I worked in a home audio/video store for seven years. We were a small family owned business. We sold the normal stuff, plus very high-end audiophile equipment. They will hate me for posting this here. But, I don't care.
We were paid commissions and when we sold a system, we made more on the accessories than we made on the actual equipment. Typical gross margin on a stereo was about 30% - 40%, if it was not on sale. It could be 5% - 20% if it was on sale. Accessories are typically 80% gross margin! That means if we paid $20, we sold it for $100. (The only thing that was higher gross margin was Extended Warranties - the biggest ripoff in the world.)
We tested the cables ourselves to see if there was a difference. We could hear the difference between thin cable and thick cable. However, we couldn't here the difference between brands. We took the best $2.00 per foot 12 gauge Monster Cable (triple twisted, multi-strand, 99.99% oxygen free copper, with poly-methyle-razz-a-ma-tazz coating) and compared it to 12 gauge lamp cord from the hardware store. It's impossible to hear the difference. We used to laugh at the guys who would come in and tell us they could hear the difference between the cables. (We'd laugh at them, after we took their money!)
Copper is copper. It conducts electricity. You need good quality, low gauge conductor. That's it. None of that other crap matters. It's marketing and hype.
The important factors for buying speaker wire:
- Make sure it's copper.
- Make sure it's thick.
- Has a decent insulator on it (that's not going to crack or get brittle.)
- Clearly marked for +/- polarity.
Then you just get the cheapest that you can find!
Here's the big secret on most of the cables like Monster: the insulator is clear because it acts like a magnifying glass to make it look bigger than it actually is. Insulation is cheaper than cable. Look at a cross section (the cut) and you'll be amazed at how much is just plastic.
People hear the difference because they want to hear a difference.
There are some demonstration setups that I have seen where they have spools of wire and you can switch between the two wires. You will clearly hear a difference. However, it's not because of the quality of the wire. It's because the wire is wrapped into a spool and forms an inductor. What you are hearing is the filtering that occurs from the inductor. That is just a dirty trick that any electrical engineer (or anyone who knows about electronic components) would clearly see as a trick.
This wire is fantastic. It's on a nice spool. It insulated well and clearly marked for polarity (red/black.) It might even be suitable for direct bury for outdoor applications. (You need to double check that.)
For low- medium- or even high-end applications, this is fantastic wire. You cannot hear the difference, unless you are going to use very low gauge (much thicker - like 8 gauge). Even then, you'd need to have a very very high end system (like $10,000+) with a very high power amp.
My only comment to mention is that it's not as flexible as some wires. It's a little stiff. That could make it a little tough if you are pulling it through a wall. But, it's not a big deal.
I highly recommend this wire for any application.
The price to quality ratio is off the charts. A fantastic deal! 14 / 2 Awg 250 Ft 99.99% Oxygen Free In Wall Speaker Wire CL2 Rated UL Listed Certified Rohs
I needed really good speaker wire and this is the best I have found in over 30 years. I needed a 250 foot roll and it was perfect. Flexible sheathing that's durable and weatherproof, the wire's great, two conductor - one black and one red. 14 awg quality wire that's strong and yet very flexible. This 14 gauge wire is truly the finest speaker wire plus Amazon sells it for a remarkable price. You won't be dissapointed!
This is very nice speaker wire. I'm surprised it's only 14 Awg - it seems more like 12. In fact, if you are connecting to equipment that expects 14 or has small connections, you might have difficulty. I used it to connect my 20-year-old Sony receiver through a new monster cable speaker switch to 4 new pairs of Polk in-wall speakers, pulling the wire through walls and behind crown molding. It sounds incredible. Very easy to pull through walls and make connections. I just ordered my second spool.
This cable brings the advantages of twisted-pair noise rejection to a durable, in-wall application. The speaker cable that a typical builder would buy from a HW supplier might be 14 AWG (more likely 16 or even 18 AWG, depending on what they think they can get away with). But it will likely be two wires wrapped in a protective insulator, running nearly parallel the length of the cable. That can create an inductance that will pick up "signals" from power wires (60 Hz hum) and other sources - enough to hear in your speakers, even.
One star off because the jacket is a bit thinner than I'd like for an in-wall application. - Speaker Cable - Monster Cable - Cale'
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