Is 16AWG ok for 300 w RMS?

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

well crap, and I went and bought 8 gauge wire today. Well, at least I'm future proofed, right?

8AWG can support about 800w RMS

 

[mazzasec 5,000+ posts]

LOL 16g will be fine. I used 16g off 2 18" RD alphas and a 3000d @ .5 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

LOL 16g will be fine. I used 16g off 2 18" RD alphas and a 3000d @ .5 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Yes.

For wire going from the amp to the sub, it can be regular sized speaker wire. Wires can withstand high amperage for short periods of time (perfect for subs). 16awg will be fine. I personally use 14awg, but either will work fine.

 

[mdereske 10+ year member]

well, I still got a lot of 16 AWG laying around, but I already rewired the sub today with the 8awg. Oh well. Wasn't too expensive though, so no biggie.

 

[Rashaddd 5,000+ posts]

Does no one realize it depends hugely on the impedence load we're working with?

Why do you think you can pull thousands of watts through tiny little wires when working with 110v AC in a house? But when pulling more than 1 or 2k off a car battery you need 1/0 gauge

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

Does no one realize it depends hugely on the impedence load we're working with?
Why do you think you can pull thousands of watts through tiny little wires when working with 110v AC in a house? But when pulling more than 1 or 2k off a car battery you need 1/0 gauge

Which relates directly with voltage. The house electrical gives 110-120 volts. The car gives 12-15 volts.

 

[Rashaddd 5,000+ posts]

Which relates directly with voltage. The house electrical gives 110-120 volts. The car gives 12-15 volts.

Exactly...and the higher the ohm load you're working with, the higher the voltage/current ratio will be through the wire going to your subs. If you have a high ohm load, you will have higher voltage, thus less current and need less current capacity.

Lets put it in perspective, @ 4 ohms, 1kw is about 15 amps

@ .5 ohms, 1kw is almost 45 amps.

It takes significantly more wire to adequately carry 45 amps than it does to carry 15 amps, even though in both situations you're running 1k rms

 

[GAM3OVR 5,000+ posts]

I use 14 awg for 1k RMS

double run for 2K

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Does no one realize it depends hugely on the impedence load we're working with?
Why do you think you can pull thousands of watts through tiny little wires when working with 110v AC in a house? But when pulling more than 1 or 2k off a car battery you need 1/0 gauge

First of all, you can't get thousands of watts through "tiny little" (solid 14 ga) home wiring because your circuit breakers are properly limited to 15A, or around 1500w.

Second, it's a bad analogy because the difference there is voltage.

Which relates directly with voltage. The house electrical gives 110-120 volts. The car gives 12-15 volts.

Exactly...and the higher the ohm load you're working with, the higher the voltage/current ratio will be through the wire going to your subs. If you have a high ohm load, you will have higher voltage, thus less current and need less current capacity.
Lets put it in perspective, @ 4 ohms, 1kw is about 15 amps

@ .5 ohms, 1kw is almost 45 amps.

It takes significantly more wire to adequately carry 45 amps than it does to carry 15 amps, even though in both situations you're running 1k rms

That much I agree with, but the issue with wire is always current which can be high regardless of the impedance of the load, or the voltage.

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

i currently have audiopipe 12ga inside my box which is the same size as my kicker 16ga and have had no issues.

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

First of all, you can't get thousands of watts through "tiny little" (solid 14 ga) home wiring because your circuit breakers are properly limited to 15A, or around 1500w.
Second, it's a bad analogy because the difference there is voltage.

That much I agree with, but the issue with wire is always current which can be high regardless of the impedance of the load, or the voltage.

somebody from kansas //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif