Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
- 
				Charlie Wilson
 - Posts: 1140
 - Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:32 pm
 
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Steve, that looks like good stuff. Do you use it inside the speaker cabinet from jack to speaker(s)?
CW
			
			
									
									
						CW
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Hold it, hold it!Ken Moon wrote:If you include of these in your cab, your amp will have a cleaner, clearer, more dimensional sound throughout the musical range, while preserving all the richness and foundation of natural music tonal balance. Not only that, but your amp will fight noise that destroys low level information and the signal's purity.
http://store.transparentcable.com/DIY/h ... k-network/
Oh yeah that $175 magic thingy doesn't include any actual speaker wire - that's extra
Insert a passive device in a signal line to IMPROVE signal transfer?
I don't think so!
Classic baffle them with BS.
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
I bought a reel of what looks like this same stuff branded Monster from Radio Shack.xtian wrote:This was my recent purchse:
http://www.parts-express.com/acoustic-r ... t--109-150
Cheap and good.
Works fine, solders well, good heavy insulation.
- 
				Charlie Wilson
 - Posts: 1140
 - Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:32 pm
 
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
OK, Home Depot and Radio Shack. That is better than shopping at the local Laundromat for coat hangers. 
 
CW
			
			
									
									
						CW
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Charlie,Charlie Wilson wrote:OK, Home Depot and Radio Shack. That is better than shopping at the local Laundromat for coat hangers.![]()
CW
Those hangers that have the Martinizing paper shroud have the best tone. And they have Martin Manning's mojo, so you know they don't lie.
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
As long as the cable can handle the load it should be fine.
Some say speaker cables can change the tone.....
And, the expensive cables proudly claim all manners of sonic improvements
will be the result of that $50 speaker cable.
The connectors are actually the key part, IMO.
Particularly, the shape of the tip and how it fits the jack and how large
the contact point is.
If you want to go full out, use Speakon connectors.
Now if you want to talk about tone, don't forget the power cord.
A $350 power cord will improve the overall tone of the amp, just ask the experts.
			
			
									
									Some say speaker cables can change the tone.....
And, the expensive cables proudly claim all manners of sonic improvements
will be the result of that $50 speaker cable.
The connectors are actually the key part, IMO.
Particularly, the shape of the tip and how it fits the jack and how large
the contact point is.
If you want to go full out, use Speakon connectors.
Now if you want to talk about tone, don't forget the power cord.
A $350 power cord will improve the overall tone of the amp, just ask the experts.
Tom
Don't let that smoke out!
						Don't let that smoke out!
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
IIRC that was Ken's logic for used vacuum cleaner cord, old toaster cord would probably have suited him fine too but then you'd only have a 3ft cab cable. Either that or the magic was in 30 years of sucking up dust.cbass wrote:I've been using wire from old electrical cords. They sound best the high current ran through them for years have lined up the electrons for superior sound
I get wire here, or did before I wound up in Bumfucco. Prices are great, prolly Chinese but wire seems the same as anywhere else as far as I can tell, plus I doubt Belden, Carol, Alpha still make wire in the USA:
http://www.bulkwire.com/
I don't mix audiophile and guitar amps so for 16AGW in red and black radio shack does fine too. I use Mogami or Canare speaker cable for head to cab. I use Canare star quad (double it up) and GS6 for hifi interconnects - cheap and terrific.
- 
				Charlie Wilson
 - Posts: 1140
 - Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:32 pm
 
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Yeah I guess copper is copper. The main thing for me was that the wire not be smaller than 16 gauge. Structo I have never tried a $350 power cord but yesterday I did try a $35 12 gauge power cord from Mercury Magnetics and I was surprised that I could definitely hear the difference between that and an 18 gauge power cord. The low end was definitely punchier and the high end was rounder and less shrill. The only problem is that the cord is pretty heavy and does not want to stay in the AC receptacle.
CW
			
			
									
									
						CW
- 
				vibratoking
 - Posts: 2640
 - Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:55 pm
 - Location: Colorado Springs, CO
 
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
I would love to be able to hear that difference.  Done that experiment many times and I can't hear a thing.
			
			
									
									
						Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
That's a VERY nice way of saying what I was thinking.vibratoking wrote:I would love to be able to hear that difference. Done that experiment many times and I can't hear a thing.
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
						- 
				Charlie Wilson
 - Posts: 1140
 - Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:32 pm
 
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Yeah, I am a bit of a skeptic with this sort of stuff but I went around the room at the guitar shop were I repair amps and plugged it into all kinds of different amps small and large. I was shocked that I could hear a difference and I had some of the guys come in and listen and they could hear it also. I ended up giving the cord to a bass player friend who told me his bass rig sounded better than ever using the cord. 
CW
			
			
									
									
						CW
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Charlie, That's what happened with the Mogami cables with me I have a rich girl friend
that bought me a matched pair of Neumann microphones and Mogomi gold Mic. cables
I could hear the difference. So now I use the Mogomi 3082 14 AWG speaker cable and guitar cords
every other brand of cable has failed not Mogami ever in six years.
Most don't realize how much time we put on our gear I have over 600 hours on my D Deluxe now.
Steve.
			
			
									
									
						that bought me a matched pair of Neumann microphones and Mogomi gold Mic. cables
I could hear the difference. So now I use the Mogomi 3082 14 AWG speaker cable and guitar cords
every other brand of cable has failed not Mogami ever in six years.
Most don't realize how much time we put on our gear I have over 600 hours on my D Deluxe now.
Steve.
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
Charlie Wilson wrote:Yeah I guess copper is copper. The main thing for me was that the wire not be smaller than 16 gauge. Structo I have never tried a $350 power cord but yesterday I did try a $35 12 gauge power cord from Mercury Magnetics and I was surprised that I could definitely hear the difference between that and an 18 gauge power cord. The low end was definitely punchier and the high end was rounder and less shrill. The only problem is that the cord is pretty heavy and does not want to stay in the AC receptacle.
CW
I posted this back in 2012. FWIW...Colossal wrote:Ok, I'll volunteer for the Spanish Inquisition. I have some of these power cords and, to my ear, there is a subtle yet audible improvement in the amplifier's clarity. Anyone may call bullshit and say it's more Mercury hype (and what a sucker I am); your entitled to your own view and I respect that. But don't insist that I don't hear a difference or that I am hearing a difference because I expect to. It's a well made, rugged cord and on that attribute it's worth ten bucks, even if I did not particularly notice what could be called an improvement in tone. Like anything we put in an amp, it's another possible tool and everyone's mileage may vary..
Re: Good Source for 16 Gauge Speaker Wire?
I'm close to wiring up my speaker cabinet.  So 14 AWG, unless I can't find it cheap, because I've got tons of 16 AWG.
A question though - do you use spade connectors internally, or solder directly to speakers ?
And the speaker wire, it just dangles in there, or should it be run through cable clamps?
			
			
									
									
						A question though - do you use spade connectors internally, or solder directly to speakers ?
And the speaker wire, it just dangles in there, or should it be run through cable clamps?