Does speaker wire gauge make a noticeable difference?

Question

I bought some new floor speakers and they came with cheapo spaghetti-sized wire (like 24 gauge). I hooked them up and they sound pretty decent. Would I hear a noticeable difference switching to 16 gauge wire, and what kind of differences would I notice?

Thanks for your time.

Answer 1

It can make a difference, mainly in longer runs.  Keep into consideration, most gauge wire is in multiple fine strands, whereas some (mostly in high-end cables) are solid core.

In a basic sense, the smaller the gauge (again, in longer runs), the more resistance the cable will have between the speaker and amplifier.  A critical ear can hear this, as the music will sound more restricted -less of a sense of ease.

If you want to avoid the whole thing, some have recommended going down to your local hardware store and getting some inexpensive heavy-gauge power cord wire.

Happy listening!

Answer 2

That is system dependent. However, when I went to a heavier gauge wire, I noticed that the bass was a little cleaner.  Your best bet is to try it and see what happens.

Answer 3

On a high-end music system, long runs of wire can roll off some of the higher frequencies.

A speaker site once recommend these rough guidelines:

1-10 ft: 16 ga

11-20 ft: 14 ga

20+ ft: 12 ga

To be honest, the long runs to the rear speakers of a HT system - you probably wont notice any difference. The other 3 speakers dominate the sound and critical sounds dont come from the rears.

But places like PartsExpress sell 12 ga for not much more than 14 or 16 ga, so thats what I tend to use.