What gauge wire are your speaker cables?

Tone Depth · « **Reply #20 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 02:42 am »

Do they look like any of these? http://www.straightwire.com/custom.html (I googled waveguide 3 speaker wires). Oops, two answers at the same time.

cornhulio · « **Reply #21 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 02:44 am »

I use nothing but 10 ga solid core romex and the sound is crystal clear.

ssglx · « **Reply #22 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 03:49 am »

Mapleshade. Looks to be about 20 gauge, silver coated copper. Lively, clean and clear, with bass punch and power like mad.
This wire absolutely breaks the mold for requiring heavy gauge speaker wire to move this kind of current quickly. Maybe its the silver coating.

Wayner · « **Reply #23 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 12:20 pm »

Quote from: ssglx on 8 Feb 2009, 03:49 am

Mapleshade. Looks to be about 20 gauge, silver coated copper. Lively, clean and clear, with bass punch and power like mad.
This wire absolutely breaks the mold for requiring heavy gauge speaker wire to move this kind of current quickly. Maybe its the silver coating.

Every year I get the mapelShady catalog in the mail. I laugh at it, then shred it.

Wayner

avahifi · « **Reply #24 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 03:15 pm »

I am still using the "old rope" speaker wire Martyo so generously supplied me (as seen at last years AudioKarma show). It sounds as good as any I have used, and doubles in improving the listening experience if small pieces are burned slowly in an incense burner.

Regards,

Frank

mark funk · « **Reply #25 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 03:24 pm »

I still have some of the old rope left. About 16 feet, 2X8 foot aa

orthobiz · « **Reply #26 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 03:29 pm »

Quote from: Wayner on 8 Feb 2009, 12:20 pm

Every year I get the mapelShady catalog in the mail. I laugh at it, then shred it.

Wayner

But you gotta admire all that wood. And those Scott pieces look cool.

So, I'm using 6 gauge wires from my 550 Ultra to my Dahlquists. Should I upgrade to smaller wires?

Paul

evan1 · « **Reply #27 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 03:45 pm »

AudioQuest Killiminjaro- most expensive piece in my system

jrtrent · « **Reply #28 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 03:47 pm »

As per the recommendations from Mr. Van Alstine and in my amplifier operating instructions, I'm using 16 gauge speaker wire from the hardware store terminated with Pomona MDP-0 double banana plugs.

weirdo · « **Reply #29 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 04:48 pm »

After a lot of completely useless experimentation and frustration, I decided to try " Anti Cables" made up in the great white north not too far from yuins. It is 14 ga. single wire with an interesting coating on it. Anyway, they were cheap and the very definition of neutral. They are also stiff, presumably from some kind of heat treating or pickling. I think they are a good choice for AVA ss gear which has a delicate and revealing sound. The system now sounds smoth as silk and I feel the urge to tweak maybe every week instead of every day. Maybe Mr. Frank could get a pair from his fellow Minnesotan and try them.

weirdo · « **Reply #30 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 04:59 pm »

It sounds as good as any I have used, and doubles in improving the listening experience if small pieces are burned slowly in an incense burner.

Fine, just don't let anyone get a picture of you hittin' a bong.

Wayner · « **Reply #31 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 05:26 pm »

The wire used in the anti-cabbels is just plain magnet wire. The stuff they wind motors with or make choke coils out of in your speaker cross-over. Not that it's bad, it's good clean copper and the stuff on the outside is enamel insulation. 14 awg is great.

Here is some great info while we are on this topic and it should be something you think about:

Wire Gauge Resistance per foot

4 .000292
6 .000465
8 .000739
10 .00118
12 .00187
14 .00297
16 .00473
18 .00751
20 .0119
22 .0190
24 .0302
26 .0480
28 .0764

Here is the ampacity of our silly wire gauges:

Gauge Amps
14 15
12 20
10 30
8 40
6 65

Wayner

Brett Buck · « **Reply #32 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 06:26 pm »

Quote from: Wayner on 8 Feb 2009, 05:26 pm

Here is the ampacity of our silly wire gauges:

Gauge Amps
14 15
12 20
10 30
8 40
6 65

For continuous duty, of course.

Brett

budyog · « **Reply #33 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 07:23 pm »

I am also using the Belden 10-gauge 5T00UP bi-wired with spades from ACI and I am using Stinger 10 gauge Silver tinned wire for my subs also with spades from ACI.
I found this wire at my gone out of business audio shop a while back for like 40 cents a foot! I bought the last 100 feet they had for future use.
Here is a link to what I am describing.

http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/2087454/vpcsid/0/SFV/30046

timjthomas · « **Reply #34 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 08:43 pm »

I wasn't sure where to post this question, but this may work as it's related.

I just picked up 30' spool of Belkin PureAV speaker cable. I stripped the outer sleeve, and then each of the two inner sleeves, revealing the copper wires. However, in the center is a larger copper wire that is also covered by a sleeve.

Do I need to strip the sleeve around the single center wire?

Here's a picture that might help out:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery

Thanks in advance!

Wayner · « **Reply #35 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 08:55 pm »

Sounds like a coax cable to me. Not sure.

Is this the suff....looks like just 2 jackets.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=174641#

Wayner

timjthomas · « **Reply #36 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 09:09 pm »

It's this: http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=178714

Inside the gray "liner" is a red and black. Stripping these reveals a number (10 -12 or so) small copper wires surrounding a larger copper wire which has a "clear" liner around in it.

The cables state that they have "hybrid conductor technology - polyethylene dielectric." Is that the clear liner? I assume I don't need to strip that. But I'm not sure.

TerryO · « **Reply #37 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 09:18 pm »

I've posted this before, but I'm currently (bad pun!) using SOTA asymmetrical custom cables that have lifted all previous veils and allow the full flow of the music to be propagated. To achieve this stunning achievement, I bought, at great expense, a 40 foot Utilitech 16 gauge Lawn & Garden extension cord from Lowe's which then underwent extensive modification (cutting off the plugs) before they were crafted for their specific application. One set of cables retained the extreamly attractive off-white jacket and had two of the three leads twisted together before then terminating the positive and negative leads with diycable's gold plated spade connectors. With the incorporation of the beautiful heatshrink collars (from NAPA autoparts) to cover the exposed portions of the wire, it's very professional looking.

As this first pair actually looked completely out of place and lacked any semblance of "ANAF" (Audio Nerd Acceptance Factor), I then set out to craft a pair of cables that would look at home in a totally testosterone-charged Man Cave. These also used the Utilitech wire, but the outer jacket was stripped off just leaving the individual wires which were then twisted together at my proprietary rate of one twist per 1 27/32 inches. Any more and the music tends to remain tangled and any less denies the music a chance to truly unfold. Each cable is wound in the opposite direction (that is, counterclockwise to the left and, of course, clockwise to the right) to allow the unleashed music to retain balance and symmetry without the detrimental, but seldom documented, electron axial spin which is nearly always the cause of tubular phase shift.

This cable, placing theory aside for now, is then used with twisted pair positive and single wire negative in my proprietary "Fast Forward, Slow Withdrawal" formulation that has proved to be well received by female listeners. The cable ends are tinned bare wires, that allow for increased musical sensitivity and enjoyment.

What do they sound like? That's hard to describe, as nothing now comes between the music and myself. If you haven't experienced it, then it's beyond my powers of expression to convey what that would mean in your system, with the increase in total musical immersion that would result.

Best Regards,
TerryO

orthobiz · « **Reply #38 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 10:34 pm »

Quote from: TerryO on 8 Feb 2009, 09:18 pm

I've posted this before, but I'm currently (bad pun!) using SOTA asymmetrical custom cables that have lifted all previous veils and allow the full flow of the music to be propagated.
Best Regards,
TerryO

Please, pics of the Man Cave Wires!

Paul

Scottdazzle · « **Reply #39 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 11:35 pm »

After months of frustration with spades coming loose whenever I moved a speaker or my amp, I decided to try bare wires. By way of explanation, I have VMPS RM30M speakers with terminals that are much too close to each other. The slightest movement could loosen one spade and short out the other terminal. The amp is a Music Reference RM-200 that has screw down terminals and would loosen up after awhile and scare me the same as the speakers. Music Reference and VMPS get two thumbs down from me for their terminals with regard to spades or bananas (impossible).

So, I bought two pairs of Speltz anti-cables unterminated. The bare wires go into the VMPS terminals with no problem and don't come loose. One problem solved. Unfortunately, two bare wires per terminal was impossible for the RM-200 to hold down. So I went to rat shack and got some gold-plated circular connectors. I crimped the anti-cables into the connectors, screwed them on and the second problem is solved.

Now I need to listen to them long enough to decide if they are keepers from a sonic standpoint. What a pita!