Some helpful information about Speaker Cable from Cabling Plus!

Aug. 15, 2009 - PRLog -- The most commonly used speaker cable comes in 12, 14, and 16 gauge options.  The gauge of speaker cable relates to the thickness of the cable. The lower the gauge means the thicker and more copper content in the cable.  The thicker and more copper allows for less interference and less resistance as your signal travels through the cable.  Although 16 gauge speaker cable is the most commonly used many professional installers use 14 and 12 gauge cable when they are installing high amperage speakers like subwoofers.  A thicker lower gauge speaker cable is also used for longer cable runs to give an audio signal a bigger pipe with less resistance to travel farther distances.

You will also notice that many speaker cables have different strand counts.  The strand count refers to the number copper strands that are twisted together to create that particular gauge of cable.  The 3 most common strand counts seen in speaker cables is 41, 65, and 105 strands. Obviously the more strands equal more copper content in the cable. The more copper equals more surface areas for your signal to travel giving you less signal loss.  More copper also means a bigger expense.  So you need to figure out how much you are willing to pay for that premium audio performance.

Another debated issues in regard to speaker wire is the use of oxygen-free copper (OFC) vs. standard copper.  The fact is that the use of either one will not better the sound quality of your audio system.  The whole point regarding oxygen free copper is that it is a better material and its main purpose is to assist in the longevity of the cable.  Oxygen free copper is the best material used to fight against corrosion caused my moisture.  So oxygen free copper will last longer and fight corrosion that over time will damage your signal.  
Choosing the right speaker cable seems difficult but it really is not!   If you know the basics you can easily make the right decision and enjoy that new home theater or audio system.   A large percentage of professional home theater installers use 16 gauge speaker cable a majority of the time.  So you if you install nothing smaller that 16 gauge speaker cable you are sure to have success!  

We hope this information on speaker cable is positive and assists you in picking the right audio cable for your project!

For more information and numerous speaker cable product to choose from visit Cabling Plus!  http://www.cablingplus.com/t/cables/bulk-cable/speaker-wire

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