Needing 60 - 70M Speaker Wire

[ttv6]

Hi

Looking to piece together the bits i need for my house as it gets builts, as ill be allowed to pre run my cable i am now shopping for some

Should i get the thickest 12 awg? Needing about 70m i think

If so, are any of these suitable? or do you have suggestions for any other?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Speaker-Cable-12-AWG-OFC-In-Wall-Rated-76m-/181313226118?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item2a371c4586&_uhb=1

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12-AWG-OFC-PROFESSIONAL-SPEAKER-CABLE-75m-METER-SAVE-/221053728034?pt=AU_Television_Accessories&hash=item3377d43522&_uhb=1

or 100m that appears to be cheaper than 75m ???

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12-AWG-Speaker-Cable-100m-Roll-Wire-12-Guage-OFC-High-Quality-Home-Theatre-/231286384382?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item35d9be26fe&_uhb=1

Thanks in advance!

Edited August 4, 2014 by buzurk

[myrantz]

If youre running 'em in wall, or up the ceiling, best to get cables rated "In-wall" (e.g. the 75 m roll)..

Normal figure 8 cable insulation may not last long up the roof space (YMMV depending on what cable you're using).

I'm using this. So far so good, but ask me again in 20 years ...

Edit: BTW, with AV makers trying to sell you more and more gear... Go for 4 core cables (rather than 2), and go 2 runs if you can.. (1 advantage is redundancy, 2nd advantage is you can put as many speakers as they want you to buy)... You can sit happy with 5.1 (but knowing if you want more in the future, it's not going to be too hard)...

Edited August 4, 2014 by myrantz

[jutta]

Not wanting to hijack the thread but I'm sure this is a relevant question to your link Myrantz;

Cable looks great but why the 4 core?

That seems great to run from the AVR but once you get to the wall the speakers are on, as in my case, you'd need to split the wire and run it with no shielding to each main speaker 4m apart??

Or am I missing something or doing something wrong sorry?

[myrantz]

Cable looks great but why the 4 core?

2 as spare? (that's about it really, redundancy ).

Was prob in too much of a hurry when I made that post.. Some of those fig 8 cables are not suited at all to be run over the roof space or in wall (e.g. the outer insulation will dry, crack and short). When it happens, the pair can't be used any more.. I used a fairly expensive fig 8 cable and that only lasted me approx 4 years..

Also the colour of speaker cables may be mistaken by the sparkie (apprentice ) as a power line. The first pic in the post may be mistaken by some to be power cable. (I also use blue LAN cable not white one just to avoid this).

If not in wall, then really it doesn't really matter and one can use any type of cables.

[jutta]

Cool. Thanks for clarification.

[ttv6]

is 14g enough? or should i stick with 12g?

[Quark]

See the table here. Use the longest run as the basis of which gauge you need.

[Dar123]

This is similar to the "which speakers should I buy"

There will be some who believe without a doubt, that the most expensive 12AWG is the way to go and others who believe that cheapest is the way to go.

Reality, it probably has more to do with what speakers you have and what type of listening you do.

Sure, there will be subtle differences, but it will be different for different people. ie what tones etc you like.

The only way to know for sure for you, would be to run some blind tests on your gear and see which you think is best.

But given that means buying multiple types of cable its hardly worth it.

Yes, cable can make a very small difference. Does that worry me? No, I have other random noises around me when I listen to anything.

You probably wanted a definitive answer buy the one you can afford, connect it up and forget about it. The gear you have is probably going to be the biggest issue you have, not the cable.

As far as insulation goes, I've not come across perishing insulation in speaker wires, but thats not to say it doesnt happen. I dont buy wire off Ebay, you're never sure youre going to get what you pay for.

[K1LL3M]

The 12awg in-wall that you linked looks like the best choice for you goals (ie running it in-wall) from your options .

If your looking for other alternatives you can check out your local pro audio store where stuff is designed for function not form, and pick up something like Klotz Cable (100m min)

http://shop.klotz-ais.com/cgi-bin/quickorder/lshop.cgi?action=showdetail&wkid=1407275188-1741&ls=e&nc=&rubnum=pro.audio.bulk.spm&artnum=LY2_&file=&gesamt_zeilen=&p8=

Edited August 5, 2014 by K1LL3M

[OakenShield1]

I went through this exact scenario nearly 7 years ago. I can't remember what gauge cables I used, 14 or 12. But they still work. I just bought a roll of stuff and off I went.

Unfortunately later I decided to biwire my speakers so had to invent a way to run them after the fact anyway.

Just remember, if you run one cable and want to run a different cable later, that's easy, just attach it to the old cable and pull it through

So don't worry if it eventually gives out, it's easy to replace once you have it in there

[Dar123]

I went through this exact scenario nearly 7 years ago. I can't remember what gauge cables I used, 14 or 12. But they still work. I just bought a roll of stuff and off I went.

Unfortunately later I decided to biwire my speakers so had to invent a way to run them after the fact anyway.

Just remember, if you run one cable and want to run a different cable later, that's easy, just attach it to the old cable and pull it through

So don't worry if it eventually gives out, it's easy to replace once you have it in there

Sometimes lol

If in doubt, install some conduit too, it'll make rerunning all the more easier later if needed.

[OakenShield1]

Sometimes lol

If in doubt, install some conduit too, it'll make rerunning all the more easier later if needed.

Yep - Good point!

Just speaking from my own experience. I shouldn't have said easy, 'cos it wasn't. I should have said EASIER

[ttv6]

Thanks again guys.

[ttv6]

Is it really needed to run in wall speaker wire, or can normal 12 gauge be used?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Speaker-Cable-Wire-12-AWG-12-Gauge-OFC-High-Performance-/281359751119?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&var&hash=item41825917cf&_uhb=1

or

http://www.vfmaudio.com.au/speakers-cable/489-100-metre-roll-of-speaker-cable-12g-oxygen-free-copper-.html

Edited August 7, 2014 by buzurk

[K1LL3M]

If you are going to run it in wall you are "legally" (AS:3000) supposed to use wire for that purpose as the sheath or double shielding is required. But then in wall stuff is also supposed done by electricians.

In terms of audio quality it will make bugger all difference.

[Dar123]

If you are going to run it in wall you are "legally" (AS:3000) supposed to use wire for that purpose as the sheath or double shielding is required. But then in wall stuff is also supposed done by electricians.

In terms of audio quality it will make bugger all difference.

Are you sure that "legally" you need to use only double insulated cables for speaker wires?

I think its more about the separation from LV cables.

Not sure you need to be an electrician either.

[K1LL3M]

Yep. But you can do your own research and draw you own conclusions. I only mentioned it because the question was asked if its "really needed"