Speaker Wires

Speaker wire is used to make the electrical connection between loudspeakers and audio amplifiers. Modern speaker wire consists of two electrical conductors individually insulated by plastic. The two wires are electrically identical, but are marked (eg a ridge on the insulation of one wire, color of one wire, a thread in one wire, etc) to allow convenient polarization connection. Some historic designs also featured another pair of wires for electrical power for an electromagnet in the loudspeaker. The effect of speaker wire upon the signal it carries has been a much debated topic in the audiophile and high fidelity worlds. Speaker wire, like any other linear electrical component, has three parameters which determine its performance: resistance, capacitance, and inductance. The shorter a wire is, the closer it comes to being perfect as resistance increases with length in all conductors. Resistance can in a minority of cases have some effect on speaker wire performance, whereas capacitative and inductive characteristics of speaker wire are vanishingly small relative to the loudspeaker itself. Stranded wire is more flexible than solid wire, and suitable for movable equipment. Even with a poor wire, an audible degradation of sound may not exist. Many supposedly audible differences in speaker wire can be attributed to listener bias or the placebo effect. Resistance is by far the most important specification of speaker wire. Low resistance speaker wire allows more of the amplifier's power to energize the loudspeaker's voice coil. A speaker wire’s impedance takes into account the wire’s resistance, the wire’s path (coiled wire acts as an Inductor), the dielectric properties of local insulators. The latter two factors give the wire its frequency response. The lower the impedance of the speaker, the greater the significance of the resistance of the speaker wire will be. High power in car audio systems using 2 ohm speaker circuits require relatively thick cables. Thicker wires in a cable reduce resistance. The resistance of speaker connection cable in 16-gauge or heavier wire has no detectable effect in runs of 50' or 15 metres or less in standard domestic loudspeaker connections. Insulation thickness or type also no audible effect as long as the insulation is of good quality and does not chemically react with the wire itself, as poor-quality insulation has occasionally been found to cause accelerated oxidation of the copper conductor, increasing resistance over time. The gauge sizes in SWG, or the standard wire gauge and AWG, or American wire gauge reduce as the wire gets larger. Silver has a slightly lower resistivity than copper, which allows a thinner wire to have the same resistance. Silver is expensive and so a copper wire with the same resistance will cost considerably less. Like copper, silver also suffers from oxidation. Speaker wire capacitance and inductance normally have no effect on audio quality, though extreme examples using unusual high impedance speakers and exceptionally long wire runs can show a small effect. Speaker wire terminations are optional and largely for convenience, as bare wire ends work just as well electrically, and may work better mechanically as adding a termination introduces another potential point of error in installation or of failure over time. The most common termination types are solder tinned wire ends; soldered or crimped pin or spade lugs; banana plugs; and 2 pin DIN connectors. Some terminations are plated in gold, which is of no functional use on consumer equipment speaker lines, but markets equipment to end users unfamiliar with the relevant principles. Additionally, the Neutrik Speakon connector twists to lock in place, preventing one cause of intermittent failure, and accidental disconnection common in well used banana plug connections.