Is braided wire better than solid wire for speaker connection?

Question

I'm running the wire for my surround sound system. I contacted Bose and they said that 18/2 is fine for up to 100 feet. I'm only running the wire about 30 feet.

Answer 1

At audio frequencies, there is no difference electrically. But braided wire is preferred because it is flexible and less prone to breaking when bent.

Answer 2

Braided Speaker Wire

Answer 3

Hi The choice of Cables do make a difference.And "wrong" cables can make the wrong difference.In my experience speaker cables make the greatest difference,maybe because they are usually a lot longer. Interconnects do however still make a difference.To get the ultimate from your system,you need the right cables.

The best cable is no cable.The ideal cable does not change the signal travelling through it in any way.No cable can improve the sound-quality of a system,they only make it worse in varying degrees.The best cables make things worse only a very little bit.

It is important to realise that very few so called Cable Manufacturers really make their own wire and cable.More often the actual wire employed is only a slightly customised version of what any of the large cable and wire making companies like Belden produce.

The choice of the conductor is very important. Ther are multiple non-indiviually insulated Conductors or the so called "solid core" cable.Aspecific form of the Solid Core Cable is the so called "Litzendraht" a braid made from individually insulated (enameled) conductors True Litz-wire is braided similar to Kimber Cable and was originally invented by Nicola Tesla way back in time. One of these configerations is called "Hyper-Litz"

Multistranded speaker-cable made by Monster Speaker-Cable is one of the most popular and well known speaker cable .This cable uses a large bumber 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.Multistranded conductors have a problem. In an ideal situation,no electrons would ever "cross" the boundaries between the individual conductors.In the real world they do that all the time.Both the huge metal -to-metal surfaces themselves,crystal grain boundaries and surface oxidation make the interstrand conduction much less linear than conduction through pure copper.Asolid copper conductor or a Litz-type wire will still have some non-linear conduction due to impurities and grain-boundaries,but these are much less in magnitude.

A (universally) good Speaker-Cable has a LOW RESISTANCE and INDUCTANCE and moderately LOW CAPACITANCE. It will ideally employ multiples of very thin round Conductors with individual insulation or use thin Foils.
It will not use multistranded uninsulated Conductors.

In general, thicker wire and shorter length will give you the best results.

Answer 4

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RE:
Is braided wire better than solid wire for speaker connection?
I'm running the wire for my surround sound system. I contacted Bose and they said that 18/2 is fine for up to 100 feet. I'm only running the wire about 30 feet.

Answer 5

Stranded wire is better for the reason of its flexibility and ease of installation. It is also better for the purpose of electrical connection ( remember a fusion weld via pressure is best). If you have a Bose system then you did the correct thing contact Bose. Wire size in most cases is a function of resistance and actual conductor cross sectional area, stranded gives more and is therefore superior. The acoustical benefits of stranded over solid are hotly debated. As long as the cable is of proper gage than it is really a matter of sonic preference with the majority of users not able to tell the difference.

As far as what Bose told that is fine only for a acoustimas system where 1/2 of the signal ( the lower and more emf portion )is already being reproduced by the acoustimas module. And that just happens to be the gage they provide. A full range signal should have a heavier gage to it, although a small gage will work and be within normal parameters a heavier gage will cause less intrinsic resistance thereby making the amp work less, and amp load is directly proportional to sonic quality.


Bottom line is try it out as long as you stay within the gage or heavier you will be just fine.

Answer 6

If you're only going 30 feet, then signal loss shouldn't be a big concern. However, the best wire to use for speaker connections is oxygen-free copper coaxial cable. Preferably with a solid center conductor if sharp angles or constant movement won't be an issue. Otherwise use stranded center conductor for flexibility. The stranded outer conductor acts as a shield against interference. Also, it's always best to use the largest gauge wire your connectors will accept. No point in taking cheap shortcuts if your concerned about signal loss or sound quality.

Answer 7

stranded wire is more flexible. At audio frequencies, skin effect is neglible. If you were using this wire at radio frequencies, you can avoid skin effect by using stranded.

Solid wire might have less resistance, and therefore, more power available to the speakers. Check the wire specs for resistance per 1000 ft, and opt for the lower resistance, if there is a difference.

Answer 8

Use the gauge of the wire. Otherwise braided wire is easier to work with and it does not fatigue and break. The gauge refers to the cross-sectional area of the wire and only this determines if it is suitable for carrying a current.

Answer 9

Braided is for connecting two wires and soldering is only for connecting a wire to something that is not a wire.

Answer 10

may be yes!!! I'm not an electrician!!!