Speaker Wires: Can I use different Wire Gauges in the same Conductor?


I am currently experimenting with different wire materials and different wire gauges for DIY speaker cables. So far, I am getting superb mid range from two 24AWG 5N silver wires, one hot, the other for return (+). The wires are imbedded in two 22AWG PTFE tubings, meaning the actual dielectric is air. The sound is hugely dynamic and spacious! I need to open the volume control on my preamp no more than 10 O'Clock to fill the room with very loud sound. This flies in the face of everything I have heard about speaker cables in terms of wire size, 16AWG or even 12AWG being usually recommended. For my subs I use 7 parallel silver-plated copper 22AWG  each for - and +. The sound blows the roof off my place and is very physical in terms of making the skin vibrate. Now I became curious, and I do not have an answer yet: what would happen if I use different wire gauges for the hot and the return in the same cable, let's say 24AWG for the -, and 26AWG for the +? I would assume that the impedance of the entire conductor would be determined by the smallest wire (26AWG); however, since most of the energy of the hot signal is being converted into mechanical by the speaker cone, I wonder, if one could get away with having a smaller wire for the return. In the case of silver as a conductor material, this translates directly into $$$, hence my question. I could, of course, just do the experiment and listen, but I would like to understand the theory behind it, and what effect it would have on signal symmetry or "smearing".

 
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I remember doing a number of my own cables when I was new to audio. 
 

A number of audio cable companies used a vast array of gauges, multiple gauges, both in contact with each other, and enclosed in dielectrics… some with geometrical twisting, some in parallel. I am not aware of anyone who uses different gauges in the two ends. I think every step requires testing. There are so many ways you can subtly influence the sound. Hence many companies have been in the business for decades and incrementally improving their products. 

Yes you can and look into what some of the cable manufactures like Nordost, Audioquest , Transparent are using. The attached below I read somewhere I think here on audiogon could be wrong but I have found it to be very accurate even with speaker cables. My current speaker cables are made up if 2x14 and 4x18 awg for both + and - with the positive in Teflon tubing. Other than the size of conductors and number of conductors I follow the Helix cable thread here on audiogon. The more conductors you use the better sound again look at Nordost with the Odin speaker cable they use 28 x 20 awg and 7 x 14 I believe I haven’t found any manufacturer that use only 2 conductors. I use 18 awg solid due to the availability but I have found out the hard way that using the same size and number of conductors for both + and - need to be the same for optimum SQ and weave the conductors don’t twist.

good luck.

 

When handling solid core, the gauge of the wire is critical. There is a fine line on a balance. I have found that 20awg is the best overall to use in any situation (either power cord or interconnect). As you increase the size of the wire awg, the bass waveforms becomes punchier and push harder. At the same time, the high frequencies start to roll off and you get a very lo-fi type of sound. If you go smaller than 20awg (such as 22awg), you start to lose bass/midbass body and the higher frequencies become too overstated. I have experienced this both on power cords and interconnects. 

 

Power cords with 18awg or 16 awg will not have enough high frequency detail. I tried a power cord using 22awg solid core and I got extreme amounts of high frequency detail, but there was not enough bass/body. It made the audio sound very thin. In interconnects, 18awg rolls off too much highs. I have tried combining a 20awg with a 22awg for interconnect and it did give more high detail, but it ended up pushing too much high frequencies and it just did not have enough punch/bass.

 

Finally, braiding seems to be the best way to arrange the wires. I have tried twisting and it doesn’t do anything. There’s a somewhat unexplainable characteristics that happens with braiding. It calms down the upper mid/high frequencies so that they are not so bright. It also seems to reveal a bit more midbass body. Shielding (like braided copper shielding) will achieve somewhat the same thing, but it tends to want to roll off the high frequencies instead of just calming them down.

 

On my interconnects (which are all XLR), I use 2 braids of 20awg to give a total 17awg interconnect. For power cords, I use 6 braids of 20awg to get a final 12awg cord. All using Neotech 20awg OCC copper Teflon coated solid-core hookup wire. (Yes, OCC is better than OFC).

 

The Kimber stuff is probably the best equivalent that is on the market. It is stranded, but each varistrand bundle is only 7 strands, so there really is only one inner strand. The braiding also helps.

 

Right now, I’m using 12awg stranded OFC copper (basic monster cable) for speaker wire, but I have been curious about trying the Neotech NES-3002 speaker wire. It uses all OCC solid core wire that is individually insulated. Based on the number of wires in the pictures, it seems to use 21awg solid core. Shown at the bottom of this page:

calculator for you:

https://www.wirebarn.com/Combined-Wire-Gauge-Calculator_ep_42.html

7 x 24 awg is still only 16 awg. I would get to 12 at least for a non-powered sub, preferably 10. those frequencies are power hogs.

Silver is only 7% better conductor than copper so that won't significantly reduce the wire gauge requirements.

Jerry

Using various different gauge wire strands has been the basis for Cardas cables its' entire history.

Thanks for all your comments. I think, I have to clarify my original question: I was NOT asking whether different AWG gauge wires can be used in one combination-speaker cable. Of course they can, and I am quite familiar with Cardas and Nordost cable architecture. My question was: can I use one size for the - line and another, smaller size for the + , in the same cable, i.e. for a single speaker cone? The difference in impedance over a relatively short run (< 10 feet) should be negligible, NO? All cones in my speaker system are actively powered, each one with its own amp; the signals for the latter coming from an active crossover. So, my question is in regard of silver wire for all the 5 channels. I currently use a single (!!) home-made 23 AWG solid-core silver cable for my 200 W- powered mid-range cone, for example, and it sounds great. I would like to experiment with a 22 AWG for the - and 26 AWG for the +: Will I get the benefit of the thicker wire, or the disadvantage of the thinner one, or won't I be able to hear a difference? What is the physics here, which I want to understand. Needless to say: if I can get away with a higher AWG number for the return wires on all my 5 cones, this translates into beaucoup bucks for silver!