8 Gauge Speaker Cable

Leo, there is a LOT more to consider than any one "spec" when talking about a long run of speaker cable. Here are some of the factors that i would take into consideration:

wire gauge: should be as heavy as possible to minimize series resistance. This also helps maintain amplifier damping and control over the speaker drivers and minimizes signal loss.

impedance: cables with a high reactance level ( capacitive or inductive ) should be avoided. These effects would become compounded due to the long run. As such, one should look for a cable that has relatively neutral characteristics and is of a low impedance / low reactance design. A long run of "zip cord" or "monster" style cable would result in increased high frequency and upper midrange roll off due to added inductance. A long run of high capacitance cable ( like Goertz, Chris VH's CAT 5 design and possibly even Kimber 8xx designs if long enough ) could produce amp stability problems.

susceptability to interference: any long run of wire becomes a "long wire antenna" whether we like it or not. As such, you need to look for a design that takes this into account and tries to minimize it. Using wires arranged in a braided pattern, twisted pair, star-quad, something that makes use of a shield, etc... would be my suggestion. Keep in mind the above mentioned caution about "radical" designs though.

flexibility: since you'll be making quite a few bends in order to route this, you'll need cable that is relatively easy to manipulate and is not "brittle". In my opinion, this would call for stranded rather than solid wire even though i typically prefer solid for best sonics.

cost: obviously, nobody wants to pay more than they have to although some are more willing than others : )

With all of that in mind, try looking at www.partsexpress.com for these part numbers:

100-756 ( 4 x 16 gauge )

100-768 ( 4 x 14 gauge )

100-728 ( 4 x 16 gauge )

The first two make use of slightly higher grade copper and jacket materials. The second is a slightly cheaper version but still fully useable. I figured that i would pass them both on as others might be interested and have various budgets. All are 100 foot spools and are very reasonably priced. They also come in 500 and 1000 foot spools if you get really carried away : )

These can be wired in what is called a "star-quad" pattern. In English, this would be referred to as "criss-crossed" or "kitty corner". This lowers inductance for wider bandwidth and more linear frequency response, reduces their susceptability to RFI and EMI and effectively doubles their gauge for lower series resistance. Since you are using 4 smaller gauges to make up what is effectively two larger gauge cables, flexibility isn't a problem either. The 4 x 16's would be the same as a 13 gauge pair of wires and the 4 x 14 would be the same as an 11 gauge pair of wires.

Hope this helps. I know that they might not have the fanciest materials or "hi-fi" brands, but they should work quite well for your situation. This is especially true since they are merely surrounds. Sean
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Bomarc, series resistance doesn't mean a thing if your amp is oscillating. As such, i would first look into the stability of the circuit as a whole ( amp, speaker cables and speakers ) and base my decision on the specific factors involved. Since he was using the Goertz website as a reference and they produce what may arguably be the most reactive wire on the market, i felt the need to stress that point.

One does need to keep in mind that i'm NOT bad-mouthing Goertz, as i personally own three different runs of MI-2 and one run of MI-3. Obviously, i think that their design has merit. Then again, so do other brands and products.

As to the suitability of the wires i suggested, i wouldn't have suggested them if they wouldn't work and work pretty well. Try measuring the series resistance of a 13 gauge wire for a pretty long run and see what you get. It will be negligible and even less with an 11 gauge.

The only time that you would run into problem with either of the above is if you are trying to pump high current on a continual basis through them. The dielectric absorption would increase and so would your losses. As such, i sincerely doubt that any system would be seeing more than a VERY few amps on a steady state basis, let alone a pair of surround speakers. I was trying to keep this as "real world" as possible and still obtain more than suitable results. I think that the prices reflect that intent too.

As to RFI, anyone that lives in a highly populated area that has high powered CB or amateur radio operation taking place has probably heard broadcasts coming through their stereo, tv, telephone, computer speakers, clock radio, etc.. on occasion. If they haven't, they should consider themselves lucky. Either way, adding a long run of wire of ANY design would only increase the chances of stray RF finding its way into the audio chain. As such, nobody wants to shell out money for something that won't work under all of the conditions that they may encounter. It is better to plan ahead and take ALL of the various factors that may arise into consideration and be done with it. That is a lot easier to find out the hard way that they should have planned ahead just a LITTLE more. Sean
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