[GlennS]

Is speaker cable different than normal cable of the same gauge? I had my builder wire the media room in my new house with 12 gauge cable. The cable they used is a 12/2 cable, but it doesn't look like the speaker cable I'm used to.


The outer jacket is thinner and the cables seem to twist within the outer jacket. There's one full twist every 6" or so. Is this too many twists for speaker cable?


If it makes a difference, the printing on the outer jacket is this:


JR101701 (UL)E98771 12 GA 2/C CL3 93450

 

[CVanMeter]

I recently was asked to come back and trim out a basic HT where the home owner asked their electrical contractor to prewire. The Contractor pulled 12/2 Romex to each speaker location.... Anyway... The regular speaker wire you may be refering to is the typical Zip wire style with a pair of conductors running side by side with perhaps a clear shielding. Much like the typical electrical cord for your lamp. The wire that was installed in the walls is designed just for that. Included with the printed labeling on the wire you mentioned is not only the wire gage "12" and number of conductors "2" but also the CL-3 rating which means it is designed and UL tested for in-wall wiring. Sounds like you have exactly what you would want.