What gauge speaker wire should I use?

At under $15, that's a potential lesson I can afford. The megacable fits the bill for average joe. Without this I would have no reference point. For all I know my ears suck and I'll be happy with cheap cable. If so, I will have saved myself a good deal of money. If not, which I suspect, then I know where to go. I see this as a very sensible starting point.

 

I agree. Different cables can sound different, and we may (temporarily) like the difference, but different is not synonymous with better.

 

Fair enough. You've only spent the equivalent of one CD.

 

Is this not true for all audio components, including different pressings, formats, mastering, valves, tweaks, room treatments ... everything.

An audiophile tries to sort this all out.

 

Oh but theirs ‘different’ and ‘obviously worse' – That’s the difference between being an audiophile or not, being able to distinguish the difference.
Solid core silver wire = different
Stranded core silver wire = different
Braided wire (stranded, solid, cat5) = different
RatShack 18agw copper = obviously worse

I don’t think ‘obviously better’ exists. Unless comparing to something that’s ‘obviously worse.’ Peoples ears are obviously different, like taste buds. I find peoples ears fall into just a few types or categories (three or four) and the equipment made for audiophiles all fall within these types.
But then there is the ‘obviously worse’ which fall into that ‘other category’ of low to mid Fi. For some its of no consequence, they simply don’t care. Thus the market which is packed with marketing and hype, reviews supporting that there is no difference between A & B because all cable are the same (that’s another category type know as the ‘don’t care to care’ and ‘won’t spent the time to hear’) and the “I simply don’t care, I want it cheap’ products and people.

Strongest and most important point is the fact that differences are not necessarily better or worse, they’re just that – different.

Metralla strongly states that ‘Solid core works best - some thin pure copper wire with Teflon insulation. It will break in nicely and give a coherent sound. Don't get heavy guage solid core (like mains wiring) as it has horrible skin effects that kill the sound.’
But that is opinion and not fact. It may be good opinion but ‘his’ opinion nonetheless.

Fact would be best described with comparison so the reader can form their own opinion based on their likes and dislikes.

Silver = More detail which is synonymous with a faster and brighter high-end. Tighter bass with a lower extension, neutral flat midrange. Widest, deepest soundstage with less presents in the vocal range.

Copper = More even or Flat frequency response throughout the range. Fatter bass with limited extension. Highend that can be less controlled but not bright. Average soundstage with more ‘front row’ presents which is synonymous with a shallow soundstage.

Solid Core = Faster, more exaggerated properties of the material. Potentially has more interference but can be more linear.
Stranded / Braided = Less interference, subdued sonic properties of the material. More forgiving.

And so on, and so on. I may not be entirely correct with these descriptions and they are certainly open for criticism but I think its displays less opinion and more fact.

Big-balls SS amps of mid-Fi grade can benefit from copper wire (my opinion) because silver wire can be too revealing of the harshness of the amps nature (fact).

Tube amps do benefit form silver wire (my opinion) because copper wire can be too restrictive and filter out the nuances that are characteristic of tube amps (fact).

My 2.5 cents.

 

I prefer cable that is well insulated for the long lasting quality over cheap stuff. There are times that the cheap stuff can die out all of a sudden while quality constructed cable lasts longer and sounds great on almost any system, IMO.

 

For the record, I have compared my Cat5 braids with simple Radio Shack stranded cable (14ga).

Is there a huge difference between them? Nah. Not to me. There are minimal, very minimal differences... perhaps I'm imagining them! If anything, I found the Cat5 a bit more detailed. That's it. They also look nicer and are a nice conversation piece. They are heavier. They are better terminated.

After building them, I became convinced I really didn't want to risk spending hundreds of dollars in "boutique" cables. I'd rather upgrade my components, treat my room, move my speakers... now, THAT does make a difference! (IMHO).

That's why I recommend building the Cat5 cables... they'll give you a taste on whether you'd really like to buy expensive cables or not.

 

Music is food for the soul. After the artists, producers, engineers, and masterers have cooked it, we consume it on our hifis, which are, I suppose, the plates and cutlery in my analogy. You can eat your burger from a napkin. You can eat it on $$$megabuck china with $$$megabuck silverware. Can the nicer place settings enhance the dining experience? No doubt. Can obsessing over the dinnerware keep you from really enjoying what you are eating. I think so. Or maybe you see some beautiful, expensive, silverware at the store and buy it, only to find out it really isn't a good match for your plates. I just think way too many people spend way too much time listening to their hifis, and not enough time listening to their music.

There's also the question of diminishing returns. Here is part of an email I received from a well known, well respected audio manufacturer who shall remain nameless:
"I have a Marantz 1200B integrated amplifier with built in phono section from 1973 set up in my listening room right now. Everyone who hears it has to have their jaws removed from the floor. Then I tell them it cost $238 plus $212 worth of fix up from Audio Classics and they feel very stupid. It's sitting next to a Steelhead, XONO, PHD, ARC Ref Phono, and Levinson Line Stage with phono. I have no urge to turn it off and hook up the "good" stuff. Feed one of these vintage Marantz units with a good high output cartridge and you will laugh at all the music you have while saving thousands of dollars."

Believe me, I'm not saying that Radio Shack Mega Cable is going to be regarded as a "classic" thirty years from now, but I'm not saying it isn't going to be, either. For a music lover, if not for an "audiophile", it ought to do its job just fine.

Just my 2 cents.

 

My whole point with the thread was to find out whether it mattered what gauge speaker wire I bought. I began the thread thinking that thicker was better. I'm now no longer sure that is correct. I also wanted to find what I guess you could call an introductory wire. For these reasons I decided on the 18 gauge radio shack megacable to start. I have Grovers interconnects already (not that I've ever heard them in the 6 or more months I've owned them because I had no amp to connect them to) and plan on springing for his speaker wire at some point, but I wanted to start in average joe land, because the fact of the matter is I've never had a separates system in my life until the one I've just about assembled now. My entire life, aside from listening through headphones, I've been listening to music through the speakers on sony boomboxes. So, I guess the fact of the matter is that any speaker wire at all is going to result in a huge leap forward for me, that is assuming the vintage fisher xp-7 speakers I picked up on ebay even work. I expect they will because they appear to be in great shape. So, I expect if packages that are supposed to get to me tomorrow do, I'll be able to hook up my sony scd-c222es (which I've listened to through headphones for over a year) or my used (but new for me) sony dvp-s9000es to my (used but new for me) nad 3120 integrated amp connected to the xp7 with the megacable, and if all goes right, I'll be immersed in some of the awesome music I've been accumulating over the past two years. After I get through enjoying that, I'll think more about wire.