What gauge speaker wire should I use?

Question

I am hooking up 2 Kicker 12" L5s (1200 RMS watts)...What gauge speaker wire should I use? 12? Also for my 4 channel amplifier that will be running 6x9s and 6 1/2s pulling about 70 RMS watts each would 16 gauge be fine??

Thanks

Answer 1

you want atleast 5 gauge power wire ot the amp from your battery to power the amp the bigger the wire the more power and the louder

Answer 2

Irrespective of the standard you use, a lower the gauge number related to a thicker wire, and a better capacity to pass the amplified audio signal. Good quality speaker wires fall in the range 12 to 16 AWG.

Avoid speaker wire thinner than gauge 16 when installing your home theater wiring unless you are working with very short runs. A major factor is the distance between the amplifier/home theater receiver, and your speakers — long wire runs can cause significant power losses, and thus require thicker speaker cables.

Even with short runs, AWG 18 is the minimum thickness you can go.

When choosing speaker wire, consider the quality of your gear. In other words, the build-up quality of the speaker wire should match that of your speakers and amplifier. Ensure also that your speaker wire support the power rating of your sound system.

However that quality comes at an expense; thicker home theater wiring is more expensive; hence keep an eye on your available budget.

Answer 3

12 guage is what I have always used and it works great!!

Answer 4

yeah 16 gauge is good for speakers but 12 or thicker i preffered for subwoofers....