Speaker Wire

Thread Starter

Allycat

Joined Sep 2, 2011
1
I recently purchased a Sony MHCGTZ3i.CEK Mini Hi-Fi System. The leads are not long enough for my use so I need to buy a 7 meter length of compatible speaker cable to extend them. ( I guess I'll be voiding the warranty but there's nothing else I can do). Each speaker will be just over 5 meters from the amplifier.
The cable specification printed on the Sony speaker cable supplied with the unit reads like this : 5U AWM E254714 2468 VW-1 80(degrees)C 300V 24AWG FPG. Can somebody translate this to layman's terms for me so I know what to buy. Thanks.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,712
IMO you can use just about any piece of wire you have handy and you will not notice any difference or cause anybody any harm.
 

R!f@@

Joined Apr 2, 2009
9,918
Well! What I would do is use a gauge lower than 24AWG. Of course it can be 50 to 100V ratings, but higher the better.
For long layouts wire should be thicker to avoid loss and should be multi-strand copper wires

But of course it all depends on the type of Amplifier and speakers and there power ratings
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
24 gauge wire is so skinny that almost anything you can buy will work better. Smaller numbers mean bigger copper. Try 18 ga. or 16 ga.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,712
All of the above comments are correct. Of course, I made my comment without seeing any need to be too technical.

zip cord is usually readily available cheap and very adequate.
This is the best advice. I use zip cord or lamp cord all the time for speaker connections. It's inexpensive and readily available. It will work for all situations unless you are an on-stage bass player cranking out 1000W of acoustic power.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,712
On another tip. Make sure you pay attention to the polarity of the connections. That is, you must connect the left and right speakers so that they are in phase. The two wires of zip cord or lamp cord can sometimes be identified with one side being copper and the other tin coloured. Sometimes the insulation on one side has grooves running down the length of the insulation.

You can check the phasing by disconnecting the speaker wires at the amplifier and temporarily touching the wires across a 1.5V AA battery. Watch the motion of the bass speakers and observe whether they move in or out.

As a final check, position the left and right speakers right beside each other and play music with a lot of heavy bass. You should be able to hear a definite loss of bass if the speakers are out of phase. Try it both ways to hear the difference. Then choose the final connection that results in stronger bass.
 
Last edited:

KJ6EAD

Joined Apr 30, 2011
1,581
To preserve the integrity of the product in an undamaged state I would find some compatible connectors and make an extension cable.
 
Top