What is Speaker Wire?
Speaker wire is the wire that provides the link between loudspeakers and amplifiers. Although it is most often used with automotive stereos, it is not necessarily only used in cars. The construction of speaker cable consists of two insulated electrical conductors of the same size, plastic or rubber insulation, and in some cases a jacket.
When can Speaker Wire be used?
Speaker wire can be used in low-voltage applications, such as radios, public address systems, speaker systems, music systems, and other speaker connections. It is most commonly used in automotive applications, which is why we list it as a car speaker wire. Speaker cable is not intended to be used in extreme conditions and has a maximum temperature of 60°C. Car speaker wire is not intended for in-wall applications, such as home theaters.
Is the gauge size of a Speaker Wire important?
To carry an amplified signal, a speaker wire needs adequate thickness. Because cable thickness is measured in gauge and affects sound quality, the gauge size of the wire is important to take into consideration. The American Wire Gauge (AWG) uses lower numbers to indicate thicker wire and higher numbers to indicate thinner wire, so make sure to check the AWG size when choosing your wire.
What kind of Speaker Wire does Allied Wire and Cable carry?
Allied Wire and Cable carries speaker wire from 12 AWG to 24 AWG. Our speaker wires consist of one bare and one tinned copper conductor in a clear PVC jacket. We also carry the SPK20-2-F speaker wire, which has two stranded bare copper conductors. All of our car speaker wire is UL certified and available in RoHS compliant constructions. We offer a variety of colors for insulation: black, white, brown, gray, and clear.
For your other audio applications, we also a wide variety of coaxial cables with a wide range of capacitance and impedance ratings. Unlike speaker cables, coaxial cables may be used in tough environments and in-wall applications, like home theaters.