Expert: Wayne Tapia - 6/20/2008

Question
I've heard it said that when you install your satellite speakers, that it's
"critically important" to use the same length of speaker wire for each of the
satellites, no matter how far away from the amp they are.  Basically...if you
need 20' to run the one that's farthest away...then you should use 20' for the
others as well.  The logic makes sense...equalizing any signal losses and such
to make balancing easier.  However...

For a home audio user...in a room that's only 16' x 24' with average
components, and NOT in a high-dollar media room...I don't think I'll notice a
difference if one wire is 30' and one is 20' and one is 15', etc...WHAT DO YOU
THINK?

Answer
This isn't a matter of what I think, it's a matter of fact.

The differences in speaker cable length for a home theater setup DO NOT have to be equal. One of the huge myths about speaker cabling is that it's "critical" for all lengths to be equal. This is an utter fallacy (unless your using 18AWG or smaller)
With a 14AWG speaker wire, you have to run approximately 185 feet on a 8 ohm speaker before losing 0.55dB (1.1dB @ 4 ohms)

The minimum gauge I'd use is a 14 AWG. Don't spend a lot on speaker cable - the market is full of snake oil salesmen who'll promise the world with their speaker cable. All you need is some good stranded copper, good insulation, and solid connection to your terminals. If you're spending over $0.75 per foot, they are ripping you off.

BTW - I work for a "broadcast quality" cabling company in Seattle, and I'm not making this stuff up. I've seen too many people dump THOUSANDS of dollars into our competitors products only to realize too late that "expensive does not mean better".

If anyone else reading this doesn't believe me, maybe they should believe Belden Cable. that's who taught me about this stuff...