Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Cheap Speaker Wire Alternative

A couple of weeks ago, Chess started me on a search for some cheap/quality speaker wire around our local area. I found that a good option for anyone that's looking for cheap speaker wire (and believes copper is copper) is to get in contact with a local electrical supply outlet. On Friday I bought a 100' roll of 12ga wire with clear PVC jacket for $23 Cdn taxes included. So works out a little less than $0.25/ft. The outfit I talked to in Winnipeg was EECOL, but I'm sure you could find something comparable at any supply outlet. There was some minor confusion to start since they weren't used to selling to the general public, but it all worked out. For someone that is willing to do a little bit of searching, this'll end up saving even more than the Parts Express option!!!

There's probably plenty of people who've already figured this out, but maybe it'll be helpful tip to some in their search!

Yes helpful indeed.
25 Cdn cents per foot!!!

BrentR also kicked in some great leads for finding wire, although the outlet he deals with normally only sells to businesses, contractors and the sort based on info from another local friend who has told me this same supplier does not sell to individuals. BrentR can confirm this, or not, but he did give me a contact name at this outlet if i were to ask for a purchase. However, this is not an uncommon thing to come across if you do find a large local cable supplier.
Regardless, sid and Brent have found some truly inexpensive speaker cable. The wholesalers are the way to go, if you dig around.

I haven't purchased speaker cable yet for my Axiom/Yamaha set up. A friend who put togehter a really nice sounding home theater system recommended I go to Lowes to check out their speaker wire. I did, and found that they are selling a 250' spool of 12ga clear jacket speaker wire for $55 US! I didn't purchase because I'm still not convinced that cheap is good. However, from reading all the posts on this type of subject I'm leaning towards the believe that copper is copper.

I agree that copper is copper but I also have to factor looks into it as well. I just can't stand the looks of the clear stuff, even if it's all hidden I still know it's there.
I'm going to go with Axiom's because I like the looks of it.

Call me crazy

Yeah Ford, that's how I feel too.

I HATE admitting this, but I've spent more for wire, both interconnect and speaker, than I wanted or needed too, and I have a severe guilt complex about it. I haven't gone overboard, spending $50 to $100 per cable or anything like that. I think the most expensive cable I've purchased has been around $30, and the rest have been well below that (mostly Dayton from Parts Express, and Velocity from CablesAmerica). My justification for spending what I have, is that they (1) look better, and (2) seem more substantially constructed; less flimsy. So, I consider the extra money has paid for peace of mind, and personal satisfaction.

I too, like the look of the Axiom wire, but I've paid half that for some Canare, instead. But, if the budget allowed, that Axiom sure looks good..........HMMM.

In reply to:

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I'm leaning towards the believe that copper is copper.

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Well Harley, if copper is not really copper, then what is it?

You can wrap it anyway you like, bend it, melt it, blow on it, whatever, but unless some witchcraft alchemy of copper to gold is happening then the copper will still be copper. Ultimately those copper strands (99%OFC) are still what carries the signal from point A to point B in a ridiculously short distance at the near speed of light through what are known as electrons, a highly generic sub-atomic particle that is non-discerning between any metal nor energy signal.

Sounds like you are on the right track to finding a great wire deal.

Yes, aesthetics and general build quality i believe are big selling points. That's where the cable companies start with the 'low end' products and then move up to the elite car oiled, teflon impregnated, triple 9 OFC stuff.
Hey, i can go outside and poor some engine oil on my wire too but i don't think anyone would buy it at $45 a foot.

I personally have tried to find real bargains on reasonable brand names for cables. I found some Ultralink Discovery and Challenger series on ebay for about $12 cdn for 3 foot pair. These retailed in stores at $45-60 for the same stuff.
They are nicely built, look decent, but cost alot less than what you would find in stores. They certainly are a nice step up from the crappy bundled cords. The plastic sheathing on those things always seems to crack on me after a short while. Just horrible.

Can some scientist help me understand the difference (soncially) between solid and stranded copper? Does Romex "sound" different than stranded speaker wire of the same gauge? How about coax?

Tom, no sonic difference is caused by using either solid or stranded copper wire of the same(adequate) gauge. The stranded is more flexible and can be easier to work with in the heavier gauges. Sometimes you hear it said that stranded is better because all those strands have a greater surface area than one solid conductor, and they then often refer to "skin effect"(the tendency of electrical signals to travel more toward the outer surface of a conductor). They ignore the fact that skin effect is only significant at very high frequencies in millions or higher Hz. It has no significance at the very low 20-20,000Hz frequencies used in audio. The story is similar for coaxial cable.

...and while we're at it, how about that same scientist explain the crystalline structure of copper and why fewer and stretched out crystals are supposed to sound better...