Increase Your Stereos Performance with Quality Speaker Wire

Speaker wire is the most overlooked aspect of a home stereo or home theater system. It is not uncommon for people to spend thousands of dollars on fancy stereo or surround sound equipment, only to then buy the cheapest possible speaker wire they can find. What many people fail to realize, however, is that the quality of speaker wire one chooses will have a major impact on the quality of sound from that new stereo system.

The most important factor when choosing speaker wire for a new stereo system is the gauge of the wire itself. The gauge of wire is an indication of cross-sectional area of the wire, with a lower number of wire gauge indicating a larger cross-sectional area. The reason that a larger diameter wire is important when choosing speaker wire is that a larger diameter wire will have a lower electrical resistance than thinner wire. Electrical resistance in a wire is directly proportional to the wire's cross-sectional area, which means that it is best to purchase speaker wire of the largest diameter possible when choosing wire for a new stereo system. This means that if you use larger wire, the wire will have lower resistance.

Lower electrical resistance is important in speaker wire because lower resistance means that more of the power from your stereo amplifier will make it to the speakers to produce sound. If there is more resistance in the wire, then more of the power from the amplifier will be dissipated as heat in the speaker wire rather than converted into sound by the speakers themselves. Using wire with the lowest possible resistance will ensure that a high fidelity stereo system sounds as it is intended, with all the subtleties of the music or sound being transferred accurately to the speakers. With lower quality speaker wire, subtleties in the audio source can be lost due to the attenuation of the audio source by the resistance in the speaker wire. The effect of this resistance is cumulative in longer runs of speaker wire, which increases the need for heavier wire when making long runs of wire to the speakers.

Quality wire is not difficult to find or to install. The most well-known maker of quality speaker wire is Monster. Monster speaker cable is generally acknowledged to be the highest quality premium speaker wire that is generally available to the average consumer. Monster wire is available in spools of 30 feet and 50 feet, or one can opt for Monster's rope-wound speaker wire, which is higher quality still, in spools of 100 feet for longer runs of speaker wire. Monster speaker wire is available at any electronics store, including RadioShack, Best Buy, and Circuit City.

In conclusion, when choosing speaker wire for your new stereo system, use a premium speaker wire such as Monster brand wire. Heavier wire will have lower resistance, resulting in increased performance and sound quality from your stereo system.