QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Joined: Oct 2007
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I currently have 18 gu wire in my walls running to where I am going to mount my QS4 surround speakers. Would this be a foolhardy move or could I get away with it?
-------------------- M22v2, VP150, QS4s
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Joined: Sep 2004
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shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
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You'll probably be just fine, but the discerning factor is the length of the run!
::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Sorry for my "newbie-ness", the runs from the Receiver to the speakers are around 35 feet (Surround Right) and 15 feet (Surround Left)
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Joined: Jun 2003
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axiomite
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axiomite
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You might be fine but the max run with an 8 ohm load using 18 ga. wire is recommended 32 feet.
Last edited by Wid; 01/20/12 12:23 AM.
Rick
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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axiomite
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axiomite
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Wire is not wire... Well, I guess at a strand level it might be close. There are documented benefits to larger wire and scientific proof to back it, but in real life applications, unless really pushing the limits of one gauge wire, most (if not all) people wouldn't hear a difference. Unless of course they have a golden ear, or maybe doing a blind test of large gauge wire vs. specification exceeded wire.
Farewell - June 4, 2020
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Joined: Nov 2010
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aficionado
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aficionado
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Oh boy! I won't go there.
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Joined: Jan 2002
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connoisseur
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connoisseur
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Hi jeet,
Given the proportion of surround content vs. the main left and right and center channels, you should be OK with the AWG18 gauge wire. Using thinner than recommended wire simply results in increased resistance, in ohms, which means you'll be "wasting" some amplifier power because your receiver's surround amplifier has to "push" the AC audio signals harder to overcome the increased resistance of the thin wire.
You certainly won't hear any difference, nor will there be an degradation of the audio signal's frequency response over the audible bandwidth.
The wire won't heat up significantly because of the thinner gauge.
Regards, Alan
Alan Lofft, Axiom Resident Expert (Retired)
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Re: QS4s with 18 guage speaker wire
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Alan,
Thanks for providing the technical details in easy to understand terms. I can sleep with a clear conscious tonight! Cheers Jitu
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