Given the preferred size of speaker cable (at least AWG 14, it seems) I was wondering how many runs of I/C wire would it take to make an acceptable-size speaker cable.

 

Keep the jokes to a minimum, please.  Thanks.

 

 

One run is perfectly acceptable. But it would be unusual to butcher an interconnect cable to make a speaker cable. Regardless it will still work.

With high efficiency speakers, speaker cables wouldn't need to be as thick as 14awg.

 

Have heard of folk using a single twisted pair of cat5 wires (not cables, the twisted pair pulled from the bunch in cat5 cable) for speaker cables.

If you consider how thick the copper is that attaches a power point to the meter box, and that carries 10+ amps at 240 volts, 24AWG network cable butchered to make a speaker cable will work just fine.

Thanks for your responses.  I posted the question quickly last night so that I could head to bed, and hoped that I was not making a mess of what I was asking.

 

But I should explain myself.

 

I came across some wire intended, or used, for i/c's, and I wondered what it would be like if it was used in sufficient quantity to make up speaker cables.  I have read about concerns regarding thin wires with respect to inductance/reactance/resistance etc., when making speaker cable.  I don't know anything about this electrical stuff, and so was concerned that really thin wire might be unsuitable and would cause my amplifier to blow up or do something else nasty or smelly.

 

I was surprised by the mention of Cat5 cable wires.  I had a look at them and they seems to be made of 4 twisted pairs of really thin wires.  If those wires are similar size to the ones which might be used in i/c's, and they are not problematical, then I might just chuck some money at the ones which started this interest for me, and see what happens.

 

Any further comments/blessings/warnings are most welcome.

 

2 hours ago, Antipodean Brad said:

I came across some wire intended, or used, for i/cs, and I wondered what it would be like if it was used in sufficient quantity to make up speaker cables.

 

If you mean coax - which many interconnects are made from - then, yes, it can be used as spkr wire.

 

Coax can differ in the X-sectional area of the central conductor, though - also whether it is stranded ... or solid-core.

 

If the central conductor is too small a guage ... you could simply use more than one run, to make up the guage you want.  I would suggest, though, it doesn't need to by 14g - even with inefficient spkrs like Maggies.

 

2 hours ago, Antipodean Brad said:

I have read about concerns regarding thin wires with respect to inductance/reactance/resistance etc., when making speaker cable.  I don't know anything about this electrical stuff, and so was concerned that really thin wire might be unsuitable and would cause my amplifier to blow up or do something else nasty or smelly.

 

I was surprised by the mention of Cat5 cable wires.  I had a look at them and they seems to be made of 4 twisted pairs of really thin wires.  If those wires are similar size to the ones which might be used in i/c's, and they are not problematical, then I might just chuck some money at the ones which started this interest for me, and see what happens.

 

I myself use (and make) spkr cables made from 24g, solid-core Cat5.  Belden 1585A, to be precise.  One of each twisted pair for '+ve' ... the other for '-ve'.  For 2-3 metres, I would suggest 8 wires to each terminal (so 15g) is entirely adequate - however, doubling it to 16 wires each terminal (12g) is easily done, for longer lengths.

 

Spkr cables made from twisted pairs can be low in inductance (which is a good thing, as inductance acts as a brake on current) but high in capacitance.  It's high capacitance that can blow up amplifiers!    So some care in construction is needed, depending on length.

 

14 hours ago, andyr said:

 

I myself use (and make) spkr cables made from 24g, solid-core Cat5.  Belden 1585A, to be precise.  One of each twisted pair for '+ve' ... the other for '-ve'.  For 2-3 metres, I would suggest 8 wires to each terminal (so 15g) is entirely adequate - however, doubling it to 16 wires each terminal (12g) is easily done, for longer lengths.

 

Spkr cables made from twisted pairs can be low in inductance (which is a good thing, as inductance acts as a brake on current) but high in capacitance.  It's high capacitance that can blow up amplifiers!    So some care in construction is needed, depending on length.

 

 

I also use Cat5 based speaker cables in my rig - very happy with how they perform compared to any off-the-reel stranded cable that I've tried. 

 

 

14 hours ago, andyr said:

but high in capacitance.  It's high capacitance that can blow up amplifiers!

Isn't that "some" amplifiers, notably ones without zobel networks?

20 minutes ago, muon* said:

Isn't that "some" amplifiers, notably ones without zobel networks?

 

Sure - not all amps, Ian.  For instance - any amp that can drive Quad 57s/63s is quite happy with large amounts of capacitance.

 

But I did blow up an H-K power amp, many moons ago - it just couldn't cope with the capacitance involved in 12m of spkr cable.  Whereas my Naim 160 (which AFAIK doesn't have a zobel) didn't blow up.

 

2 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

Sure - not all amps, Ian.  For instance - any amp that can drive Quad 57s/63s is quite happy with large amounts of capacitance.

 

But I did blow up an H-K power amp, many moons ago - it just couldn't cope with the capacitance involved in 12m of spkr cable.  Whereas my Naim 160 (which AFAIK doesn't have a zobel) didn't blow up.

 

Interesting as the older NAIM amps were some that were known to have issues with high capacitance cables.

 

12m are very long runs.

Edited November 9, 2025Nov 9 by muon*

Thanks again, everyone.