John,
You only need to post your questions in one thread. They will be read and answered.

As for your gauge question, 14ga for a 35' run with 8ohm speakers should be fine. The lower gauge, the thicker the wire, the more important it is for longer runs especially with higher load speakers (e.g. 6ohm, 4 ohm).

JohnK has a link to a site with a table of recommendations for gauges and lengths by speaker impedance. It is a pretty good guide.

"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."