[Conbrue]

Hello, 1st post please go easy...

I will be getting an amp and an couple of speakers for my birthday, not sure what type yet however I do know it will have more than 1 zone, primarily it will be for my living room but I also want a zone in my yet to be finished conservatory.

What speaker cable do I need and can I run it outside underneath a protruding brick line?

Thanks,
Conbrue.

 

[Ratman]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-250-ft-14-2-Outdoor-Speaker-Wire-58051101/203355139

 

[amirm]

What speaker cable do I need and can I run it outside underneath a protruding brick line?

Best long term solution is to first put in a PVC pipe/conduit and run the speaker wire through that. Otherwise, with the first shovel, it will be gone. Trust me, I know from experience having "found" the low-voltage wires the previous homeowner had run! The PVC will also let you run other wires in the future such as low-voltage lighting. If it is going under the bricks, you should definitely put in the conduit as otherwise, the pavers could dig into the cable and damage it. Here is a nice write-up from my favorite (and industry's) cable provider, Belden: http://www.belden.com/docs/upload/T8-6-T8-6.pdf

As you can imagine, this is going to involve fair bit of manual labor and the last thing you want to do, is to have to do it again because the wiring failed (and worse yet, took the amplifier with it). So get quality branded direct burial cable such as the aforementioned Belden. The material cost is minimal compared to the work you have to put in to pull this wire. Here is a sample 14 gauge wire from Belden: http://www.amazon.com/Belden-Brilli...7&keywords=belden+direct+burial+speaker+cable. Notice how it is double insulated with an outer PVC jacket protecting the inner ones, unlike the one Ratman linked to at HD.

The above is 14 gauge wire. To figure out the proper gauge you need to have the length of wire. If it is short distance, 14 is fine. Otherwise you may have to upsize to 12. Again, material cost is minimal so I would put in the thicker wire anyway.

 

[Ratman]

Notice how it is double insulated with an outer PVC jacket protecting the inner ones, unlike the one Ratman linked to at HD.

Is my nose bleeding?

Conduit is always a good option with "new work". Retrofit can/could be expensive.
Do you know where the "brickline" is located? Perhaps it's not ground level and may be elevated (under sill).
Depending on the length... perhaps 16 is adequate. Or perhaps 10 if it's really long!

Perhaps the OP can investigate options to run indoors.

 

[Garidy]

Hello, 1st post please go easy...

I will be getting an amp and an couple of speakers for my birthday, not sure what type yet however I do know it will have more than 1 zone, primarily it will be for my living room but I also want a zone in my yet to be finished conservatory.

What speaker cable do I need and can I run it outside underneath a protruding brick line?

Thanks,
Conbrue.

Hey, welcome to AVS...

I just read amir's reply and it seems on point to me, if you're desiring a long term solution (which I infer that you are).

I think that he's pointing you in the right direction, so I have nothing to add or subtract.

I just really wanted to say hello and welcome you!

 

[amirm]

Conduit is always a good option with "new work". Retrofit can/could be expensive.

You are confusing conduit outside the home with inside. There is no notion of "new work" when it comes to laying cable in dirt. Unless you are just throwing the cable on the ground, then you have signed up to dig a ditch anyway so while you are at it, put the conduit there.

Do you know where the "brickline" is located? Perhaps it's not ground level and may be elevated (under sill).

It doesn't matter. If you are going to dig a ditch, put a conduit in there. And when it comes to harsh situations, and pain in the neck troubleshooting work when something goes wrong, do it right. Put in a conduit to protect the wire. If you are not going to do that, at least get a double jacket cable, and follow the recommendations in the Belden document I provided.

Depending on the length... perhaps 16 is adequate. Or perhaps 10 if it's really long!

Not quite. When it comes to outside cable, you want that to be beefy enough to resist the abuse it is going to get from roots pushing it up, shovels hitting it, etc. For this reason, I would not go below 14 gauge. I suspect you continue to confuse indoor situations with outdoor.

Perhaps the OP can investigate options to run indoors.

Or wireless. Or listening to his iPhone with headphones. Or just watch the birds. It is not ours to tell him to do something else other than the information he asked about which was running wires outside.

 

[Ratman]

How about... Asking the OP exactly what his/her situation/expectation/limitation/budget may be?

Lot's of good suggestions and a lot of typing, but ask the OP as opposed to challenging me.

I provided a suggestion with a link... not a novel.