Speaker-Wire Question (Related to Home Theater System)

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pje122

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I just bumped this. Please go to the end to see my updated situation. TY.

So I am getting ready to delve into my first home theater project. First, however, the new house has to be built. I asked the builders to run the speaker wire through the ceiling so that it comes out behind the TV set-up on one side and behind the couch on the other side. My question, though, is should I specify that I want a certain type of speaker wire for them to run, or are all speaker wire more or less the same? I just don't want to run into the situation where I'm finally setting up my two rears behind the couch and then realize the speaker wire the builder ran three months prior is low quality, the wrong type of wire, etc etc.
FYI, I am strongly considering a Polk RTia speaker system, and the two rears will probably be RTi A3s. The receiver will probably be an Onkyo TX-NR809 or something like that.

For reference, the room is going to look something like this:
YeIo7.jpg

NOTE: THIS IS NOT MY HOUSE, ITS ONE OF THE MODELS. THE PHOTO IS JUST FOR REFERENCE.
 
KHarvey16 said:
Only thing you need to worry about is wire gauge. How long will they need to be?
Click to expand...
OK, I don't know anything about wire gauge. How long as in how far from the receiver, up the wall, through the ceiling, back down, and into the speakers? I'm not sure. The photo I included is exactly the same scale as what my place is going to be. So about that long if you can judge from the photo. It'll be laid out more or less the same way too... couch/rear speakers on the right, TV/receiver on the left.
 
Get some nice in-wall monoprice. Anything up to 18ga should be fine. 12ga would be the absolute thickest. If you have speakers that really need 12ga cableing, you're going to want much shorter runs anyways.
 
Use 12 or 14 gauge just so you don't need to worry about it. Since it's permanent you might as well and it'll be dirt cheap regardless.
 
Use the cheapest stuff you can find, 18ga or 12ga. make sure it's rated for in wall use, or your insurance may not cover it if your house burns down
 
Actually a roll of entry level monster cable at ebay prices isn't a bad idea just because it' a lot more pliant and easier to work with. But since OP isn't doing the work, I'd go after some 16ga jacketed in-wall monoprice wire. Think about having them install banana plug wallplates to. They're very nice.

Anything up to 18ga should be fine for RTI A3s. I love Polk, but there are better values out there at that price (retai). But not by an enormous margin or anything. But do look at Rocket if you're spending that much.
 
What about when Kampy said I might have to worry about shorter runs? From the photo does that look like it will be too long for 12ga?
 
Also, how would the banana plug wall plates work? Would I have to run another set of wires from the receiver to the wall plate and then from the other wall plate to the two speakers?
 
KHarvey16 said:
Use 12 or 14 gauge just so you don't need to worry about it. Since it's permanent you might as well and it'll be dirt cheap regardless.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this.
With that setup, I don't personally think you'll be able to tell the difference if you were using a fucking coat hanger, but since it goes in the wall and it's dirt cheap anyway, might as well get a proper speaker cable.
 
  • You want in-wall wire that passes your local residential building codes (they vary) and for insurance reasons ... though your contractors should know this. Basically look for CL-2 or CL-3 ratings.


  • Get the lowest AWG (thickest) wire that your receiver and speaker binding posts will accept. The lower the gauge the lower the impedance. That means it can handle more power, but most important for you ... can handle longer distances.

    14 AWG should be fine unless you're approaching 100 feet. I'd say either that or 12 is fine.


  • Stranded cabling is your best bet as it is more flexible and less likely to suffer internal breakage from bends


  • Oxygen-free copper's audio benefits can be argued, but if it's for a similar price or small up-sale - might as well do it


  • Make sure to tell the installers to avoid running near high voltage (AC) wiring. At least a foot is the minimum recommendation - further the better. If they absolutely must cross it, make sure they do it at 90 degrees. This is to prevent EMI. Just remember, it's better to use more wire than to go near power cabling.


  • If available consider getting 'twisted pair' wiring, as it creates a field that naturally helps cancel EMI






Something like this looks to be a good deal. In-wall, stranded, 12 AWG, twisted pair, oxygen-free, CL-3 ... $36.99 for a 100' roll


Just remember, don't cut it close when guesstimating length. If you think you'll need 30' per speaker, then a single roll is probably enough but you never know if they'll need to detour because of high-voltage lines, installation accidents, etc. Better safe then sorry and get two rolls if it could get close.

Also try to determine if it passes your local residential building codes (though it should).
 
Wow, great post, thanks Raistlin. Apparently these guys (the builders) are going to be supplying the cable, and I was told today that its the same cabling used in multi-million dollar homes, so we'll see. I asked for the details so I'll update this thread when they're given to me. Make sure to check back!
 
OK, I finally got a response back from my project manager. He is contracting out the running of the wire to his Low Voltage guy. The Low Voltage guy is planning on installing 16 gauge, 65 strand speaker wire through the ceiling. Those are all the details the project manager could relay to me for now.
Now, I do have the option of upgrading that to 12 or 14 gauge wire, but it costs a little extra to do so. I'm planning on asking the PM to ask the Low Voltage guy how much that would cost. But I wanted to bump this to ask two things for now:
1) Do you think 16 gauge for my rear speakers (Either going to be RTi A1s or A3s) would suffice? These would be most likely powered by an Onkyo TX-NR809.
2) Do all the speaker wire I run need to be the same? Is running 16 gauge wire to my rears but then 12 gauge to my floors a no-no?
 
I ran 16 gauge. 4 pairs from the tv/receiver area to the opposite side of the wall, I think it ended up being like 25 feet or so. For that short of a run 16 is fine. Mine sounds fine, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
You should request that each wire be run inside its own conduit. Should you ever need to replace the wire, it will be much easier to fish the new wire through conduit than some tiny holes in the joists.
 
OK, so it seems like we're going to be going with the 12-gauge wire, so that more or less answers question 1. But question 2 is still open for me (post 19).
 
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