How thin can speaker wire be?

The thinnest speaker wire that you can use will depend on a number of factors, including the length of the cable run, the power of the amplifier, and the impedance of the speakers.

Length of the cable run

The longer the cable run, the thicker the wire needs to be. This is because thinner wire has more resistance, which can cause signal loss over long cable runs. The following table shows the maximum recommended speaker wire gauge for different cable lengths:

Power of the amplifier

The more powerful the amplifier, the thicker the wire needs to be. This is because more powerful amplifiers can deliver more current to the speakers, which can cause thinner wire to overheat. The following table shows the maximum recommended speaker wire gauge for different amplifier power levels:

Impedance of the speakers

The lower the impedance of the speakers, the thicker the wire needs to be. This is because lower impedance speakers draw more current from the amplifier, which can cause thinner wire to overheat. The following table shows the maximum recommended speaker wire gauge for different speaker impedances:

In general, you should use the thickest speaker wire that is compatible with your equipment and budget. Thicker speaker wire has lower resistance, which can reduce signal loss and improve sound quality. It is also more durable and less likely to overheat.

However, it is important to note that there is a point of diminishing returns with speaker wire thickness. Once you reach a certain thickness, there is no longer any audible benefit to using thicker wire. For most home audio systems, 16 AWG speaker wire is a good compromise between cost and performance.

If you are unsure which gauge of speaker wire to use, it is always best to err on the side of caution and choose a thicker wire.