Speaker Wire Gauge Chart
| Speaker Wire Gauge | 4 Ohms Speakers | 6 Ohms Speakers | 8 Ohms Speakers |
| 18 AWG Speaker Wire | 16 feet | 24 feet | 32 feet |
| 16 AWG Speaker Wire | 24 feet | 36 feet | 48 feet |
| 14 AWG Speaker Wire | 40 feet | 60 feet | 80 feet |
| 12 AWG Speaker Wire | 60 feet | 90 feet | 120 feet |
Full Answer
What gauge speaker cable should I use?
The correct gauge speaker wire you need is based on 3 things:
- Your stereo or amplifier’s power output.
- The speaker’s impedance (Ohms) rating – also called the nominal impedance.
- The cable length needed for your speaker system.
How important are speaker cable gauges?
- Infographic – Speaker wire fast facts
- Quick answer: What size speaker wire do I need? ...
- Speaker wire power & size chart
- What gauge is speaker wire? ...
- How much wire do you need? ...
- Which speaker wire is positive? ...
- How to cut and strip speaker wire
- How to splice & extend speaker wire
- Copper-clad aluminum vs copper speaker wire Everyday use & what to know
What gauge speaker cable do you guys use?
Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms). For relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine. It’s cost-effective and easy to work with. Ask your advisor to recommend the proper gauge for your installation.
What is the best wire for speakers?
- Best overall: Monoprice 102747 12AWG Speaker Wire
- Best for car audio: InstallGear 14 AWG Speaker Wire
- Best for home theater: MaxBrite 16 AWG Speaker Wire
- Best bi-wire: Monoprice Access Series 4-Conductor
- Best for outdoors: GearIT 14 AWG Outdoor Speaker Wire
- Best value: AmazonBasics 16AWG Speaker Wire
Which is better 12 gauge or 16 gauge speaker wire?
Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms). For relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine. It's cost-effective and easy to work with.
What gauge should speaker wire be?
between 12 to 16 gaugeSpeaker wires that are anywhere between 12 to 16 gauge are most commonly used for connecting speakers to an amplifier or an Audio/Video (A/V) receiver. A lower-gauge number indicates a thicker wire, while a higher-gauge number indicates a thinner wire.
How many watts can 18 gauge speaker wire handle?
For most low power home or car speakers (not subwoofers) 18 gauge (18AWG) is fine. 18AWG wire is good for about 50 watts for 4 ohms and 100 watts for 8 ohm loudspeakers up to 50 feet (15 m) or 100 feet (30 m) respectively. For higher power systems or longer lengths, 16 gauge is a great choice.
What is thicker 16 or 18 gauge speaker wire?
The thicker the wire the lower the gauge number & the thinner the wire the higher the gauge number or AWG. For example, a 12 AWG is thicker than an 18 AWG wire. The most common audio speaker wires are 12 Gauge, 14 Gauge, 16 Gauge, and 18 Gauge.
Can speaker cable be too thick?
Speaker wires can't be too thick because thicker wire means lower resistance, more signal flow, and better sound quality. Although not every setup needs a thick wire and the wire thickness depends on the speaker's impedance and the distance between the sources, you can't have too much of it.
Can speaker wire be too big?
A potential issue might be the wire is too big for the equipment. If you are using banana plugs or pins this probably won't be an issue, but I am looking at running 12 gauge for my in wall wiring (for the same reason) and the Amp I am looking at will only accept up to 14 gauge.
How far can I run 18 gauge speaker wire?
The manual states that up to 20 ft an 18 gauge wire is fine with 16 and 14 gauge for longer runs.
Is 16 gauge speaker wire good for subs?
The speaker wires. If your sub system is going to put out more than 1,000 watts RMS, you can use 12-gauge speaker wire. But 16-gauge speaker wire works well for most installations.
How far can you run 16 gauge speaker wire?
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.
What gauge is factory car speaker wire?
The most significant thing to keep in mind is that there's a standard size for almost all types of stereo systems. So whether you're buying one for your car audio or a home theater system, you can go for the standard choice. In this case, an 18-gauge wire gauge would be considered to be standard.
Is 10 gauge speaker wire overkill?
To me 10 gauge is extreme overkill (14 AWG would be fine) but if you don't mind the small extra cost and have the ability to install that heavy a cable, then why not. It certainly can't hurt as long as you can obtain the connectors to allow hookup to speakers and receiver.
Is 16 or 14 gauge bigger?
So higher numbers (like 16 gauge) are thinner than smaller numbers (like a 6 gauge). When discussing gauges, references to a "larger gauge" means bigger around, not a bigger number. That is to say that if you're told that you need a larger gauge than 14, you need to look at 12 or 10 which are wider, not at 16.
Does wire gauge matter speakers?
Believe it or not, size really does matter when it comes to the kind of wire you are picking for your new speaker system. Depending on how serious you want to get, though, you can usually get away with an educated guess on thickness.
How many watts can 12 gauge speaker handle?
For up to 20 ft of cable length a 10 gauge cable can handle 2000 watt and a 12 gauge speaker wire can handle 1960 watt.
How far can I run 14 gauge speaker wire?
80-footSpeaker wire of 14 gauge is good for an 80-foot run, and 12 gauge is good for 120 feet.
Is 14 gauge speaker wire good for subs?
The signal and power coming out of your amplifier must not be impeded on their way to your speakers and subs. When you replace or run new speaker wiring, we recommend using: 18-, 16-, or 14-gauge wires for speakers. 16-, 14-, or 12-gauge wires for subwoofers.
What size speaker wire do I need
18 gauge wire is suitable for most typical home or car speakers up to around 50 watts. For higher power speaker like subwoofers, 16 and even 12 gau...
What gauge is speaker wire?
Speaker wire comes in a wide range of standard sizes based on the American Wire Gauge (AWG) standard. Speaker wire is most commonly sold in sizes r...
Which speaker wire is positive?
A positive speaker wire can be identified in most cases by 1) a printed line, text, or symbols, 2) a different color insulation, 3) a copper color...
What is copper-clad aluminum vs copper speaker wire?
Unlike pure copper wire, copper-clad aluminum uses an aluminum wire core with a thin copper plating to save the cost of pure copper wire. However,...
Choosing The Right Speaker Wire Gauge
Before we can discuss what gauge wire is appropriate for your speakers, you first need to understand what wire gauge even is. Wire gauge refers to the thickness of the cable based on the American Wire Gauge (AWG) metric. The lower this number is, the thicker the wire is. Typical speaker wires come in 12AWG, 14AWG, 16AWG, or 18AWG options.
Speaker Cable Length
The easiest way to measure the distance of your cable run is to simply take a string from the source to your speakers. This will give you very close to an exact distance and it works whether your speakers are indoors or outdoors. You can use this distance to determine the wire gauge necessary to get peak performance out of your speakers.
Speaker Wire Gauge Chart
Once you measured the length of the wire, you should check the nominal impedance of your speakers. The table below shows gauge wire size and the maximum length that it can handle based on the impedance of the speakers.
Speaker Cable Types
There are multiple types of cables that will depend on where your speakers are located and the type of speakers you have. Outdoor speakers will require direct burial cabling to help with an easy installation. For indoor speakers you will need to ensure you are purchasing wires with a proper UL rating if they are run in ceilings or walls.
Speaker Cable Connectors and Conductors
The most common connector types for speakers are binding posts and spring clips. Binding posts have screw caps over the connector to screw the connector into your speakers. Spring clips have a clip with a hole behind it that you push into the speaker then push down a clip to secure them in place.
Summing It All Up
To simplify everything we just discussed, for wire gauge it is always safe to go with a thicker cable than thinner but may be more expensive. The thinnest wire you can get for your cable will depend on the impedance of your speaker and the distance the cabling has to run.
How to figure out how much speaker wire to use?
To figure out how much speaker wire you need, run a pull string from your receiver or amplifier location to each of the speaker locations. Measure the string, and then add a few extra feet (to provide some slack for easier connection to your gear).
What is a 4 conductor cable?
With a 4-conductor cable, you pull a single cable over the long distance from your amplifier or receiver to an in-wall volume control in another room. You can then run 2-conductor cables from the volume control to each of the stereo speakers in that location. Four-conductor wire is also good for connecting stereo-input speakers.
What is a cable made of?
You also want to know what the cable is made of. Copper is the standard by which other electrical materials are rated. Other metals such as aluminum, zinc, and nickel are less conductive, but they are also usually cheaper. To cut down on cost, some cables are made with alloys mixed into the copper.
What is AWG wire?
The AWG refers to the thickness of the copper wire in the cable. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire. Most speaker wire ranges from 12 AWG to 16 AWG.
What gauge do you need?
Wire thickness is identified by its American Wire Gauge (AWG) number. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire. Thicker wire presents less resistance to current flow.
How much wire do you need?
To figure out how much speaker wire you need, run a string from your receiver or amplifier location to each of the speaker locations. Measure the string, and then add a few extra feet (to provide some slack for easier connection to your gear).
Are high-end speaker cables worth it?
Look at our wide selection of Audioquest speaker cables . Read the (mostly 5-star) customer reviews. People rave about the quality of the construction and the sonic improvements they hear.
Connection tips
Identify the positive and negative leads of your speaker wires, and make sure you connect them accordingly to your speakers and your amp or receiver.
Speaker wire terminals
Speakers have one of two different types of speaker wire terminals — spring clips and binding posts (see illustration below).
What Speaker Wire Gauge Do You Need?
A speaker wire’s AWG number (American Wire Gauge) indicates its thickness. The thicker a wire is, the lower the gauge number, and vice versa. The thinner a wire is, the greater resistance it provides to current flow.
What Elements Make a Good Quality Speaker Wire?
There are a variety of elements and components that give a speaker wire gauge great quality. One of the most important aspects is a core that has a low resistance. This means the less resistance a core has, the more signal that will be able to reach the speaker from the amplifier.
Different Types of Speaker Wire Gauge & The Best Ones For You
The most common sizes for a speaker cable are 12, 14, and 16-gauge. These are the ideal sizes for wiring in stereo music systems, home theaters, and other non-industrial/commercial products.
What Materials Are Best?
When it comes to the materials featured in a high-quality wire, there are three main conducting ones available:
How Much Should You Spend on Your Speaker Wire?
As a general rule of thumb, experts recommend that you spend at least 5% of the overall cost of your sound system or home theater. Some people may opt to pay 10% more. However, it is all up to your personal preference.
What is speaker wire gauge?
Speaker wire gauge refers to the thickness of a speaker wire. Most specifications are based on the American Wire Gauge (AWG) system. The AWG system is a bit counterintuitive. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire. The most common gauges of speaker wires are 12 AWG, 14 AWG, 16 AWG, ...
Why is it important to consider speaker wire gauge?
It’s especially important to consider speaker wire gauge for long distances, because the length of the cable run will already increase the resistance of the circuit.
How many AWG wires are needed for an 8 ohm speaker?
For most 8-ohm speaker circuits up to about 50 feet, 16 AWG speaker wire is a great choice. If you’re on a budget, you can even go with 18 AWG speaker wire in almost every case. For speaker wire runs beyond 75 feet, it’s worth considering at least 16 AWG, if not 14 AWG or 12 AWG.
What is a Speakon connector?
SpeakON connectors are typically only found on professional amplifiers and speakers. These address the dangers of electric shock by keeping the conductive points of the connector inside a plastic enclosure.
Why are speaker cables so difficult to work with?
That’s because they are made to be installed, rather than used again and again in different environments.
What type of terminals are used on amplifiers?
The most common type of terminals on consumer amplifiers and speakers is the spring-loaded clip terminal. These are small, spring-loaded clamps that hold bare speaker wire or pin connectors in place.
How many conductors are in a speaker cable?
A basic speaker cable contains two conductors. One conductor connects the positive amplifier terminal to the positive speaker terminal and the other conductor connects the negative speaker terminal back to the negative amplifier terminal.