Many factors affect the quality of the sound coming from your speaker. Your speaker wire is one of these factors, and getting the right one is necessary if you hope to enjoy high-quality music and audio. You have already seen some of the best speaker wires available. This buying guide will give you more information to help you narrow down your choices and make the perfect purchase decision.
What is a speaker wire?
A speaker wire is a unique electrical wire mainly used to connect speakers to audio amplifiers. You can use speaker wires to connect your speakers to other audio equipment. Speaker wires have two or more identical electrical conductors, and these conductors often have a PVC or Teflon cover. Speaker cables come in different specifications, and you have to know which one would serve you best before you make a purchase.
What are the factors to consider when choosing a speaker wire?
Resistance
The first thing you have to look at before you buy any speaker wire is resistance. If a speaker wire has a low resistance, it means the amplifier can send more power to the speaker’s voice coil. The best speaker wires are designed with short lengths and increased thickness because speaker wires with this specification have the lowest resistance. If resistance happens to be more than 5% of your loud speaker’s impedance, it starts to give out a harmful audible effect.
Wire gauge
The wire gauge is known as the cross-sectional area of the wire. It is also generally described as the thickness of the wire. Before you buy any speaker wire, you should know that the lower the gauge, the thicker the wire, and vice versa. There are two acceptable gauge standards; one is the American Wire Gauge, and the other is Standard Wire Guage. If you are planning to position your speaker(s) more than fifty feet away from your amplifier, then you need to buy a speaker wire with a lower gauge so you can keep resistance low.
Capacitance
Capacitance refers to the ability of conductors to retain minimal amounts of electricity. Small bits of electricity are held over the length of the wire when electricity passes through the conductor. When there is a build-up of electricity within these conductors, it can have adverse effects. It can increase your resistance level at best, and it can damage your speaker at worst. Excess capacitance is less likely to occur if you use shorter speaker wires.
Inductance
Inductance refers to the resistance generated when there is a change in electrical current. All conductors have inductance, and speaker wires are not an exception. If you use your speaker wire in a place where the electricity voltage is not stable, you might experience resistance more often. It would be best if you used lower gauge speaker wires to minimize the resistance.
Wire material
The wire material of any speaker wire is the conductor metal within the wire covering. Most speaker wires are built with copper because copper happens to be cost-effective, and it has a reasonable conductivity rate. However, copper can get oxidized if exposed, and this can lead to higher resistance levels. However, copper remains the best conductor for speaker wires. Gold can be a good conductor, but it is pretty expensive, and most people tend not to consider purchasing speaker wires made with gold.
How much do speaker wires cost?
The price of a speaker wire is primarily dependent on the length, gauge, conductor metal, and brand. The average speaker wire can cost anywhere from ten to one hundred dollars. Most experts agree that the price of a speaker wire does not define its quality. This good news for buyers because it means you can buy any affordable speaker cable.
Should I buy Bi-wire speaker cables and single-wire speaker cables?
Bi-wire speaker cables
Bi-wire speaker cables are speaker wires that connect your amplifier to your speakers using two cables instead of one. When you are using bi-wire cables, it means each of your loudspeakers has two sets of connectors. One connector is designed for high-frequency output, while the other connector works for low-frequency output. One advantage of using bi-wire speaker cables is that magnetic interaction is kept to a bare minimum, leading to lower resistance. Ultimately, this can give you a better sound. However, audiophiles and experts believe the sound from your speaker does not get significantly better when you use bi-wire speaker cables. Other experts believe the double wiring system produces better sound than single wire cables.
Single wire speaker cables
Single wire speaker cables are more common. They are speaker wires that connect your amplifier to your speakers using only one set of connectors. With the single-wire speaker cables, all the load goes through a single terminal. One advantage that comes from using this cable is that it is cost-effective. If you get a single wire speaker cable with a low gauge, you don’t have to worry about resistance.
Summary
Your speaker should operate at total capacity. However, you have to make sure you put everything in place to allow it to run smoothly. When you buy the right speaker wire, you save yourself from many technical issues down the road, and you can continue to enjoy good audio for a long time.
FAQs
Q: Can I use an electrical wire as a speaker cable?
A: If the electrical wire comes with two same-sized conductor wires, you can use it as a speaker cable.
Q: How do I know which speaker wire length to buy?
A: Short speaker wires have a lot of advantages. You should make sure you minimize the space between your amplifier and your speakers so you can use shorter wires. It is also essential that the length of your speaker wires is the same.
Q: Do speaker wires affect sound output?
A: Speaker wires only directly affect sound output if the resistance is more than five percent. You can buy lower gauge speaker wires to avoid this problem.