Speaker Wire Question

[Visitor Q]

I need to extend some speaker wire but I am stuck using some of the older wire since it is hard wired into the speaker. My question is, how much of the older wire should I try to replace with the newer, better wire?

You see I am replacing the old wire with better thicker gauge wire and I am wondering if I should try to replace as much of it as I can or if I should just extend onto it an not bother? I am running the wire about 15 to 20 ft and what to try and create as less of a bottle neck as possible here.

Thoughts and Suggestions Please! 

[Kevin Mullins]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90360.0

Exactly how does a speaker become "hardwired" ?

[Visitor Q]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90360.0

Exactly how does a speaker become "hardwired" ?

This is different.

The first set I got inside my arcade cab has plugs on them as I described in that thread, now they have turned around and hardwired or soldered the speaker cable directly into the back of the speaker. Imagine a cork in a bottle, that is what it looks like.

I guess it is sorta the same question, different setup thought as the mini plug is no longer a factor.

[VicBond007]

IMO you'd want to unsolder the original wire and redo the whole thing.  Speaker wire carries current, that's it.  Lower gauge (thicker wire/more strands), higher capacity for current.  As soon as you introduce a thinner wire, you're reducing the maximum amount of current that can go down that "line".  The only analogy I can come up with for this is imagine you work for a shipping company, and you fill your truck full of arcade machines.  You travel 3,000 miles across the country and your truck breaks down with only 5 miles to go.  Fortunately, a nice fellow trucker picks you up, but only has room for 80% of your shipment, so you end up having to leave 2 or 3 machines on the side of the road.  At the end of the day, it didn't matter how far you went in your big truck (fat wire) because before you got to your destination, you had to drop cargo to accommodate the smaller truck (thin wire) that carried you the rest of the way.  Now, if you're not maxing out your new wire, and are pushing enough current that the old wire can handle, you don't have a problem at all.  However, the only upgraded performance you'll see is if the new wire is twisted, whereas the old wire is straight, you'll benefit from some noise reduction as it's harder for DC current from nearby electronics to leak into the twisted speaker wire.

Then again, 90% of what I know about sound comes from working on cars and not indoor stuff, so this could all not apply at all, lol.

[Visitor Q]

The trouble of ripping apart the speakers to resolder the wire does not seem like the benefit would out weight the trouble or risk of damaging the speakers in the process, certainly voiding any warranty as well.

I think I am just going to extend the wire with whatever I can find that is equal or better to the wire I am joining it too. I am not going to bother to shorten the stock wire as to me it would be like hooking a fire hose up to a garden hose.

Thanks for your opinion.

[ami-man]

Hi Visitor Q,

VicBond007 was correct re using a larger cable to cut down on the voltage drop on speaker cable, but your cable run is short so it is hardly an issue.

The old school hifi buffs would use the largest cable they could practically connect to the speakers.

In the past in pubs we would connect all the speakers with 2.5mm stranded cable to get a better sound.

Regards
Alan hood
ami-man

[Visitor Q]

Yeah I just added on to what I already had, total length is maybe 15-20 feet at best. I had way too thick solder though and I really need to get a good solder gun. I had that speaker cable HOT! Trust me, way hot than it is ever going to get!!! 

I should really get off ---my bottom--- here and order a good soldering gun with temp control today, I need it to work on my pin anyway.

[Dennis Downing Jr]

I am an electrician and I would say this:: You must affix the newer heavier gauge wire to the speaker itself. What would happen if you took a garden hose and attached it to a fire hydrant, and then attached a fire hose to the garden hose?? You wouldn't get any water from the fire hose. The current that is going over the speaker wire is Direct Current (DC). This type of electricity suffers terribly from voltage drop. I would go get some STRANDED wire about #8AWG - #6AWG (American Wire Gauge). You are guaranteed not to loose an ounce with this.. Also make sure you are not running the wire where it will get interference from 110v circuits in your house, especially fluorescent lighting. A good measure is to get electrical wire to do this because the insulation is rated for 600 volts. If you are running cable in a wall or ceiling I would also put in in some sort of a metallic armor.. This will further protect your signal.

[Tinydane]

In a somewhat related issue I'm having I have similar speakers where its real thin guage wired into the speaker enclosure.  Can I some how wire the ends of these to an RCA cable to plug one end into my sound card?

[sarge]

The signal coming out of your sound card is line level and would need to be amplified to drive a speaker. 

The current that is going over the speaker wire is Direct Current (DC). 

Also, audio operates off AC not DC. 

[BobA]

Line level signals do not require heavy gauge wire as they do not carry power and therefore do not suffer from IR drops.   It is more important that the line level signal be carried in a shielded cable.   Most low level PC cables for audio use ground as a shield.

[Dennis Downing Jr]

The signal coming out of your sound card is line level and would need to be amplified to drive a speaker. 

The current that is going over the speaker wire is Direct Current (DC). 

Also, audio operates off AC not DC. 

Sorry, My mistake. Thank you for the correction... Audio is delivered via Alternating Current (AC)