[ninja6o4]

Hi all,

I have to type this darn thing again because I didn't read the no URL posting rule.

Anyway, I am going to build a movie room in my new house and my first step is going to be to run speaker wire through the crawlspace and have banana plug connectors in the wall. My friend sent me a link to a discount store that has Recoton 50' 16 gauge wire for $6 CAD. I was wondering if this would be sufficient or what the max power/distance would be ideal for this size of wire. The room itself is about 22' x 14'.


Thanks!

 

[DMF]

16 AWG is pretty light. Go with 14 AWG, or better 12 AWG. Buy more than 50'. You'll be amazed at how much you actually use. 100' minimum.

 

[ninja6o4]

Does anyone have any recommendations on preferred brand of wire or where to purchase it from? I'm guessing wire is basically the same across the majority of the average brands, so if anyone knows a good place to pick some up, that'd be great. I am in Canada btw.


I do know someone selling 14 gauge for .25 per foot, but I will look for 12s..

 

[DMF]

Lowes. Home Depot. RadioShack. Several online sites. $0.25 CDN / ft is a good price.

 

[tubeguy44]

make sure that you are meeting local building codes when putting wire into the walls....


some local codes require CL-3 or plenum type wire...others just call for CL-2...which is pvc outer jacket.....


cheers!

 

[ninja6o4]

Thanks for the tips guys. Another idea I had (I dunno the validity of it), is if I ran 2 pairs of 16 gauge to each speaker, and tied them together to make 1 BIG pair to run into each speaker. Basically use 2 16 gauge instead of 1 for each speaker. Would this improve/make it worse the quality of the signal, or do nothing but waste my money for twice the cable?

 

[bpape]

Everything else the same, I think you'd find it MORE expensive to run 2x 16 ga instead of 1x 12 ga. (unless you already have the 16).

 

[ninja6o4]

Possibly.. except right now I can get 50' of 16 gauge for $7 as opposed to much much more for 12/14 gauge. That is my current dilemma

 

[tubeguy44]

go with the heavier gauge......


a few more dollars right now will insure that you have adequate gauge for any power that you might decide to run through those wires for whatever future speakers you might own.....


and if you look at the fact that the cost of these speaker wires can be spread out over the number of years it will be in the wall - it really becomes a no-brainer to buy 12 gauge wire.....


cheers!

 

[CraigBerg]

Another option to consider is to go with 4 strands of 14 ga. wire which equates to about an 11 ga wire wired in parallel. The multiple strands will be easier to pull, but harder to terminate. This will also keep options open later if you choose to bi-amp.

 

[ninja6o4]

All right, I will look for some 12/14 AWG. Thanks for answering my newbie q's, I'll be sure to harass you all later about more stuff as my room plans slowly develop..