Hi-Fi Guides

It doesn’t matter how good your sound system might be, the sound can only be as good as your speaker. The speakers are the important element which actually transmits the sound straight to your ears, and the only way that they can receive the sound is by being transmitted along the speaker cables. This makes your choice of speaker cable another important consideration when first installing a new sound or home entertainment system. By choosing the right speaker cables you will give the right sound to your speakers, with perfect clarity.

The different sizes of speaker cables are measured in a unit known as a gauge. Basically, the smaller the gauge equates to the thicker the wire. Usually sizes are 12 AWG, 14 AWG, 16 AWG and 18 AWG.

There are generally two different styles of speaker cables to choose from, one which is rounded and one which is flat. The flat style is often chosen for speakers which are wall mounted, as they can fit flush against the wall and can be painted, thus they are virtually hidden without the need to bury them into the plaster.

There are different qualities of speaker cables and you need to choose very carefully for your system. It is no use paying a lot of money for a state of the art sound system, only to spoil it all by using the cheapest speaker cables you can find.  Bear in mind the length of speaker cable you require. The further the distance between the speaker and the receiver, the bigger part of the signal is lost, so if you need to have quite a long length of cable you are advised to use a larger gauge of speaker cable. Generally, you should not really use anything less than 16 AWG in order to get the best results.

Actually measuring the amount of speaker cable you are going to need is really pretty easy. All you have to do is run a piece of string along the route which the wire will take, and allow a little extra, (I always allow a little extra for everything! You can always take some out but it’s more difficult to add on, that’s what I always say). Carefully run the wire along the tops of door frames etc, and allow plenty of slack for corners and turns, as pulling the cable tight can damage the interior wires and consequently lose some of the performance.

Speaker cables consist of two leads, one for carrying the signal from your receiver’s output terminals, and one to the speakers input terminals. They will probably be covered in different coloured plastic, one may be marked positive (+) and the other one negative (-). It is important that you fit good solid connectors on the ends of the wires, instead of using the bare ends. This will help to make a good solid connection and also safeguard against possible short circuits, which is also a fire hazard.

It is a good idea to be advised by your salesperson when buying a new system with speakers which is the most suitable, but if not then there are plenty of places around which stock a good supply of quality speaker cables.  Remember, the sound can only be as good as the quality of the speaker cables.