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  1. #1
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    Heavier cables for lower impedance speakers?

    I had my (4-ohm) Klipsch Heresy II speakers wired with some 12 ga. Kimber-like cables. They sounded "right." I switched out to some shorter, 14 ga. cables of the same type from the same manufacturer. My tonal balance changed significantly!

    My first question is: For lower impedance speakers, is it generally best to use heavier ga. cables? Assume, for the moment, that other cable parameters (length, capacitance, etc.) are non-issues.

    If the answer to the first question is "yes, heavier cables are better for low impedance speakers," then my second question is: At what ga. does cable impedance for 4-ohm speakers reach the "point of diminishing returns?" In other words, are paralleled runs of 12 ga. wire better than a single run? Are triple runs of 12 ga. wire better than doubles?

    Keep in mind that the Heresy II is NOT bi-wire capable, and I have no desire to modify the connectors or crossover on the speakers. All terminations are banana plug.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Phila combat zone JoeE SP9's Avatar
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    Ideally the larger a wire the better for speakers up to a point. If you have the wire on hand try the paralleled runs. If it sounds better to you then it is! Listen to your own ears. Any change you make that sounds better to you is better.
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  3. #3
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boomzilla
    My first question is: For lower impedance speakers, is it generally best to use heavier ga. cables? Assume, for the moment, that other cable parameters (length, capacitance, etc.) are non-issues.
    To better answer you question, the length also have to be considered.

    For example if under 10 feet, switching from 12 gauge to 14 gauge probably will not make much of a difference. But for over 10 feet, it might since cable’s power loss is product of current (times 2) and wire's gauge resistance.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Smokey
    To better answer you question, the length also have to be considered.

    For example if under 10 feet, switching from 12 gauge to 14 gauge probably will not make much of a difference. But for over 10 feet, it might since cable’s power loss is product of current (times 2) and wire's gauge resistance.
    Hi Smokey!

    In theory, you're perfectly correct. In my case, though, the 12 ga. wires were 14' long, the 14 ga. wires were 8' long. My speakers liked the 12 ga. wires but not the 14 ga. (despite their shorter length). I'm thinking I'm just going to cut those 12 ga. wires in half, running dual runs of 7' each.

  5. #5
    Forum Regular hermanv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Smokey
    ...edit.... since cable’s power loss is product of current (times 2) and wire's gauge resistance.
    Hi Smokey, it's current squared not times two.

    So yes, for sound where the cables are out of the picture you'd be surprised at how big they really should be. They can't be too big, so the main limit is cost, or the ability to cram the wires in the lugs.

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