Home Theater Surround sound speaker wiring

Hello,

I am newer to the home-theater setup and have a couple of questions about
the wiring I should use.

I currently have a decent 5.1 system and looking to possibly go with a 7.1
higher end system in the future.

What gauge should I use for the surround speakers and main speakers?  I was
thinking 12 gauge.

Should the wire be solid copper or stranded?

I assume that the wire needs to be rated for in wall.  As I have a ton of
extra 12-2 NM from the regular wiring, could this be used?

Thanks for your help,

David

David wrote:

If your runs are in the wall, 16 ga. should be good enough, 14 for longer
runs.  Depending on where your placement is, you may want shielded wire.

David wrote:



Technically the copper is the same, but the power cable is not listed for
speaker use. For NEC compliance you should be using CL2 or CL3 cables.
Besides, 12 gauge copper may be too stiff for tight spaces.

I suggest that you save the electrical cable for that vanity light your
spouse will want to install couple years from now ;-)

Don't worry about the shield: the speaker current is too strong for the
cable shield to have any effect at all.

--
Dmitri Abaimov, RCDD
http://www.cabling-design.com
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For the mains use 10 or 12 AWG.  For the surrounds 14-gauge will be fine.


Stranded.  Solid wire is less flexible and harder to work with.


That is correct.  Jacketed in-wall cable will bear the appropriate marking.


Yes, but it will be somewhat bulky and less convenient for connection to the
speakers.  You could run the NM to the vicinity of the in-walls and connect
short, stranded pigtails between the NM and the speakers.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

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