Q I'm confused about what gauge of speaker wire to use. Do the different gauges have to do with the distance and size of speaker? I'm planning to buy the Insignia NS-B2111 speakers for my surround-sound system and want to make sure I wire it properly.
M. YOUNG, Atlantic City, N.J.
A Different speakers and lengths of wire require different gauges. The size of the speaker does not matter. What matters is the resistance, or impedance, given in ohms.
The rule is the total resistance of the wire should be less than 5 percent of the rated impedance of the speaker. Your Insignias are 8-ohm speakers, which means 16 gauge is good for up to a 48-foot run (per speaker). Speaker wire of 14 gauge is good for an 80-foot run, and 12 gauge is good for 120 feet.
A useful wiring chart can be found at audio engineer Roger Russell's site (www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm). He also goes into great detail discussing speaker wire and the scams associated with it. It's a must read if you are putting together a sound system.
Would you believe that there is speaker wire selling for more than $1,000 per meter? Using hyper-expensive speaker wire is like filling up your toilet tank with bottled water at $1.29 per pint, in the hopes it will flush better. Copper is copper and electrons are electrons, and no amount of made-up pseudoscience by the wire companies can change that.
If you are putting together a sound system, buy inexpensive wire and use the money you save for something that makes an audible difference, such as a better pair of speakers or nice stands to place them on. You'll not only get better sound, but true value for your hard-earned money.
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