I need audio wire gauge help, what size?
This is a great calculator: http://bcae1.com/images/swfs/speakerwire... To minimize any loss (running at 1 ohm) you'd need 8 awg. If you're going to run at 2 ohms 10 awg would be adequate. Realistically though - the only time you'd push the limit of even 12 awg is when you're playing it at extremely high volumes. The point is 12 would work, but 8 would be ideal. You could use the 12 awg, but double it up, run two strands where you'd normally run 1. That would be the equivalent of 9 awg.
What is the best way to bundle audio cables?
Keep power cables separate from Line Level cables(inputs, & record outputs) and speaker cables away from Line Level cables. In other words keep the different types of cables away from each other. This also goes for FM antennas> separate them all as well as possible. If you have HUM, you most likely have a cable that has a compromised (bad or going bad) Ground or loose connector. Bundling wires, even the same kind CAN induce hum, as it turnes it cable bundle into a coil (like a Guitar Pick-up). Try buying several extra good quality cables of each type, and switch them out one at a time, and you may find that one or more cable is compromised and is causing the trouble> and throw it away! Make sure that the outlet the system is plugged into has a Good quality Surge Protector!> not just an outlet strip< Make sure the circuit that is being used to power the system is not also carrying lights with dimmers, florescent lights, or any thing other than sound equipment. >LIGHTS & MOTORS CAUSE HUM! Also make sure that your not using several circuits to power several INTERCONNECTED items! >ie: VCR, DVD, CD, PHONO on one circuit, and Receiver, TV, Cable Box on another (GROUND LOOP). Many times a moderately expensive Surge Protector will solve hum in a sound system(not a $10.00 one, but maybe $25.00 and up) I use a TRIPPLITE that cost more than $200.00, but it has been well worth it! ( I have a $50,000.00 studio sound system), as it not only filters noise that comes down the line, but it protects from surges & spikes. (Duke Power calls them "LINE VARIATIONS"), but they will burn up delicate electronics in a heartbeat! If your wires are bundled, it will be hard to clean up the mess and noise! Even sharp bends in wires and cables will degrade the performance of even the best system, and make change outs (new DVD player) hatefull as well as put extra strain on the rest of the wires. and they wonder why they failed.
What are the best audio cable brands for music production?
I would recommend you boAt Indestructible Metallic Aux Audio CableFor a very long time i have been buying local aux wires for the car but this time thought of buying the boAt aux wire and found my decision to be a good one. Very good quality output and quite a long wire where the person sitting at the back of the car (i10) can also attach their device for songs and control it from there.Looks great. Feels great. Works greatSound output is really good. It was worth every penny, specially when all the cables tend to stop working or needs a lot of twist n turn to sound right, this one is truly the best.I've been using this for over 8 months now n haven't experienced any problems whatsoever.Been almost six months since I bought this and it works perfectly in my car ... The cable is long enough to reach the 2nd row of the car , 3rd row is doubtful . It's durable , light weight and definitely made of high quality materials ... GO FOR IT!!5 stars won't be enough.I plugged them into my headphones and the bass was like a boom!My headphones are working even more better actually awesome with this aux cable rather than the aux cable which was provided with the headphones!
What is the best gague (thickness) wire to use on a home sound system?
presumably we're talking speaker wires...for 99% of the people 16 ga. (1.3 mm) will be more than enough.If you're in the 1% that is really critical about sound, then from an electrical engineering standpoint you should go for heavier wire.Speakers are generally about 8 ohms but are partly complex impedance which is composed of resistance, inductance and capacitance which makes the impedance a function of frequency. Having wires which are close to pure resistance and a significant part of the speaker impedance can color your sound. The amplifier will have some output impedance as well. The Speaker impedance divided by the sum of amplifier impedance plus the wire impedance is called damping factor. You want this as high as possible. Like 100:1 The amplifier output impedance is not really under your control except when it was purchased, so that is now fixed. That means that the wire is your sole means for controlling it. Choose something that will be under .04 ohms round trip. This depends on the length, so keep the length short as possible to position the speakers where desired. For 6 foot cables #8 wire (3.2 mm) will give you .008 ohms for the 12 feet of total distance... this will be a damping factor of 1000. assuming your amplifier is in the range of .01 ohms then you'll have a damping factor of around 500.You could go a bit smaller, perhaps 10ga. (2.6 mm, .012 ohms) or even 12 ga. (2.05 mm, .019 ohms) I myself use a cable of three 12 ga. in parallel which gives around .0063 ohms for 6 feet.I would not worry about skin effect. The frequencies of audio are too low for that to be significant.Overall, you may not notice the difference. But wire is not that expensive compared to a high end stereo.
Speaker wire or copper wire?
id use the 10 awg wire. it will carry current better. and to the guy who said copper dosent carry current well, that isnt farther from the truth. speaker wire is made of copper. copper is one of the best conductors out there. silver is number 1, and copper is 2 is conductivity.
Is 14 Gauge an good speaker wire size?
For a sub, minimum 12 gauge, 10 or 8 would be better. You can fill a swimming pool faster with a fire hose instead of a garden hose, and to some degree it's the same concept with wire. Heavier gauges can only help and aren't that much more in price. No sense in choking your speakers. If you don't care about appearance, grab a roll of 10 gauge lamp cord from a hardware store. Copper is copper, the only real difference is in how thin the strands inside are, which only helps in flexibility and how pretty the wire's insulation looks on the outside.
What cable has better audio quality, RCA or 3.5?
Despite what some manufacturers would have you believe, the connector has little to do with audio quality.However, most RCA cables are mono (two connections, + & -) and most 3.5mm cables are stereo (Tip, Ring, Sleeve - 3 connections which share a common ground) and your typical smartphone headphone/microphone combo actually has 4 (or more) connections (TRRS, etc)Without getting too muddled down in the technological aspects of the connectors there are a few basic truths to establish - 3.5mm typically are connected to thinner runs of cable than RCA considering that the 3.5mm (which I as an American refer to as 1/8” TRS) are the smaller connector of the two. This low profile lends itself to thinner cable runs.Many audio engineers believe that cable quality itself plays a large role in sound quality, but within most scenarios I don’t always agree. IE a cheap gas station bought 3.5mm cable and a 3.5mm cable purchased from a Hifi shop (let’s say Monster Cable brand) have a large price difference but in the average lengths of +\- 3 meters I don’t believe the length is adequate to make any large difference in the ability to transport the electrons from point a to point b (which is all these cables do after all). In longer cable runs? Maybe, but diameter of cable comes into play there as well.The verdict - neither is inherently better than the other. They have different purposes typically, but one is more popular Than the other due to production costs, etc. As such, consider them equal.I will say that 3.5mm offers more versatility than Typical RCA connectors, in that it can be formatted as mono, stereo or even further (Stereo plus mono microphone) so it is again more attractive to manufacturing. You may also see stereo digital connections that look like RCA, but these are actually most commonly S/PDIF and not traditional RCA.As for high end cables and connectors versus economy cables and connectors, in most cases and lengths you won’t be able to tell a difference (my time tested opinion) BUT, the workmanship on the high end cables/connectors will give you a longer lasting product that won’t give out as soon.
What gauge wire do I need for 4 ohm 100 watt RMS speakers?
No special cable you can spend a whole lot of money for will do even a slightly better job of anything but “bragging rights” than standard #18 lamp cord from your local hardware store.Copper wire is copper wire. All copper wire is “oxygen free high conductivity”(OFHC), because if it isn’t, it’s too brittle to use for any sort of wiring, whether for household power outlets, or speakers, or anything else.TL:DR: There is no such thing as “speaker wire” except in name and cost.