Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo speaker cable makes a difference!

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What a newbie, you don't get earth's magic unless a cat buries it.

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Hooooooooold on. Not a newbie at all............if the cat does it, that would be considered an upgrade. Additional charges will apply!

Zub, welcome. You may have it a bit backwards; the 16ga is ok( study this excellent article and wire table by a well-respected veteran audio professional)but the unfortunate part may have been spending too much on monster, which is as good as the rest, but is overpriced. Don't worry; the 16 ga is fine for the QS8s and you don't need heavier wire for the other speakers either.

Thanks. I guess my other wire is about 14 g it looks a lot thicker. Anyway glad to be aboard as I learn . I will have many questions I am sure.

OK I vaguely understand. My problem is I will have a long run to my QS8 about 45-50 ft(possibly longer). I want to use 14 or 12g wire (Which is better? is this even correct?) my back surr wires are stuck through the sheet rock 16g 30-35 ft runs they are staying. The chart does not list max run for 6 ohms for runs longer than 37. What wire do I use with my long run qs8? thanks for your help.

Zub, Mr. Russell doesn't show distances longer than 50 feet on the chart, but you'll notice that the entry for 6ohms for 14ga would have been 20-40-(60) feet. So 14 ga would be okay for your 45-50 foot run. Don't worry about trying to cut this too fine; a few feet doesn't make a significant difference.

What the chart is saying is that, with 6 ohm speakers, and using 16 gauge wire, the maximum run you should do is 37 feet. If your run is longer than that, (45-50 ft.- possibly longer), with 6 ohm speakers, you should be using either 14 or 12 gauge.

I am not technically oriented enough to say how absolute that chart is. Maybe JohnK will chime in tonight, with more help.

I'm a little confused. You say the BACK surround runs of 16 gauge wire that is in your walls is 30 to 35 ft long, and will be used for the BACK surrounds. What speakers will you be using for your BACK surrounds?

But, you have a 45-50 foot run to your QS8s. I'm assuming you will be using your QS8s for your surrounds, NOT your back surrounds. If that is correct, use some 14 or 12 gauge for the QS8s.

Don't forget the crystals All you can do is laugh. It's amazing how much money people are willing to spend to achieve or perceive good audio without understanding the science behind it (if any). The lack of true data has put most of the claims in the B.S. category. I actually love seeing and reading about this kind of stuff, it humors me to no end. Anyway, I know everyone here doesn’t fall for these snake oil claims, at least I hope not. I also know that I’m preaching to the choir.
I just want to educate the new members.

Sorry I was not clear. I plan on 2 backs and 2 sides either 4 qs8 or 2qs8 on the sides and 2 m2i in the back due to my wife's cabinet(I wanted the 22's). So I have 16g for the backs <35 foot run and the side qs8 will be really long on side That is what i needed to know I will assume that 12 or 14 will work as youn say.Will there be a problem with the BACK qs8 or M2i having 16g Another question I read where the length of wire should be equal Does that mean every riun is the same, or just the run involving r/l for that type eg the side qs8 must be the same 45 feet and the fronts must both be 5ft. Also what about the length of the sub wire? God I love this forum! Thanks for all your help.

Now we're on the same page. The 16 gauge, in wall, wire will be fine for the 35 ft. run to the rear surrounds. And the 14 or 12 gauge will be fine for the longer run to your surrounds.

I honestly don't know if it is required that all speaker wires be the same length. Mine aren't. Mine are just the right length from the receiver to each speaker, with a little slack for positioning. Again, someone with more knowledge than I will hopefully address this question for you.

Nope...not required for speaker wires to be the same length. It would take thousands of feet in difference to come even close to making an audible difference.