[gosparky]

Will 10 or 12 gauge wire fit into banana plugs, or will I have to splice together higher gauge wire at the ends and insert that into the banana plugs instead?


And out of curiosity, are banana plugs even "necessary" in that they help to maintain audio quality, or are they just a nice-to-have convenience feature?

 

[Stew4msu]

12 should fit, not sure about 10.


banana plugs are useful when changing gear, but they don't effect audio performance.

 

[cyberbri]

Agree. And you don't really need 10 unless you're doing a really long run, like for surround speakers. 12 or 14 would be fine for the fronts.


And agree that banana plugs are more for looks and convenience of popping in/out. Like if you're wiring up your receiver, without the attachments it can be tricky because of all the strands of wires. The plugs make it much easier.



And I could be wrong, but using 10 gauge and then splicing smaller wire on the ends to fit the banana plugs defeats the purpose of using the bigger wire.

 

[gosparky]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberbri /forum/post/18238566


Agree. And you don't really need 10 unless you're doing a really long run, like for surround speakers. 12 or 14 would be fine for the fronts.

So it won't mess up the receiver by varying the gauge of wire depending on the speaker?


I'm thinking about buying 12 gauge wire from Home Depot made by GE. Does anyone know if their gauge labels are accurate? I've heard that some brands falsely advertise their gauge.


Thanks for the replies!

 

[cyberbri]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gosparky /forum/post/18239087


So it won't mess up the receiver by varying the gauge of wire depending on the speaker?

No, you can run 14 up front and 16 in back or whatever. Just don't go too thin (like higher than 16) if you are doing runs to the back.

 

[afrogt]

If you get your 12ga wire from here, it'll be cheaper than home depot.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2


Plus they have banana plugs for $2.10/pr
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2


Is there a reason you want 12ga? 14ga will probably do the trick unless you have long runs to your speakers.

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[gosparky]

I figured I go with the 12ga since it's only slightly more expensive than the 14ga.


As long as I don't have any flexibility issues with the 12ga, I'd like to preserve my options with being able to drive lower Ohm speakers with the thicker wire (per that Roger-Russel link you posted).


Thanks for pointing out Monoprice. They'll definitely be getting my money instead of Home Depot

 

[allargon]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gosparky /forum/post/18245772


I figured I go with the 12ga since it's only slightly more expensive than the 14ga.


As long as I don't have any flexibility issues with the 12ga, I'd like to preserve my options with being able to drive lower Ohm speakers with the thicker wire (per that Roger-Russel link you posted).


Thanks for pointing out Monoprice. They'll definitely be getting my money instead of Home Depot

14 gauge is still good enough for most 4Ohm speakers unless you have a loooong run.

 

[gosparky]

Okay, you guys made me reconsider. 14 ga it is since I read a couple other places that 12 ga can be a pain to work with.


And with 8 Ohm speakers, 14 ga should be fine since even if during usage they drop to 4 Ohm the signal would still be good for 40 ft.


I can't believe I just put that much thought into this wire...

 

[furby076]

One of the things my friend told me to consider when buying wires, don't get them too thick. Too thick will add more resistance and hurt transmission...plus there is the fitting it into the hole.


Banana plugs are definitely nice to haves, and if anything they add another layer of something the electrical signals have to go through. I will be getting them because I am anal like that.


What system are you using that you need 10 gauge?

 

[m_vanmeter]

sorry "furby076", but your friend has it absolutely backwards. American Wire Gauge is a strange animal, the smaller the gauge (or gage) number the larger the diameter of the wire and the lower the internal resistance to the flow of electricity.


The only real problem with wire larger than 12 gauge, AWG size 10, 8, or even 6, is that the overall diameter of the wire strands gets so large that connectors typically used on consumer electronics and speakers cannot hold them. Some even have problems with 12 gauge.


The wire table on the www.roger-russell.com site is what you should use as a guide, and if you really want to learn about sizing speaker wire, then read Mr. Russell's information here http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[furby076]



Quote:
Originally Posted by m_vanmeter /forum/post/18248606


sorry "furby076", but your friend has it absolutely backwards. American Wire Gauge is a strange animal, the smaller the gauge (or gage) number the larger the diameter of the wire and the lower the internal resistance to the flow of electricity.


The only real problem with wire larger than 12 gauge, AWG size 10, 8, or even 6, is that the overall diameter of the wire strands gets so large that connectors typically used on consumer electronics and speakers cannot hold them. Some even have problems with 12 gauge.


The wire table on the www.roger-russell.com site is what you should use as a guide, and if you really want to learn about sizing speaker wire, then read Mr. Russell's information here http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

I may have misworded myself. Yes he (and I) are aware that smaller numbers (in terms of gauge) means a larger wire. Yes I think it is odd.


EDIT: I read the article, i am much more educated, i still suck at knowing wires, I will probably get 14-16, and I still don't know what happens if you want wire bigger then zero gauge (e.g. -1 gauge?)

 

[afrogt]

You'd be lucky to find speaker terminals that could handle 6ga wire on consumer speakers.


14ga all around is probably fine for your application unless you have really long runs.

 

[paulsax]

10 gauge will work just fine should you decide to use it. downside to 10 over 12 or 14 is that it is more expensive and less flexible.


Suggest as listed before monoprice or bluejean cables (I would recommend belden CL2 or 3 rated inwall cable.


Related I just tried some of the new blue jean locking bananas and really like them. they are about 1 inch linger than monster or rocketfish but really secure.

 

[Raymond Leggs]



Quote:
Originally Posted by furby076 /forum/post/18247511


One of the things my friend told me to consider when buying wires, don't get them too thick. Too thick will add more resistance and hurt transmission...plus there is the fitting it into the hole.


Banana plugs are definitely nice to haves, and if anything they add another layer of something the electrical signals have to go through. I will be getting them because I am anal like that.


What system are you using that you need 10 gauge?

That first part is funny.

I was gonna Say a certain quote from "The Office" but I had to restrain myself.

 

[ShoutingMan]

I'm selecting wire for new speakers; this is a relevant topic.


This specific table in a previously mentioned site was handy:
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable


Since I'm buying 4-ohm speakers, I'm going with 14 ga over 16 ga wire, as advised.


Regarding banana plugs: What do people think about Closed Screw vs Open Screw ? I've got some monoprice Closed Screw and am a bit ambivalent on them. Open Screw looks easier with a better connection, but I'm concerned they'll take a lot more space with the wires coming off the sides rather than inline.

 

[afrogt]

Apparently you can insert bare wire in the back of the open screw models too.


I just think it looks cleaner going thru the back.