Choosing The Right Speaker Wire Cable For Your Audio System

The effects of speaker wires on the quality of audio has been a long debated topic in the audiophile and hi fidelity worlds.  But then again, it’s all about marketing and brand positioning.  To make sure that you get the right speaker wire cable, ask your speaker provider for the best wire available that will be compatible with the speakers that you have right now.

On a side note, there are rumors online that a Japanese company is trying to make a fiber optic cable speaker wire.  If this were true, imagine the quality of sound it can produce.  But since this is just rumor, conventional speaker wire cables are still here to stay.

Going back to choosing the right speaker wires, with so many choices that are out in the market, narrowing down your options is a bit difficult.  But it doesn’t also mean that you just buy the most expensive brand available to ensure quality audio performance.  Always remember that price and quality in respect to speaker wire cables are not relative.

While price and quality are not relative, it is also essential that you choose don’t settle for cheap ones as they might not be compatible with the type of audio system that you have.   The only thing that is important is that the wire is the ideal gauge. As long as the level of resistance and capacitance is in line, you'll get the quality results with your audio system.

Here are some guidelines on how you can choose the right speaker wire cable for your system:

1.     Length and Wire Gauge – due to budget constraint, some would opt for a regular electrical wire rather than buying a speaker wire cable.  Electrical wires use copper that is of less quality and are prone to rusting.  The gauge indicates the thickness of the speaker cable, the lower the gauge the thicker the wire is.  If you’re just setting up for your home audio system, 14-18 gauge would be sufficient.  For the length, the shorter the cables are, the better the sound quality of thinner wires. 

2.    Plugs – these are sometimes called optional connectors.  Dual banana plugs will provide you with the best audio quality if you’re using a five way binding posts.  Pin and spade connectors are also of good quality.

3.    Shielding – these are audio speaker filters which protects your audio from interference.   Unshielded speaker wire cables cannot function properly although shielded cables can still have interference if they only have one inner conductor instead of having two.

4.     Copper Wire - better wire may have superior quality metals that increase conductivity. 

There are several factors to consider when buying the right speaker wire cable that will give you quality audio.  What’s important is your preference when it comes to audio quality. Check the manual of your speakers.  It usually comes with a recommendation for the most suitable wire.