Does the speaker wire gauge affect the volume level of the speakers?

Question

I was wondering if the gauge of a wire makes a difference in the volume level of the speaker? I have speakers in the back of my room and the volume level seems to be much lower then the speakers in the front that have a lower gauge wire and im now sure if it a setting on the reciver or the wire gauge. All the speakers are all 155W.

Answer 1

In short: yes and no.
The gauge of speaker wire affects the quality of the sound that ultimately travels to your speakers, while the length of the wire will affect the perceived loudness. The better the quality (and gauge) of wire, the better sound you will get, which can translate to a listener perceiving the sound to be "louder".

You can solve your problem in a number of different ways: buy a more powerful amp, get better speaker wire for your surround speakers, or tweak the settings in your amp if possible. I have a Yamaha HTR-5560, for example, which allows me to tweak the volume to individual speakers. I actually run my rear channels at +7.5 db so they can rival the volume of my front speakers. I hope this helps!

Answer 2

Hi there.Speaker cables are divided into two camps. Multiple non-individually insulated Conductors(multi-strand)and the use of so called "Solid Core"cables..Both have good and bad points. Monster Speaker -Cable is one of the many brands that use multistranded wires of non individual insulated copper conductors twisted together for each conductor. It is usually sheathed in transparent or clear PVC or PU. The geometry is the so called figure -8 pattern,also called shotgun configuration.,Whether or not the thickness of the wire affects volume i am not sure but it definitely affects tonal balance which can be perceived as a change in volume as the following examples show.

Too thick a cable drowns out bass and induces heaviness obscuring detail.

Too thin a cable emphasis mid-high frequencies but is lean on bass and gives a shallow depth of field.

Too many strands create a harsh or phasey sound that is mushy ,splashy and imprecise.

Round section cable is bested by flat,thin copper..

Flat copper produces a better and balanced sound.

Answer 3

the lower the gauge the better... the speaker wire hairs are much finer and current travels better you should use a 14gauge wire for stereo equipment specially on surround sound .. also check your receiver and make sure you don's have the wires all to the same out let also bridging wires may be a good idea also as the current flows throught the complete system too

Answer 4

to answer your question directly ... no... not noticeably.... . The resistance is raised ever so slightly...
for example the power between a 4 ohm load and a 8 ohm load is equivalent to 2x the power,, but that's only about 3db. gain. and the wire resistance is a fraction of one ohm so your looking at a difference likely only measurable with electronic equipment. the placement & efficiency of the speaker will make a much greater impact on the volume lever than the wire will.

but i do urge a heavier wire for durability and sound quality.