Buy The Right 14-2 Speaker Wire For Your Audio System!
It seems like the 14-2 speaker wire has become the most popular speaker wire type on the market. Professional installers and Do-It-Yourselfers have chosen the 14-2 speaker wire as their go to speaker wire to support their surround sound and home theater installations. As consumers strive to get the best sound out of their audio systems they have started to realize how important it really is to use the right speaker wire for the job!
Click Here for High Performance 14-2 Speaker Wire
A 14-2 speaker wire is basically a 14 gauge 2 conductor cable. The 14 is the gauge size or AWG (American Wire Gauge) that describes the thickness of the wire. Most speaker wire products use stranded copper so the 14 gauge is the thickness or size of the wire once numerous strands of copper are bound together. Plus, since a 14-2 speaker wire has two separate color coded conductors, you will have each conductor that supports the 14 gauge size. A good speaker wire would also give you the strand count information that describes the number of strands that are put together to create both of the 14 gauge conductors. So essentially if you were to cut open one of the conductors of a 14 gauge speaker wire you should be able to count each individual strand to get the total strand count. Whenever you evaluate a 14-2 speaker wire you always want to shoot for the cable that has the highest strand count. The higher strand count means more flexibility which will be very helpful while installing the speaker wire in your walls and ceilings.
The 14-2 speaker wire give you a nice thick wire that will support average to above average length cable runs. Since most residential and commercial speaker wire runs are around 80 to 150 feet, the 14-2 speaker wire has become the go to product for most audio system installers. The most common application for 14-2 speaker wire is to use it to home-run wire your speakers back to a surround sound wall plate or directly into an amplifier or receiver. Both conductors of a 14-2 speaker wire are color coded black and red, and you will use both of them as you attach the speaker wire conductors directly into the speaker you are wiring for. Both conductors will also be used as you land the speaker wire into any audio devices or components. So unless you are using a volume control, the 14-2 speaker wire is really all you need!
There are other characteristics you want to be aware when buying speaker wire. First of all you want to get the 14-2 speaker wire that is made with 99.999% oxygen free copper. This will ensure your cable is manufactured with the best copper type needed to combat corrosion. You also want to make sure you take a look at the speaker wire jacket and choose the cable that has the jacket on it that best supports your installation. Meaning, if you are installing speaker wire in the walls and ceilings you want to make sure you buy the cable that has a CL3 or CMR rating. It is always recommended that you follow your local building codes and buy the speaker wire that best supports them.
Buying speaker wire does not have to be difficult. If you understand some of the basic characteristics that are vital, choose the right speaker wire should be easy. The 14-2 speaker has the gauge size, and performance that will support most audio applications!