When 12 Gauge Wire is Not 12 Gauge

[ClassicGuy]

I just measured the Amazon Basics 16 awg cable, the round trip resistance of a 25 ft cable is about 500 mOhms (25 ft one way, and 25 ft returning). Another 2 brands of cables yielded similar numbers. They are all CCA cables.

 

[pseudoid]

I just measured the Amazon Basics 16 awg cable, the round trip resistance of a 25 ft cable is about 500 mOhms (25 ft one way, and 25 ft returning). Another 2 brands of cables yielded similar numbers. They are all CCA cables.

Could the measurement equipment be at fault... just to give the benefit of the doubt to possible (or dubious) terminations, if any?

 

[ClassicGuy]

Could the measurement equipment be at fault... just to give the benefit of the doubt to possible (or dubious) terminations, if any?

I claim the measurement to be decently accurate

Probably easier for others to verify my claims if they have Amazon Basics cables.

 

[tvrgeek]

I was using some very old Monster for a long time, then it all turned GREEN !

Any of the clear insulation wires will turn green as the plasticizer in clear vinyl is highly acidic. Vinyl is actually as brittle as glass without it. Opaque insulation may too, just not as badly. Now, if properly terminated, it makes no difference in performance.

Well, skimming through this, it identifies some basic fraud and also reminds my why I buy Belden for almost everything. They don't lie. Not that there may not be others that are just as good, but they are trustworthy.

 

[BoredErica]

When people say xx gauge is good for xx distance, is the distance they're referring to one way or round trip? If chart says 12gauge is good for 50ft, is that 50ft for positive cable or actually 25ft because I need to take into account positive and negative?

 

[tvrgeek]

You are not transmitting power. Don't over think it.
100 feet of 12 gauge wire is about .15 Ohms. Plug that into your woofer box simulator and see what it does. Hint: nothing. The chokes in the crossover are more than that. All that nonsense about damping factor is just a number they can advertise where "bigger is better" because consumers do not know what it means.

 

[BoredErica]

You are not transmitting power. Don't over think it.
100 feet of 12 gauge wire is about .15 Ohms. Plug that into your woofer box simulator and see what it does. Hint: nothing. The chokes in the crossover are more than that. All that nonsense about damping factor is just a number they can advertise where "bigger is better" because consumers do not know what it means.

In this case I'm not worrying, more just curious about the specifics.

 

[RC231]

Without reading the whole thread any brand recommendations for basic cl2/3 inwall cable for surrounds? Thinking 14/2 and need ~200ft for 4 runs. I was going to buy the monoprice but the amir's results are making me question that choice even though it likely doesn't matter.

 

[Sal1950]

Without reading the whole thread any brand recommendations for basic cl2/3 inwall cable for surrounds? Thinking 14/2 and need ~200ft for 4 runs. I was going to buy the monoprice but the amir's results are making me question that choice even though it likely doesn't matter.

Speaker Cable at Blue Jeans Cable

Canare 4S11 star quad
Belden 5000
Twelve White is CL3R; for 5T00UP it's CL3, and for Ten White, it's CL2).

 

[HammerSandwich]

Without reading the whole thread any brand recommendations for basic cl2/3 inwall cable for surrounds? Thinking 14/2 and need ~200ft for 4 runs. I was going to buy the monoprice but the amir's results are making me question that choice even though it likely doesn't matter.

Audtek OFC @ PE is a solid value. Beware the non-OFC, because it is CCA.

 

[pseudoid]

Without reading the whole thread...

Why not??

 

[Zorlac]

If DCR is supposed to be 1.5 for 12AWG, then is lower than 1.5 even better or are we trying to achieve exactly 1.5 if possible?

 

[Suffolkhifinut]

If DCR is supposed to be 1.5 for 12AWG, then is lower than 1.5 even better or are we trying to achieve exactly 1.5 if possible?

The formula is:
R = (Resistivity x length)/CSA

For cables all specified at 12AWG the resistance measurements should be the same for equal lengths if the material (Copper) is common to them all. Even if Aluminium was used in some cables, the differences shouldn’t have been as big.

 

[totto]

Sorry if I appear completely incompetent, as I'm pretty much hifi illiterate. But I cannot seem to find 12 gauge cable size which would be about 3.3mm2 in Europe. What I can find goes from 2.5mm2 to 4mm2. I have a Yamaha A-S301 and Quad S2 (8 ohm), no cables. In near future I'm planning to get Schiit Modius and a Topping or SMSL amp which I probably will also test out Polk R200 and Klipsch RP600 II on.
Would 2.5mm2 suffice?

 

[Doodski]

Sorry if I appear completely incompetent, as I'm pretty much hifi illiterate. But I cannot seem to find 12 gauge cable size which would be about 3.3mm2 in Europe. What I can find goes from 2.5mm2 to 4mm2. I have a Yamaha A-S301 and Quad S2 (8 ohm), no cables. In near future I'm planning to get Schiit Modius and a Topping or SMSL amp which I probably will also test out Polk R200 and Klipsch RP600 II on.
Would 2.5mm2 suffice?

Any chance you can talk in gauge. We don't normally discuss wire by cross sectional area. Or link us to a cross sectional chart of gauge versus cross sectional area.

 

[Speedskater]

Well how long will the cables be?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
There is nothing magic about 12AWG wire & cable. It's just the largest readily available size in the USA.

 

[totto]

Thanks for the replies.
Here is a table of awg conversions: https://learnmetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/12-awg-wire-specifications.jpg
I probably will have a lenght of about 2-3 meters, around 6-10 feet.

 

[Doodski]

Sorry if I appear completely incompetent, as I'm pretty much hifi illiterate. But I cannot seem to find 12 gauge cable size which would be about 3.3mm2 in Europe. What I can find goes from 2.5mm2 to 4mm2. I have a Yamaha A-S301 and Quad S2 (8 ohm), no cables. In near future I'm planning to get Schiit Modius and a Topping or SMSL amp which I probably will also test out Polk R200 and Klipsch RP600 II on.
Would 2.5mm2 suffice?

Yes, 2.5mm^2 @ approximately 13G will suffice.

 

[pseudoid]

Sorry if I appear completely incompetent, as I'm pretty much hifi illiterate. But I cannot seem to find 12 gauge cable size which would be about 3.3mm2 in Europe. What I can find goes from 2.5mm2 to 4mm2. I have a Yamaha A-S301 and Quad S2 (8 ohm), no cables. In near future I'm planning to get Schiit Modius and a Topping or SMSL amp which I probably will also test out Polk R200 and Klipsch RP600 II on.
Would 2.5mm2 suffice?

Hi and welcome @totto [Are you from Kansas, per chance?],
If the wiring is going to be for your speakers; you may wish to consider buying:
*A pre-assembled pair of cables,
*That are *as short (length) as possible, and
*Have the proper terminations (banana plugs or spade lugs) at BOTH ends of the cable (from amp and to speaker).
*If the speaker cables are no longer than about 2meters (each side L/R), you can probably save some $$ by going to 14awg... or even 16awg (higher the awg# << skinnier the inner conductor overall diameter).

 

[totto]

Thanks again for both replies. I'm from Europe, quite far away from Kansas hehe. I looked for some pre-assembled, but mostly 4x the price compared to DIY. I have some proper banana plugs and that are easy to attach.
I have a rookie question though, if I purchase 11AWG does this have any chance or higher chance to damage the speakers somehow?