and receivers.

You'll be fine -- this won't be a problem at all.