Most speakers don’t include speaker wire, and choosing from the available options can sometimes be confusing. But remember — the wire you use can have a noticeable impact on the sound quality of your system. Even the greatest speakers won’t sound their best with poor-quality wires.
Read on for tips on selecting the right gauge, length, and type of speaker wire for your system, plus techniques and options to help you make dependable connections to your gear.
What gauge do you need?
The thickness of a wire’s conductive copper bundle is identified by its American Wire Gauge (AWG, or usually just “gauge”) number. The lower the gauge is, the thicker the wire is — and the better its capacity to pass the amplified audio signal. Most speaker wire available on the market today ranges in thickness from 12-gauge to 16-gauge.
When choosing wire gauge, consider the quality of your components and speakers, the overall sound quality you’re trying to achieve, and the budget you’re working with. Also, keep in mind the distance between your receiver or amp and your speakers — long wire runs can cause significant power losses, and thus require thicker cable.
You may want to consider a thicker speaker cable if:
You’re connecting an audiophile-quality music system, or a surround sound home theater setup. Thicker wire can help your system deliver fine musical detail or the explosive effects of 5.1-channel surround sound.
You can’t avoid long wire runs to your speakers; for example, in the case of a wired multi-room system, where you’ll likely use in-wall speaker wire from room to room. Thicker wire reduces the overall resistance, lightening the load on your receiver or amp. This can mean not only a difference in sound quality, but also in the long-term dependability of your system.
On the other hand, if you’re buying a modestly priced system and trying to keep the overall cost down, or if your speakers are located relatively close to your receiver, standard 16-gauge wire may be the way to go. Aside from being less expensive, thinner wire can be easier to work with if you’re routing it along baseboards or door frames.
Other indicators of quality speaker wire
Speaker wire manufacturers consider more than just gauge — better wire may have higher quality metals that increase conductivity. Some speaker wire also features special construction and video shielding to protect your components from interference. To get the best possible sound from your system, look into these “bonus” characteristics when you’re choosing speaker wire.
How much wire do you need?
Figuring out how much speaker wire to buy can be pretty simple. Just run a string from your intended receiver location to each of the intended locations of your speakers. Carefully pull the string along any door frames, corners, or other obstructions in the intended wire path. Allow plenty of slack for the wire to take gradual turns, since sharp bends can impair performance.
Measure the string carefully and double-check your work. Make sure to add some extra. This gives you a margin of error, and allows some leeway for easier connection to your gear.
What type of wire do you need?
If you don’t want to route your wire through your walls, you can use standard speaker wire. Flat, paintable speaker wire will blend into your décor for a cleaner look. Many home improvement and hardware stores also sell paintable cable management raceways that attach to your wall or baseboard and keep the wires hidden. For tips on clever ways to hide wire, see our article on home A/V cable management.
If you’re going to run cable inside your walls or ceiling, you’ll need UL-rated speaker wire labeled CL2 or CL3. The Underwriters Laboratory (UL) looks at heat generated from current flowing through wire, how quickly the cable will catch and spread fire when exposed to flame, and the wire’s susceptibility to damage from external stresses. Take a look at our comprehensive in-wall wiring guide for more information. Finally, if you want to install your outdoor speaker wire underground, you’ll need direct-burial rated wire.
Not convinced quality matters when it comes to speaker wire?
Speaker cable is an important part of your speaker setup. Very old or very cheap speaker cable can degrade sound quality. Of course, if you have a hard time believing speaker cable quality makes a difference, you’re not alone — many people fear that those recommendations are just hype. Here’s a suggestion: choose good-quality cable to go with your new speakers. Make sure you buy it from a retailer with a good return policy. Try it out at home, and compare the wire’s performance to the sound you get from old, thin cables. If you don’t hear a difference, just return the cables. Many people do end up hearing a difference, of course, and this is especially noticeable with higher-quality speakers.
Connection basics
In order to carry the amplified signal from your receiver’s (or amp’s) output terminals to your speaker’s input terminals, speaker wire consists of two leads, typically encased and bundled in plastic insulation — one for the positive signal, and one for the negative. Your speaker wire will probably be marked (+) and (-) to help you distinguish the two leads; if not, there will be some way to visually tell them apart.
Speaker wire connectors
For good, solid connections, use speaker wire terminated with connectors instead of using stripped bare wire ends. Speaker wire connectors help safeguard against harmful short circuits.
Banana plugs are a popular choice — they simply plug into the middle of a binding post, giving you a solid connection.
