How to Choose Speaker Wire
Choosing speaker wire is not difficult but it does play a huge role in the sound quality of your speakers. You will need a spreadsheet or piece of paper and string.
1. For the spreadsheet or piece of paper create rows for each speaker, as well as a separate section labeled "type of connection" for both the speakers and the receiver. If your system is greater than 5.1, include rows for those speakers as well. Now create columns labeled "measured" and "purchase amount".
2. Determine the placement of each speaker.
3. Using the string, run it along the path you intend the speaker wire to follow and record the number in the "measured" column for each speaker. Based on your own life experiences, you know what kind of margin of error you need. I usually like to have an extra foot to play with for wiring purposes. Always have a margin of error when determining how much speaker wire you need because accidents happen and you want to be prepared. Add this number to the measured value and record it in the "purchase amount" column.
4. Determine the type of connection for both your speakers and receiver. Record it in the "type of connection" section.
With this
information, you are ready to purchase your speaker
wire. When choosing speaker wire you can go with round or
flat wire; the flat wire is more easily concealed. You can
also find shielded speaker wire which will prevent electromagnetic
interference from corrupting the signal. Whether or not you
can purchase speaker wire with the connectors already attached depends
on if the terminals on the speakers match those of the
receiver. If not, you will have to purchase both types of
connectors. Remember, there will be a total of four
connectors per speaker/receiver connection; two on the receiver end and
two on the speaker end.
For speaker wire, thicker is better because it allows for better signal transfer. Quality speaker wire can be expensive so a balance needs to be made between cost and performance. If your system, defined as receiver, speakers and subwoofer, is less than or equal to $2000 MSRP then chances are you can use a thinner gauge wire without noticing a great difference in sound quality. With that said, even at that level you should stay away from anything smaller than 16 gauge speaker wire. If your system is greater than $2000 MSRP, definitely go with a thicker gauge wire. It would be a shame to purchase a quality home theater system only to have it under perform due to the cheap speaker wire.
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