Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Speaker wire/Guage Choices

Hi all,
Having recently ordered my Axiom Epic 80 setup sans sub, I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival as well as the arrival of my Denon 4802R. Now I'm turning to speaker wire...what gauge is recommended...what brand. I'm not paying 1000 a foot for oxygen free...liquid nitrogen cooled...etc...etc..but would pay a 100 dollars or so...for a spool. Any suggestions.... THanks

Home Depot has a 250 foot spool of 12 guage for about $60. This should keep you in speaker wire for years to come.

Mark

That works!! THanks, although..I'll probably have to add some banana connectors...I've been looking at the pictures of the back of the Denon I'm getting....it's crowded!!!!

I'll second that.

The info. from Roger Russell, former director of Acoustical Research at McIntosh Labs, on the History of Speaker Wire is a must read.

^billy

eightmanvt,

hey. I have the denon 3803 and you'll need bananas for the back of it, spades won't fit and you'll never get bare wire under the posts properly (I cursed for many hours trying). On the flip side, you can easily go bare wire with the posts on the Axioms if you want to save a few bucks.

^billy

Hmmmm....he doesn't seem too keen on the Home Depot spool...maybe I'll go with the low voltage 12 gauge garden lighting roll.

I grabbed 100' of RCA brand 14ga wire at HD for about $30. I've used this brand for years for many different audio applications (home and car) and haven't experienced the greenies that he illustrates. I think he may be referencing the bulk cable you buy by the foot as opposed to the packaged rolls...

^billy

I use this. I goes for $37.50 for a 100ft. roll. I find it surprisingly flexible for a thick wire. However, it is ugly.

Another good wire is Phoenix Gold 12 gauge (Model #1250). It goes for 20-30$ for 50ft. (google it) . I think it is very clean sounding, and transfers bass very well.

Intune

This is a good link that I used to post a lot. It's been awhile, so here it is again. If you want the link to purchase the cable recommended, here it is. This is probably what I'll do, just for the coolness factor.

Also for the coolness factor (my Home Depot/etc doesn't carry cheap bulk wire - hell, even 16ga. stranded for making your own extension cords was almost a buck CDN a foot) and since I could get it for about the same price as other 12ga I got the Axiom bulk stuff (total of 150ft) - it's wire, but it was easy to run and bears the Axiom name and it passes the "look" test a bit better than pink transparent insulated wire.

Bren R.

In reply to:

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...Axiom bulk stuff ....passes the "look" test a bit better than pink transparent insulated wire.

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As a user of the "pink transparent insulated wire," all I can say to that is............."Boy! Is that the truth!" However, it IS more expensive, so it depends on your priorities.

I actually kind of like the look of pink transparent insulation...

Inexpensive speaker wire in appropriate gauges(i.e. 12-18)and in various colors if transparent doesn't suit you is available from online sources such as Parts Express in addition to the usual local Home Depot, etc. A hint for Billy and others who may have difficulty in fitting a thick wire through the opening in the binding post: there's no reason that the end of the wire has to be the same size as the rest of the run. Forget about banana plugs unless you're going to be frequently connecting and disconnecting the speakers. If the end is inconveniently thick, simply trim as many strands off as necessary, for example trimming a 12ga wire down to about 16ga at the end. It's the overall resistance of the entire run of wire that counts and the thinner end doesn't significantly increase that.

Good point, John.

I must admit that it feels instinctively wrong not to stuff all the copper strands into each end of the run -- as if some of the signal will go bleeding off into the ether. I have to remind myself that copper is a very good conductor and the signal moves quite freely from strand to strand - ddespite some claims to the contrary.

In reply to:

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As a user of the "pink transparent insulated wire," all I can say to that is............."Boy! Is that the truth!"

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The stuff I got *runs off to look up the imprint* Intensifier Audio Performance Cable is just dag ugly, the insulation lets off a smell like a PCB recycling plant and it's about as easy to work with as a pair of vinyl jumper cables in -30 weather.

Besides, when the significant other says "umm... is that paintable?" you know you've got a problem.

Bren R.

Hey Kcarlile, that link for where to purchase it...doesn't seem to be working??

Odd. Works for me. Here's the text link http://www.av-outlet.com/en-us/dept_93.html. It's about halfway down the page.

Another option that people haven't mentioned here is to try with a local electrical supply store. No matter where you live, there's likely to be half-a-dozen within driving distance. They're almost guaranteed to have regular 12ga speaker wire and likely very cheap (but you may find some that will only sell directly to licensed electricians) Check out your yellow pages.

Give this guy a try: 250' of 12/2 wire

This is one of the 35 eBay wire sales he has going at the moment. I've dealt with him before and find his wire seems good quality, his prices are reasonable, and he bends over backwards to make sure you give him positive feedback. And no, I don't make any $ from the referral!

MrBill

Radioshack has flat 14 guage 50' rolls $19.99 US works good fro my runs the longest about 20' to QS8's 10' to M60TI 7' to VP150