A hot topic that never seems to cool down is what size speaker wire do I need. You don't need to spend a fortune to get good speaker wire. Fancy wires that are as thick as 2 sticks of licorice are not necessary. The answer is pretty simple. In most cases 14 gauge will do just fine as most folks don't have speakers more than 10 - 15 feet apart. If you are running longer length's than that you might consider 12 gauge or lower. Although there are lots of posts about using lamp cord we'd recommend buying a good quality speaker wire instead. The following attributes can make speaker wire easier to use:
- Gold and silver wire makes keeping speakers in phase easier (hooking up red to red and black to black)
- Same with a white stripe along on of the wires
- Using banana plugs or other connectors to make connecting to your speaker or receiver easier
Safety Tip: Remember that in-wall and in-ceiling speakers require special wire and you should check your local building code.
That's it. Pretty simple.
