Hey everyone, I'm planning on installing an Alpine amp, the F240 I believe it's called, 40x4 rms. When I run the speaker wires, I'm told to use a 14 gauge wire. Does the brand of wire make a huge difference? And does it make a difference if it's a twisted design? I saw Crutchfield carries Streetwires and I found some Visonik on Ebay that's a whole lot cheaper. They're both 14 gauge and both are the twisted design. What do you all think? Thanks!

 

for the most part, wire is wire no matter what name is on the sleeve.
Alot of different brands come out of the same factory. If the guage, # of strands, and material are the same...go with the cheaper priced.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Some people swear their $3,000 home speaker cable make a difference

 

I have heard home stereo systems with that $3000 a foot crap... I have senstive hearing, and I can't tell a difference.

Get good quality wire. The difference between cheap and good? how long will it stay soft? That's the difference.

 

home depot, lamp cord

 

Walmart wire, cheap, decent.

 

You should get ahold of EatRice. He can usually point you in the right direction for that stuff.

 

as far as the twisted wire goes power current amperage whatever you want to call it flows better in a nontwisted configuration i have no way to prove it to you i think i read it in a book somewhere and i actually twist my wires just out of habit but it really doesnt matter (you'll never hear the difference between twisted or nontwisted wire) also the more strands of wire you have gives you more signal strenth but once again you wont be able to tell the difference
just some useless knowledge i felt like passing on

 

Thanks everyone. I decided to make a call and order up some Streetwires. It wasn't super expensive, and why cut corners on the wire? Thanks again!

 

I have two opinions:

1. Given wire guages are the same, wire is wire, to a degree. I've seen where cheaper has discolored over time. I assume this is the copper oxidizing. Maybe the "oxygen-free copper" or copper with less impurities won't discolor. Also, the quality of the insulator may be of importance to you. The cheaper stuff gets brittle over time. Does it degrade SQ? I don't know; let me know if you have an answer.

2. The more expensive wire looks "prettier". With over eight large into my system, NOT counting my many dozens of manhours of labor, a few extra bucks on wire (OK, maybe a little more than a "few") is a small price to pay to be able to tell myself that I didn't skimp in any way. And if anyone ever pulled my carpet back, they can say the same thing. Does it improve SQ? I would bet money it doesn't. And even if it did in the most remote sense, would I be able to discern the difference? I would bet money I can't.

 

Just because the wire is the same gauge does not mean it is the same wire. High quality wire will have a higher strand count making it able to carry more current.

Alot of what is said here is true when it comes to SQ. I have done tests with a RTA,multi meter, and by with several different RCA cables in a home system. Very little to no difference and the difference was measured by the machines. No differance by ear. But there are several other advantages to high end cables. One is the ability to bend...that is very important in a car system. Another is the ability to resists chemicals and heat. But the most important item is the cables ability to resist induced noise. Induced noise can come from other electronic items in the car and or the alternator. The reason the wires are twisted is to cancel out noise that is induced into the system. There is also the oxygen free bonus. The reason this is desired is to prevent oxidation. When the cable oxidizes it's ability to conduct current will be liimited and eventually fail. I have seen alot of wires in boats totally fail from oxidation.

All in all there are plenty of good reasons to by high end cables. But for just for SQ I would not just for SQ. Also....there is a huge mark up in wires. If you guys need anything from Stinger let me know.

 

just like you see these guys who try to have evey wire the same lenth for maximum sq that is total
somewhere i read they did a test to see how much of a difference in lenth would 2 given wires have to be in order for you to hear a difference
the answer will astound you its some where in the 25000 foot range
granted equal lenth wires are nice looking but some guys are so gungho about it its ridiculous

 

25,000 ft.....no way

When it come to power wire with 14.4 volts DC and hi-amperage, the length and guage make a big difference.
As for speaker wire, it carries a different type of voltage. Still, after 25,000 ft you would have zero or next to zero output at the other end

 

Knew is correct about power wire. But it does matter in signal cable also (RCA and speaker) but the length of a car is not enough to matter. The cable that Bogus talks about is actually a Pro Audio/Studio cable where the lines will sometimes be hundreds of feet long. There it matters because it will make a difference. In a car...nope. But on a side note. That cable is wicked cool. You can take a piece that is 25ft long, strip both ends, hold one end with your fingers and then touch the other end with a soldering iron and heat up your fingers. Pretty neat but again makes no difference in the car.

 

I use a good quality silicone wire. If only so the insulators don't go brittle over time.

Inside a car it's killer... heat, dry, wet...