A.C. Wire info in testing or facts and snake oil?

[Jeff M.]

Good Evening everyone. I had to ask these questions because this is the last area of my system am piecing together. I have heard the following statements?

1. So you can use 12 gauge speaker wire that is a 4/ 12 speaker wire and only use 3 wires and leave the forth wire alone. True or false I have no idea?

2. The Shielding inside with other cottons and outside protective jacket helps with lowering the floor noise and radio frequency’s and other noises?

3. Silver coated wire is the best electrical material of all metals.

4. There are noise level brackets and 4 is the maximum. I know A few audio company’s that use this and it has been proven it’s no different than
other cables?


Just asking to clear my mind and get sold answers from honest people who will not give me the ruin around to get my money. Thanks Jeff

 

[Devnull]

Just use whatever power cable came with your equipment. You do not want to use speaker wire for an AC power cable, the insulation isn't rated for that use.

 

[kemmler3D]

1. As long as everything is connected to what it should be, that should be OK.
2. Sheileding yes, insulation and cotton, no.
3. Silver is a little more conductive than copper, but the difference is so small that it is almost impossible to create a situation in which you will hear any difference. It does not make any difference at all in most systems.
4. "noise level brackets" - not sure what this is

get sold answers from honest people who will not give me the ruin around to get my money.

Rule of thumb: anyone who is telling you to use anything beyond normal copper cable is either delusional, trying to get your money, or both. This applies to speaker cable as well as power cable.

There is less than zero reason to use anything other than normal power cables.

 

[beefkabob]

Using speaker wire as power wire seems like a quick way to burning down the house, which is a great song.

Solid silver is the most conductive metal, but that's one of many physical properties to consider. Coated silver is better how?

Never heard of noise level brackets. Replacing an AC cable is silly. You have noisy electrical from the power station to the street by your house to the plug and then up. None of that matters if the device you're powering is properly designed. Replacing the last five feet with something magical shows magical but not smart thinking.

 

[Palladium]

Emphasizing technically correct facts but leaving out any relevant context is the #1 trick in any marketing.

Sure silver is 8% more conductive than copper on a normalized basis, but it will NEVER ever matter in any consumer electronics environment.

 

[Jeff M.]

Just use whatever power cable came with your equipment. You do not want to use speaker wire for an AC power cable, the insulation isn't rated for that use.

Awesome that takes care of that rumor.

 

[Jeff M.]

Using speaker wire as power wire seems like a quick way to burning down the house, which is a great song.

Solid silver is the most conductive metal, but that's one of many physical properties to consider. Coated silver is better how?

Never heard of noise level brackets. Replacing an AC cable is silly. You have noisy electrical from the power station to the street by your house to the plug and then up. None of that matters if the device you're powering is properly designed. Replacing the last five feet with something magical shows magical but not smart thinking.

Audio quest says that on there cables. They clam it. I don’t buy into the hype just wondered and Ausio quest will never get a dime from me. Am smarter than that.

 

[Jeff M.]

Emphasizing technically correct facts but leaving out any relevant context is the #1 trick in any marketing.

Sure silver is 8% more conductive than copper on a normalized basis, but it will NEVER ever matter in any consumer electronics environment.

Some this is all I needed to know.

 

[Chrispy]

Just use whatever power cable came with your equipment. You do not want to use speaker wire for an AC power cable, the insulation isn't rated for that use.

What is difference between zip cord and speaker wire? What gauge?

 

[Chrispy]

Audio quest says that on there cables. They clam it. I don’t buy into the hype just wondered and Ausio quest will never get a dime from me. Am smarter than that.

Fraudioquest claming it sounds about right.

 

[beefkabob]

6000 bucks for a power cable? LOL! A sucker born every minute.

 

[Devnull]

What is difference between zip cord and speaker wire? What gauge?

Doesn't really matter what the wire type is the gauge is the same diameter. A 14 gauge speaker wire, 14 AWG Romex, 14 AWG SOOW cable, etc. all have the same diameter conductors, within a few hundredths of an inch. There will be minor differences between manufacturers but certainly nothing easily measurable electrically. Stranded wire will have a little larger diameter but the total cross section will be about the same as a solid conductor.

Difference is essentially nothing except for the voltage rating of the insulation. A lot of people use zip cord as speaker wire. SOOW and SJOOW cable is used frequently in pro sound because of it's heavy duty construction, ready availability and reasonable cost.

 

[amirm]

What is difference between zip cord and speaker wire? What gauge?

Zip cord is generic name for speaker cable. You can separate the two wires like a zipper.

12 gauge doesn't create frequency response errors in typical installs so that is what I would go with as far as speaker cables. For power cords, it is hard to find 12 gauge so use 14.

 

[Jeff M.]

Some this is all I needed to know.

Sorry typo. This is the answer I needed to know.

 

[Randyman...]

Zip cord is generic name for speaker cable. You can separate the two wires like a zipper.

Also referred to as "Lamp wire" in the states (and rated for mains voltage).

12 gauge doesn't create frequency response errors in typical installs so that is what I would go with as far as speaker cables. For power cords, it is hard to find 12 gauge so use 14.

14ga IEC's are generally good for 15Amps (ever tripped a 15A breaker with a single piece audio gear - probably not) , but I generally prefer 16ga IEC's for flexibility. Losing a volt there won't make any difference to a universal switching PSU

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Also referred to as "Lamp wire" in the states (and rated for mains voltage).


14ga IEC's are generally good for 15Amps (ever tripped a 15A breaker with a single piece audio gear - probably not) , but I generally prefer 16ga IEC's for flexibility. Losing a volt there won't make any difference to a universal switching PSU

You would also need to draw a current high enough initially to generate a significant voltage drop across the length of the main voltage cable.

 

[antcollinet]

Love this place.

1 - OP comes with naive questions (nothing wrong with that)
2 - People give technically accurate and helpful answers.
3 - OP listens to advice.

Brilliant.

 

[Roland68]

Good Evening everyone. I had to ask these questions because this is the last area of my system am piecing together. I have heard the following statements?

1. So you can use 12 gauge speaker wire that is a 4/ 12 speaker wire and only use 3 wires and leave the forth wire alone. True or false I have no idea?

2. The Shielding inside with other cottons and outside protective jacket helps with lowering the floor noise and radio frequency’s and other noises?

3. Silver coated wire is the best electrical material of all metals.

4. There are noise level brackets and 4 is the maximum. I know A few audio company’s that use this and it has been proven it’s no different than
other cables?


Just asking to clear my mind and get sold answers from honest people who will not give me the ruin around to get my money. Thanks Jeff

Please don't do any stupid experiments with power cables, they are dangerous and can end badly.

If you are looking for high-quality cable material for your power cables, then I recommend LAPP ÖLFLEX® ROBUST 215C (shielded).

Lapp is one of the most reputable manufacturers, this cable is approved and has TPE as a dielectric, which is significantly better than PVC. Depending on what you are wiring with it, 3G1.0mm², 3G1.5mm² or 3G2.5mm². The 3G is important because that is the only approved one.

If you have devices that only have a 2-pin connection, i.e. are not grounded under any circumstances, then use 2x1.0mm², 2x1.5mm² or 2x2.5mm² without G.
The plug for the socket still needs to be grounded, however, because the shielding is connected to it.

Alternatively, there is the LAPP ÖLFLEX® ROBUST 210 without shielding, the rest is the same (including the one with the G).

The Robust 210/215C series is also very thin.
The meter should be between €3 and €10, no more. For small quantities, eBay, discounters such as Conrad/Völkner and electrical engineering dealers (including local ones) are a good source.

Incidentally, the LAPP ÖLFLEX® ROBUST 210 2x1.5mm², 2x2.5mm², 4x1mm², 4x1.5mm² or 4x2.5mm² is very suitable as a speaker cable.

 

[Devnull]

Please don't do any stupid experiments with power cables, they are dangerous and can end badly.

If you are looking for high-quality cable material for your power cables, then I recommend LAPP ÖLFLEX® ROBUST 215C (shielded).

Lapp is one of the most reputable manufacturers, this cable is approved and has TPE as a dielectric, which is significantly better than PVC. Depending on what you are wiring with it, 3G1.0mm², 3G1.5mm² or 3G2.5mm². The 3G is important because that is the only approved one.

If you have devices that only have a 2-pin connection, i.e. are not grounded under any circumstances, then use 2x1.0mm², 2x1.5mm² or 2x2.5mm² without G.
The plug for the socket still needs to be grounded, however, because the shielding is connected to it.

Alternatively, there is the LAPP ÖLFLEX® ROBUST 210 without shielding, the rest is the same (including the one with the G).

The Robust 210/215C series is also very thin.
The meter should be between €3 and €10, no more. For small quantities, eBay, discounters such as Conrad/Völkner and electrical engineering dealers (including local ones) are a good source.

Incidentally, the LAPP ÖLFLEX® ROBUST 210 2x1.5mm², 2x2.5mm², 4x1mm², 4x1.5mm² or 4x2.5mm² is very suitable as a speaker cable.

Why would you need a shielded power cable in a non industrial environment? The power entering your home has traveled through tens of miles/kilometers of unshielded wire, shielding the last meter or two will do nothing.

In a home as long as the insulation has a voltage rating of 300V it doesn't matter the type of insulation. TPE has one advantage in that it's more flexible than than PVC. The other physical characteristics of TPE really don't come into play. TPE is appropriate in an industrial environment where chemical resistance, number of flex cycles, bend radius, etc are legitimate design concerns.

 

[Jeff M.]

Love this place.

1 - OP comes with naive questions (nothing wrong with that)
2 - People give technically accurate and helpful answers.
3 - OP listens to advice.

Brilliant.

Yes this is why this is my #1 diy source forum. I know this forum has a lot of great information and great people with more experience and knowledge than me. I also have saved so much money from Amirm’s Testing and reviews and all the advice with diy cabling. It’s a win win situation.