Speaker Wiring Question
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Billy.
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^^^ basically what he/she said. a larger diameter wire will allow for less resistance and provide more insulation. the result being a clearer and stronger signal and more efficiency from the amplifier.Lordofdark176 said:
No, it will not.
Your tencil leads on your speaker are only so big, there is NO NEED to go larger then the tencil leads.
Say your tencil leads are 18g and you run a 14g wire to them, its not going to do any good, its not going to make them sound better, its not going to make them louder. Even my 12" subs only have a 14g tencil lead, so whats the poing in running anything thicker? There isnt, its just like trying to pour too much oil through a funnel, its just going to plug up and not flow well. You wont hear any difference.
The only way to get crisper sound out of speakers is
1.) dont buy cheap speakers, SQ costs bucks
2.) dont run your speakers on the built in amp (on most aftermarket decks)
3.) buy a 2 or 4 channel amp (dependent on how many channels you are looking to power) thats going to put out just a smidge under max RMS handling power on your door speakers, and run the speakers off an amped source.
Your tencil leads on your speaker are only so big, there is NO NEED to go larger then the tencil leads.
Say your tencil leads are 18g and you run a 14g wire to them, its not going to do any good, its not going to make them sound better, its not going to make them louder. Even my 12" subs only have a 14g tencil lead, so whats the poing in running anything thicker? There isnt, its just like trying to pour too much oil through a funnel, its just going to plug up and not flow well. You wont hear any difference.
The only way to get crisper sound out of speakers is
1.) dont buy cheap speakers, SQ costs bucks
2.) dont run your speakers on the built in amp (on most aftermarket decks)
3.) buy a 2 or 4 channel amp (dependent on how many channels you are looking to power) thats going to put out just a smidge under max RMS handling power on your door speakers, and run the speakers off an amped source.
Thank you so much for that information! So it's basically don't go cheap on speakers, sounds good.Billy.
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ugh, thats not true. speaker wire has resistance. the longer the wire the more the resistance. your signal gets distorted and faded from outside interference. the thicker the insulation on the wire the better the signal and the thicker the wire the less resistance, up to a point. using 4ga cable for a speaker wire is overkill, but there is a point to using larger wire than the size of the speaker terminals.
quick qestion...isnt the tencil lead difference than the copper speaker wire?...and if so what is the tencil lead made of and how does it differ in make-up than copper wire...resistance, conductivity etc...
i was always told to think of wire as a water hose...the bigger the better but there is a point of diminishing returns...
if you run high wattage thru a small gauge wire will the wire get hot?
i was always told to think of wire as a water hose...the bigger the better but there is a point of diminishing returns...
if you run high wattage thru a small gauge wire will the wire get hot?
kaace said:
yes the wire may get hot, theres the other side to it.
My cousin is amping 300watts through a 20gauge wire, no problems, super crisp sound.
What i said is true, dont believe me. Hope on an audio website, or give Auto Sounds in Bolivar, Missouri a call... ask for Dagan, he'll tell you the same. And hes been doing install/radio related things for YEARS.
EDIT: More info, sorry had to type that last section fast, short on time.
On the hose comment, yes. The bigger the better, but do you really need a 4" hose to flow 5gallons of water/min? No, you dont, so its pointless.
Yes, the tencil leads are a different type of material, but its a more conductive type of material i believe.
The bottom line. A LARGER (thicker/lower gauge, etc.) cable will NOT give you better sound. Period.
I agree here, maybe my previous statement was a little... "close minded" or "harsh"Mugenkid18 said:
in reality, i personally wouldnt use anything larger then the tencil lead, as thats what 95% of the people i know do, and if you have a GOOD sq speaker with proper power, it sounds fine, wires dont get hot. etc. etc.
you CAN use larger wire, but, yes... it is pointless. For any speaker (door speaker/rear deck speaker, basically... mid-range speaker) 14-18 gauge sizes are MORE then adequate. For any tweeter, 18-22 gauge sizes are MORE then adequate. Subs will vary VASTLY dependent on size/constant rms, etc. But general rule of thumb is 8-12gauge.
which is why i said "there is a point of diminishing returns"...i am not arguing...i am asking questions...i have installed car audio for 20 years...i am RTTI (rockford fozgate) and clifford alarm certified...but as for the conductivity and resistance of wire based on gauge is something i didnt take in college...organic chemistry didnt cover that...PhntmSk8r said:
one of the theories that i know is that the higher frequencies travel on the outside of the speaker wire...which is why they make flat wire for tweeters...more surface area...which would lead me to believe that if you have a bigger gauge speaker wire you get a "cleaner" sound...i am sure no human ear could really hear it...remember...its a theory...
i would be axious to find out if anyone has done real lab testing on using stock speaker wire vs. a quality speaker wire...
(this is a forum right?...i am not here to fight with people...i am here to discuss things)
kaace said:
I completely agree, sorry. Didnt mean to come across as "fighting" i was just providing the knowledge i know.
There MAY be a difference, but as you said, no human ear could tell, so why waste the money?
Honestly, i think the thicker the insulation, the better chance you'll have at losing any sorts of "noise" or "sound", it'll also help keep external noises from interfearing (IE: road noise, alternator noise, etc.)
I'll second this statement tho
since we both agree a human ear couldnt tell the difference.Like i originally said, the best way to get GOOD crisp quality sound is dont cheap out on speakers, and provide sufficient power. Adding a larger wire will not do the trick.
actually if you get good crossovers you would not have a distortion problem, you should be using 14g for speakers 12g for subs and DO NOT USE 20 gauge on 300+ amps for sure. i use 4g wires. and get a capacitor, dont get a cheap one. get something like memphis cross overs.
Thanks guys, looks like it's not worth doing it. I only ask because my friend has a Legend with just a Kenwood deck and 4 4-way Pioneer speakers. He upgraded the wires all the way to the deck and it sounds very good. I thought it sounded good b/c of the wire upgrade, guess he just has good speakers! 