If you have a home theatre system or a pair of loudspeakers then you will want to get the best possible sound quality and maximum potential from your speaker system. The good news is that you can get a noticeable sound quality difference from your speakers with a minimal investment in good quality speaker wires. In this article we will show you the benefits and explain, in understandable language, the reasons for you to decide if you want to upgrade to the optimum speaker cable to enhance your audio listening experience and overall system sound quality.

Choosing home theatre speaker wire is not an exact science but there are simple rules that you should follow when selecting speaker wire for your audio and hifi system. Many high street hifi shops are happy to sell you expensive speaker cables which may or may not suit your audio system and it is possible to waste hundreds of pounds or dollars on wiring that is certainly unjustified in making any audible difference on most home hi-fi and home cinema systems.

So what should I look for when choosing home theater speaker wire - best tips?

Firstly, you should know how to choose the right gauge of speaker wiring and this is easily done by understanding that a thickness of wire is relative to the gauge or size of the copper conductor/s inside the speaker wire. The gauge number, which is available by the standard AWG or American Wire Gauge, identifies the cable thickness. However, you should note that the lower the gauge of the wire the thicker it will be.

The lower the AWG gauge number of a speaker wire indicates the capacity or ability to more better pass the electrical audio signal through the speaker wiring conductor. The general standard or accepted range of wiring is from 12 to 18 gauge.

When selecting the right gauge speaker wiring for your home theatre, cinema system or hifi then you should take into consideration the general reputation of a supplier and cable manufacturer and the level of sound quality you wish to achieve within your own budget. You will also need to work out the length of your speaker cable installation and how much cable is required to connect the speakers. If you are installing a home theatre and require surround sound system at the back of your room then longer cable runs will be required and you should understand that a long wires runs cause their own problems in relation to loss of sound quality due to electrical current loss through the cable.

As a rule of thumb it is advisable to select speaker wire gauge from the following guideline of distance vs cable gauge:

(1) Distance from hi-fi / home cinema system to loudspeaker (Less than 60 feet)=16 gauge.

(2) Distance from hi-fi / home theatre system to loudspeaker (Less than 60 to 180 feet)=14 gauge.

(3) Distance from hi-fi / home audio system to loudspeaker (More than 180 feet)=12 gauge.

With home theatre speaker wire it is worth considering thicker gauge cable as it can really help you achieve good sound quality results and also as thicker wire handles the electrical signal much better it reduces the resistance of the cable and therefore puts less strain on your amplifier or audio visual receiver thus giving longer life of your amplifier component and providing a better quality sound output which is delivered more easily to your speaker / surround sound system.

Thinner speaker wiring, generally less expensive, is obviously easier to work with when installing around skirting boards or under flooring and choosing a good quality 16 gauge speaker wire will still achieve fantastic results for rear surround sound speakers providing that the cables are made from good quality components and this extends also to the correct use of cable terminators on both amplifier and speaker ends.