Searching for the right speaker wire gauge to use can be challenging. There are many specifications to consider when selecting a speaker wire gauge. To begin, resistance is arguably the most important component to choosing a speaker wire. For example, a low-resistance speaker provides more power from the amplifier to the speaker. All in all, resistance is influenced by three components – conductivity, length, and thickness.

Conductivity measures the flow of electricity and is measured in Siemens. All PrimeCables-branded speaker wire is made with oxygen-free copper ensuring some of the highest conductivity ratings in Canada. Then, there’s length of the cable. The general rule regarding length is that the longer the wire, the more resistance. Therefore, the longer the cable is, the better the resistance needs to be, or else one will have to increase power on the other end to achieve the same sound as one might hear from a shorter wire. Please note that it is not recommended for any speaker wire cable to be longer than fifty feet. The last component is thickness. As the thickness of a wire increases – which is measured in AWG, gauge number – the resistance of the wire decreases accordingly. Thereby, for longer wires, a thicker wire is required.

There are some golden rules you want to remember when browsing speaker wire. For example, when the gauge of a wire is tripled, its resistance doubles. The best thing we can recommend is to browse the PrimeCables speaker wire chart indicating the different requirements for wire gauge numbers 18-16 AWG and across 2 ohm, 4 ohm, 6 ohm, and 8 ohm loads. Using this speaker wire gauge chart is a great way to get a handle on what’s best for your home setup.

Connecting your home theater system begins, in many cases, by knowing how the cable and wire setup is going to be structured. Deciding on a speaker wire gauge can provide some direction on where to begin hooking things up. Though it can seem daunting, hooking up your home theater system is made easy once you get a hang of speaker wire. Be it for audiophiles, casual listeners, and/or for everyday Canadian households, the right speaker wire gauge can help significantly improve and upgrade a stereo system.

Needless to say, we know our wires. PrimeCables is a premiere Canadian ecommerce cable and speaker wire retailer, with over a decade of experience serving Canadians far and wide. When you buy speaker wire from PrimeCables, you receive a 1-year guarantee on any purchase, free returns included, and on any orders above $49, fast and free shipping to anywhere in Canada.