Members tomsalitsky Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 Hi everybody. I'm looking to replace a few speaker cables and am wondering what the difference is between 12 and 14 gauge cable (other than 2 increments of whatever measurement system they're using). I've been looking at monster and cbi and am wondering which one is superior; I've also been wondering if the monster studiolink cables are worth their pricetag, or if I'm paying for the name. Also, are there any inherent advantages of a speakon connection over a 1/4" connection other than the secure locking feature? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gregidon Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 audiopile.net Speakon connections have better electrical connections, are field repairable (screw terminals), don't short the connectors if halfway unplugged and lock in place. 12v14 gauge really comes down to how much power for what distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soul-x Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 12v14 gauge really comes down to how much power for what distance. Don't forget the load impedance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 The only monster thing about Monster cables is their price. CBI makes good quality cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Square Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 I see no advantage in monster cables. I would highly recommend speakon connectors over 1/4 connectors. Aside from the locking feature, they are more reliable over the long haul. There is a reason so many professional cabinet mfg's use them. As for 12 gage vs. 14 gage, as mentioned it is a matter of power and distance. If you open up a speaker cabinet you will often see very small gage wire from the input panel to the drivers. This is because shorter cable runs do not require heavy gage cable. if your amps are close to your speakers, then smaller gage cables are acceptable. I would define "close" as less than 8 feet of cable from amp to speaker. By the time you get to 25' feet, that is a longer run and I would use heavier cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srp72ee Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 Make your own. Get the connectors at your favorite store / website and buy the bulk cable from Home Depot / Lowes / local electrical supply warehouse. Takes a few minutes per end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tomsalitsky Posted June 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 Thanks a lot guys- that clears up my questions. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 18, 2009 Members Share Posted June 18, 2009 For 8 ohms and 50', 14 gauge is plenty big. In fact, even for 2 ohms and REASONABLE power, 14 ga for 25' is generally just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chip Stewart Posted June 19, 2009 Members Share Posted June 19, 2009 Page 38 of the attached Yorkville PA Guide gives the power loss in relation to the wire gauge and distance. For 50' or less, 14 gauge should be o.k. For more than 50', I would go with 12 gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted June 19, 2009 Members Share Posted June 19, 2009 The Speakon connectors can be found on so many websites for really good prices, and just about any ol' 14-ga speaker cable will work. What I've done in the past, is go to Guitarded Center and dig through the Pro Audio department's bin of clearance cables. I've turned a 50-ft cable into five smaller cables with all Speakons. The cable was 1/4" to 1/4" and $15. Then I hit up PartsExpress.com for the connectors, and spent an episode of Scrubs cutting and screwing them all together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ony2 Posted January 13, 2020 Members Share Posted January 13, 2020 as for me on speaker cables as I need two in two different ways, (as so kind of is caused by two different brands but it was all I could find at the moment) so this is what I had in mind, but also seems to be no body will tell me from the maker just how many OHM's there speakers are in these powered speakers; so 1. use 14 guage to power speakers from them run 14 into another stereo amp and so 2. from there from the stereo amp to the passive speakers it'd be 12 guage speakon cables as I was looking at all at 25ft runs, so I think this would be OK,,,,,,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 1, 2020 Members Share Posted February 1, 2020 Considering the last post was 11 years ago, it's not going to matter much. For most applications of 25', 14 gauge speaker cables are PLENTY fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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