Can you leave speaker wires exposed?

As Bill said in post #2 , yes, it is possible, but it is unlikely. Amps have protection circuits in them and should shut down in the event of a short circuit. However, if there is a fire unrelated to the wire itself, the wire could give off toxic fumes.

Do speaker wires need to be shielded?





Speaker wire doesn’t need shielding. Induced noise on high impedance lines can be audible because the current transfer on high impedance lines is low. Speaker wires are low impedance and any induced voltage from any normal source is not going to support enough current to affect the signal.

How do you protect speaker wires?

A simple and inexpensive way to protect exposed speaker wires is to run them through PVC piping. If you’re able to bury the wires, this will add another layer of protection. Whether the PVC pipe is exposed or buried, you’ll want to seal the pipe to prevent bugs, debris, and moisture from getting in.

Why are speaker cables not shielded?

Speaker cables do not need shielding since the signal from your amp is so large and the impedance of your speaker is so low, that any additional RF noise and outside interference will be insignificant.

Can speaker wire carry electrical current?

Speaker wires don’t get plugged into the wall outlet, so they don’t carry the same high level of current as a normal power cord. Speaker wires carry whatever level of current comes out of the amplifier.

Do you have to strip speaker wire?





Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: When you're connecting it to your stereo. You can put one in you know and a positive one in the negative to strip the wire. All that you need to do and this is just a TRENDnet wire stripper.

How far away does speaker wire need to be from electrical wire?

Keeping power and speaker ~6″ apart is generally fine. If they have to cross, make them cross at right angles. If they do run along side each other for short distances you probably won’t notice anything, but I would definitely not want to do it for the length of a room unless it was shielded cable.

How do you shield audio wires?

As a rule of thumb, remember this: choose spiral shielding for microphone and audio cables. If you are working with high frequencies where there is a lot of EMI, make sure to use foil aluminum shielding.

How do you shield speaker wires from interference?

1. Aluminum tape wrapped around the speaker wire. 2. Aluminum foil wrapped with tape.

What is shielding in audio?



Audio cable shielding literally shields the core wires (conductors) that are transporting the original audio sound from outside interference. Cable shields are generally made from copper stands and also perform the function of ‘grounding’ the audio signal.

Can you use twisted pair for speaker wire?

go to http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm and you’ll see every myth debunked. Twisted Pair is typically used for Cat 5 data transmission wire etc. Nothing you do to speaker wire with twists or wraps or reverse osmosis is going to make it transmit sound differently or better.

What are shielded speakers?

Shielded speaker drivers have a housing around the voice coil assembly. It’s generally known that speakers, especially large ones, have huge magnets inside of them that drive the movement of a speaker’s cones. And it’s generally believed that having powerful magnets next to computer gear can be a recipe for disaster.

Can I use Romex for speaker wire?



Registered. Romex makes for great speaker wire. The only problem is it’s too thick to terminate to connectors.

Is stranded or solid wire better for speakers?

The most common audio speaker wires are 12 Gauge, 14 Gauge, 16 Gauge, and 18 Gauge. Stranded wire is more flexible, easier to route, can withstand vibration and flexing than solid wire; therefore, it is more commonly used in audio speaking wiring.

Can solid wire be used for speaker wire?

There are no technical problems with solid copper wire as speaker cable from a sound quality standpoint.

Is 12 AWG speaker wire overkill?

Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms). For relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine.

Can speaker cable be too thick?



Speaker wires can’t be too thick because thicker wire means lower resistance, more signal flow, and better sound quality. Although not every setup needs a thick wire and the wire thickness depends on the speaker’s impedance and the distance between the sources, you can’t have too much of it.

Is 16 gauge speaker wire good for subs?

The speaker wires. If your sub system is going to put out more than 1,000 watts RMS, you can use 12-gauge speaker wire. But 16-gauge speaker wire works well for most installations.

What does RMS mean for subwoofers?

Root mean square

Root mean square or simply RMS watts refers to continuous power handling of a speaker or a subwoofer or how much continuous power an amplifier can output. RMS values are usually lower than peak watts ratings, but they represent what a unit is truly capable of handling.

What gauge is factory car speaker wire?



The speaker wires are all metric 0.75 mm2 so that’s the equivalent of about 18.5 AWG (pretty small but it’s relatively low power.