whats the best gauge size of speaker wire to run?

[Jameseypoo 5,000+ posts]

lol sorry yea i did mean 4 sets, 16 speakers, i had to think about it for a second

Same thing would still apply, just for each negative/positive post, solder a 14 gauge wire to each post on the speaker.

 

[crfrider 10+ year member]

how would this be wired, to a 2 ohm load or 4 ohm? i wouldnt want to overpower the comps which are 4 ohm speakers, also would it be best to wire the comps from the same side of the amp as they are in the vehicle, for example on the right inputs of the amp run them to the right side comps of the vehicle, and the left side of the amp to the left side comps of the vehicle?

 

[shellfish 10+ year member]

really?!

 

[crfrider 10+ year member]

well they would be run into a crossover then from the cross over both woofer outputs to the woofer, and tweeter outputs to the tweeters, would i use 14 gauge for that wire to, or just the wire from the amp to the crossovers?

 

[Tehgregzor 10+ year member]

Yep, that sounds right. If you run them in bilateral configuration, you shouldn't even have to worry about the crossovers. Just solder the wire directly to the output of each channel (+/-) instead of using the screw or allen wrench... or whatever. It honestly helps with the quality and that way your wires will never come detached from the amp when going off-roading or drifting. Seriously.
After you solder them to the terminals, just run two sets of 14 gauge from the same output on the amp to two separate sets of comps. Make sure you solder these as well. Do that for each set and voila, you have 8 sets of comps running off a 4 channel amp with "7 gauge" wire. It's as easy as that.

Once again, you are 100% wrong. First off, don't solder wires to your amp terminals!!!! What if you want to sell it later? It will lose ALOT of resale value. Besides, just tighten down the set screws correctly, or use some locktite.

Secondly, don't run two strands of wires. That's ridiculous. You probably don't have an amp big enough to warrant more than 14 gauge wire to the speakers. You're just pissing your money away, and making your setup look bad.

 

[shellfish 10+ year member]

Once again, you are 100% wrong. First off, don't solder wires to your amp terminals!!!! What if you want to sell it later? It will lose ALOT of resale value.

that and you'll get some strange looks from the buyers

 

[Jameseypoo 5,000+ posts]

uhh....this is 100% wrong. The gauge of the wire determines how much amperage it can take...thats it. 6 gauge wire probably won't fit in *mainstream* subwoofer terminals, which is what 90% of the people here run. Even Audioque, a very reputable subwoofer builder, only runs straight 12 gauge off most his subs, as seen here: http://www.audioque.com/aq/leadwire.htm

Lol... you're from TN

 

[Tehgregzor 10+ year member]

http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html

Also, two 14 gauge wires wouldn't equal 7 gauge (which is rare because its not sensible to produce in mass, not because it has special qualities) but rather 8 gauge. Since 14 is 0.0800 of an inch, and 8 gauge is 0.1600 of an inch, 2 x 0.0800 = 0.1600.

Edit: Saw his insult, yeah i'm from TN, I also know how to properly wire a system. You're the one saying bigger wire makes better bass....good luck proving your point. I have facts to back up every claim I have made. At best, you have "this guy i know" or "my freind's buddy did this" which is total nonsense. Besides, i've been to bloomington, IL, and it wasn't anything special. All you got is a college, a costume store, and laser tag.

 

[crfrider 10+ year member]

well it will be a kicker zx650.4 amp

 

[shellfish 10+ year member]

epic thread is epic

 

[crfrider 10+ year member]

well im just trying to find out what would be the best gauge wire to run to all my comps, if its 18 gauge i dont care im just wondering what would be the best

 

[Jameseypoo 5,000+ posts]

http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html
Also, two 14 gauge wires wouldn't equal 7 gauge (which is rare because its not sensible to produce in mass, not because it has special qualities) but rather 8 gauge. Since 14 is 0.0800 of an inch, and 8 gauge is 0.1600 of an inch, 2 x 0.0800 = 0.1600.

Says the person with a "bone stock" car audio system.

 

[fasfocus00 5,000+ posts]

well im just trying to find out what would be the best gauge wire to run to all my comps, if its 18 gauge i dont care im just wondering what would be the best

you'd be fine to run a good quality 16 guage, if you really wanted to run 14 or 12 you could but that'd just be more money.

 

[Jameseypoo 5,000+ posts]

No amount of money is too much to spend on wire.

 

[crfrider 10+ year member]

well i will have to run 2 strands of wire from each amp output to be able to power the 4 sets of comps off of the 4 channel amp.