I'm installing a stereo setup in another vehicle and want to run new 16 gauge wire. Can someone confirm or dis-spell something I heard many years ago? Is it true that standard lamp cord works just as good in car applications for speaker installations? Pros & cons if any?

 

more aless it will

 

really? just go by some speaker wire. it is very cheap.

 

copper wire is copper wire.
but in a car... just get cheap OFC speaker wire.

 

Unless you're runnning more than 100 watts per channel, you don't need to worry about fancy-pants speaker wire. I use Monster cable's 16 gauge XLN wire just because it's pretty....but it's also relatively inexpensive at $0.37/foot.

 

I absolutely 100% disagree with the fine gentlemen that have posted prior to me.

I am a true audiophile, and know that there is a difference between running electrical cord vs. high end speaker wire.

No offense guys, you do it you way, I'll do it mine.....

Spend some money & buy some decent wire from a respectable manufacturer. PLEASE!

End rant, and I will not engage in a debate on the issue. I right, your wrong. Except it....

 

However, in the acoustically challenged, noisy listening environment inside a car and with the short lengths of cable required, the differences are hard to discern unless you are an audiophile.

I wouldn't use off the shelf lamp cord when good quality OFC speaker cable is readily available and quite affordable.

 

Any audio system is only as good as it's weakest link. For MOST aftermarket sytems, the speaker wire just doesn't produce as much of an audible difference as say proper tuning. This is not to say that higher end systems won't benifit from it, but the average joe just won't notice. The question you have to ask yourself is at what point does the price no longer justify the performance. I once saw a length of ultra high end (I believe the brand was "Everest") speaker wire on ebay listed or $10,000. I don't believe there's ANY audio system that would be worth that much of an investment.

 

Rumor has it, there's really no audible difference between say - a wire hanger and monster cable.


Then again, maybe just about anything can effect sound quality.)[/I]

But really, The only time you would really run into trouble if you run wire that's way too small for the power you're putting through it.

That said, you don't want crap quality wire that's going to break in a car environment. Either from bending and flexing, or from being crushed when weight is put on it.

 

Ouch...

 

Buy speaker wire in +1. As in 1 gauge size larger than the power you are attempting to push through it. 16ga will push 800 watts through it over 25' or something without any discernable loss. I don't have time to go find the chart I used to reference, but I will try later when I get home.

I used to recommend Radio Shack, but because Monster is sold through them now they have literally doubled the price of their "in house" speaker wire to help push the Monster wire at $5 more per 50'. They win on both sides whether you buy their in house or not.

Parts-express sells nice stuff as well.

I personally have A/B/C'd $100 per foot, .25 per foot, and lamp cord with zero sound quality difference on $20,000 towers. 5 of the 8 "listeners" felt the lamp cord sounded the best. YMMV

Fej

 

An IASCA judge commented in Car Audio magazine a few years ago saying,

"Someday, a kids vehicle will pull up into my judging lane with a very high end sounding audio system put together with lamp cord and Radio Shack tweeters and win!"

 

I think if you spend a lot of coin on speaker cable, interconnects, etc. that you expect/want it to sound better than "basic wire" Psychologically, after you spend all that extra money, you convince yourself that yea I can hear a difference. That being said, I never skimp on wires or rca's. If I spend all the cash on "better" amps, speakers, etc. why not match it up with higher end cable.

 

Unless we are dropping big money on amps and speakers and doing active tuning IMO no need for expensive speaker wire. I have used cheapo homedepot and walmart wiring tons of times. For something decent I recommend either darvex or monoprice

 

I can assure you guys that based on my extensive (unavailable at the moment) testing that the only time speaker wire size or quality comes into play is at the limits of nearing the range of the amp's power availability and highly inferior types of wire that cause direct problems in the area of driver response. If I can dig up the test results in the near future I'll post graphs for you all to draw your opinions from.

 

It would be interesting to see. In my experience there can definitely be a difference between different types of wire. They're always pretty small differences, but they can be heard. And not just at the upper limits of the amps output.

That being said, in a car, with imperfect speaker placement, inherent interplay between the car's materials (glass, metal, and vinyl near the speaker drivers), and if you're actually driving, a 65db noise floor, the differences you would hear between any wire (except extreme cases... no solid core or 24 gauge wire) are completely lost.

 

This is kind of one of those arguments that the two sides will never see eye to eye. Some people swear on their lives that they can hear a difference between speaker wire vs expensive speaker wire vs lamp cord, while others stand behind the science of electrical current travel and basically say that it is not possible to "colorize" or have "more detail" or "warmth" or other descriptive terms that people who sell $100 per foot speaker wire use when describing their "high end" wire.

IMO this is akin to adding advertised HP improving parts; headers (+30hp), Intake (+25hp) tune (+25hp) and expecting to get +85hp. Not going to happen. Likely see +40hp as they all work in conjunction as part of a system.

I won't say that the wire thing is snake oil, but I thought I saw the guy that used to sell Slick 50 on TV selling speaker wire

If you are ever bored and want to see some people that are so completely over the top about wire, head over to head-fi.org.


Fej

 

I agree that there are many dubious claims of audible advantages to a variety of things associated with audio systems, from high-zoot electrical outlets, directional signal cables and of course, speaker wire.

When it comes to speaker cable, it is easy to design a test that will either display a large enough difference that anyone can hear it or be so subtle that only test equipment can differentiate between subjects. Cable length and extreme frequency response at either end of the spectrum are a couple of key issues in demonstrating a significant difference.

Car audio thankfully has not fallen as deeply into the abyss of esoterica as home theater/etc. has. Speaker selection is still the most important decision with amplifiers following.

The high quality head units that are discussed on the Forum keep getting more sophisticated and offer ever increasing levels of control, and they have great specs to go along with the operational improvements. Even the cheap stuff is flat, quiet and has relatively low distortion.

Wire choices are pretty well defined by common sense. Use large enough cable to supply the power (current and voltage) necessary to operate your gear. Be it electrical cable or speaker wire.

 

You can use cheap wire as long as the strand count is the same...these days...the zip cord...(read cheapo lamp cord) is not made with nearly as many strands as it used to be...I have seen it with as few as 6 strands...buying expensive cable for speakers is a waste in a car...ANY CAR!!! Buy the reasonably priced speaker wire...

What you want is to make sure you have the heaviest gauge Power cords...decent patch cords... solder your connections, using good grade shrink tubing...and use good soldered grounds and seal them against oxidation...and NEVER, EVER run any component or speaker wires anywhere near your power cord(s) it introduces all kinds of fields and distortion...

 

It's amazing to see how much knowledge us old farts have, either one way or another. It's also nice not to have critically opinionated jerk-offs pissing everyone off....

A few people mentioned how out of control some audio fans are with respect to their expectations of their signal cables & speaker wire. Even myself, a firm believer in "good" cable am dumbfounded by how much an audio fanatic will spend on wire.... I prefer pure (99.9) silver, oxygen free twisted pairs in the 14 gauge range personally, and typically shell out a max of .75 per foot for good cable.

In my SQ truck, I use Cinema Quest pure copper, but also like Oxygen free twisted silver wire as well. Monster cable is not much better than radio shack crap, I'll agree with that!

The other point(s) well made were that if you are running crappy power, and or speakers, it doesn't matter what wire you use, it's still going to sound like crap. If you buy some high end power, and top shelf speakers, and have your doors dampened, speakers mounted correctly, and have an active tune, you will hear a difference in sound between Radio Shack lamp wire, and either of the two listed above, which are still very affordable cables.

Honestly, if you buy Best Buy quality equipment (no offense meant), even their very best, there would be no sense in running new wires, you won't hear the difference. On the other hand, if you bought a Nakamichi deck, some Sinfoni amps, and DLS Iridium (or better) speakers, you sure as hell better spend some cabbage on some good signal cable, jumpers, and speaker wire. No need for the 50.00 + per foot stuff, but your 6 meter cable should run you a couple hundred bucks...

Anyway, nice thread! I love to see great information being shared without conflict....