Do we need to talk about the best speaker wire available? How important is speaker cable when it comes to sound quality?
We all know just how important a quality audio interface is for DJing. Just as well, we also understand that mixers and a capable laptop computer are similarly important if you want to be a professional DJ.
Many of us acknowledge that quality audio speakers are another important facet of being a proper DJ. However, with rare exceptions, very few people think about something as “minor” as speaker wires.
Unlike XLR or TRS cables, speaker wires are kind of just “there”. They’re things that most people expect to come with their speakers and that’s that.
The truth of the matter is that picking the speaker wires is easily one of the most important investments you can make in your music or DJ performing career. Not only that, but speaker cable isn’t particularly expensive, many costing enough that any starting performer can get a quality pair pretty easily.
So if you don’t know about any of the best speaker wires and suddenly realize you need to get some or else you’re going to feel cheated out of a lot of money, where can you go?
Thankfully, the answer is “you’re already here”. In this breakdown, we’ll go over all the key speaker wiring points you need to know about speaker wires as well as get into some of the best options available for 2023.
Best Speaker Wire: Our Overall Choice
While some speaker wires may sound slightly better with some sound systems, it really does go down to personal preference. For the best all-rounder, the Monoprice 2747 12-gauge is a great deal as it offers a sturdy and very reliable available cable. When we tested it, it sounded cleaner than many of its competitors, especially those with thinner wire gauges.
Top Speaker Cable Picks – Best, Premium & Value
Below, we’ll take the time to check out some of the best speaker cable options currently on the market while also giving you some tips on what to expect and look out for when setting up your speaker system.
Monoprice 102747 12AWG Speaker Wire (Editor’s Pick)
A top contender, the Monoprice 102747 speaker is an impressive 12 gauges, making it one of the thickest options possible.
The wiring is made from 99.95% pure oxygen-free copper. They use a transparent PVC material that lets you keep an ideal contact open on some of the more pressing and important factors.
What We Like:
- Has Polarity Indicators
- Impressive Gauge
- Has Lengths Varying from 50 to 300Ft
What We Do Not Like:
- Will Require Trimming
- Quite Expensive
Read this next: Speaker Interference (How To Fix Static From Speakers)
Monoprice Access Series 4-Conductor (Premium Pick)
Another Monoprice wire that is worth consideration is the Monoprice Access Series 4-Conductor. This cable makes a point of being an incredibly reliable 4-conductor speaker wire.
This makes it twice as capable as the others on this list, which are 2-conductor for a one-to-one connection. As a result, these speaker cables can perform bi-amping, a feature found in certain speakers that powers separate drivers to create a specific frequency.
The Monoprice 4-conductor bi-wire has each of the four conductors color-coded while encasing them in a white PVC jacket. This lets you link both high and low frequencies while using only one wire.
What We Like:
- Four Conductors Instead Of 2
- Multiple Gauge Ranges
- Made From Oxygen-Free Copper Clad Aluminum Wire
What We Do Not Like:
- Available Only In Long Lengths
- Expensive
Read this next: Best XLR Cable Picks (Not All XLR Cables Are Built Equally!)
AmazonBasics 16 AWG Speaker Wire (Value Pick)
If the Monoprice 102747 speaker cable was a bit too much for what you needed, the AmazonBasics 16 AWG may be a much better option. This is one of the more affordable options available for most people while still proving largely effective.
The AmazonBasics speaker wire has a slightly thinner 16 AWG gauge, though not so thin that you’ll deal with a ton of interference.
The wire is wrapped in a clear plastic jacket that has a white line that runs down its side to determine its polarity. This does work, though it can be a bit confusing – especially when compared to the more prominent color-coded alternatives out there.
What We Like:
- Affordable
- Very Flexible
- A Great Entry-Level Option
What We Do Not Like:
- Lower Guage Leads To More Interference
- Breaks Easily
Read this next: Understanding DJ Cables: Your Complete Guide
Alternative Speaker Wiring Picks
If the three options above aren’t well-suited to you, there are still many other speaker wires picks to choose from. Our team also highlighted the following options for those in search of excellent speaker wire options.
InstallGear 14 AWG Speaker Wire
The InstallGear speaker wire is a great alternative option for those that have an established car audio system. It has a dual-colored jacket that makes polarity detection much easier than other options out there. In addition, the jacket is made from soft PVC, which is much easier to manipulate and maneuver under carpets and through walls and other small panels.
What We Like:
- Reasonably Priced
- Flexible
- Great for ICE Car Audio Sound System Builds
What We Do Not Like:
- No Alternatives In Length
Read this next: Pioneer DJ Speaker Guide
GearIT 14 AWG Speaker Wire
For those that plan to run their wires underground while also staying safe and resistant to the hazards of direct burial, the GearIT Outdoor Speaker Wires are your best bet.
These speaker wires come in an all-black PVC jacket that is UV-resistant and entirely secure while maintaining your connection. The outer jacket has sequential markings that denote each foot of length, assisting in more accurate measurements.
Depending on what you want, the GearIT wiring has a pretty extensive variety of options. They have length options that range from 50 feet all the way to 500 feet. Similarly, they have wire gauges that reach from 16 AWG to 10 AWG.
In addition to being buried underground, the GearIt wires can be used for in-wall installation, making them a great option for your home as well as outside.
What We Like:
- Very Durable
- Comes In A Variety Of Lengths
- Offers A 10-gauge up to a 16-gauge AWG rating
- The Wiring Material Is Made From Oxygen-Free Copper Clad Aluminum Wire
What We Do Not Like:
- Expensive
Read this next: Best DJ Speakers [Top Picks]
Best Speaker Wire: Buyers Guide
Speaker wire is specifically used to connect individual speakers to link and amplify their sound. By creating a link between the two separate speakers, they are able to deliver an electrical current signal that creates an accurate and energetic sound.
Why Pick The Best Speaker Wire?
Picking the best speaker wire or speaker cables really is one of those important factors that no one ever really considers when setting up their audio system.
Speaker cables are an essential ingredient if you want to deliver the right amount of electricity to your speakers and get your sound as clear and clean as possible.
Not only that, but for the most part, speaker wires aren’t as prevalent as many would think. A lot of speakers don’t even come with their own speaker wire, meaning you don’t even have a choice in the matter.
What is a Speaker Wire?
Something that is interesting is that, despite using the term “speaker wire” here, we aren’t speaking about a singular speaker wire. In reality, every wire is made up of at least two independently sheathed conductors.
These are broken up into positive and negative strands and are generally marked as such to indicate their respective polarity. This is often either as a “+” and “-” symbol as well as a red and black color.
Not only are these present on the wire itself, but also on your speaker so that you know exactly where each side goes to send and receive the proper voltage.
What Are Speaker Wires Made From?
Most of the best speaker wires and speaker cables are generally made up of some form of copper. This is either pure copper, copper-clad aluminum (CCA), or oxygen-free copper. Each speaker wire has its own respective differences, with CCA being the least effective and most affordable of the three.
Oxygen-free copper, on the other hand, seems to be a much higher quality, even coming in different “grades” based on the level of durability as well as conductivity.
Outside of copper, there are also silver and gold speaker wire options, both of which similarly affect the overall sound quality and effectiveness of the wires.
Silver and silver-clad copper speaker wires are known to create a tighter treble with the highs.
On the other hand, gold is noted for producing a rounder and warmer bass in the lows. Some argue that the differences are only minor while others swear by them, especially at the higher professional levels.
In addition to the wire’s copper, silver, or gold body, they are also made using an insulator plastic like PVC or Teflon (though others are made with just rubber).
This plastic allows heat to dissipate faster rather than continue to build up as the electrical current travels from one speaker to the next.
Things To Know About Speaker Wiring
It’s easy to believe that all speaker wires and speaker cables are the same. After all, the speaker wires job is pretty much relegated to making sure sound goes out from your audio interface device to your speakers. This is true for the most expensive options as well as the most affordable.
Still, while they all share the same basic function, that doesn’t mean that they’re the same. Many manufacturers will use specific terms to reference speaker wire and what to look out for.
Below, we’ll go over just a few of them so that you understand what you should be aware of when deciding which speaker wire you want.
Low Resistance Speaker Wire
A super important factor that you should always consider before deciding on the speaker wire, resistance speaks to your wire’s ability to energize an amp’s power. The lower the wire’s resistance, the more it is able to energize the amp and create a cleaner sound. Conversely, if a wire has more resistance, the more distorted and muddied the sound will be.
Several things can impact a wire’s resistance.
These include its length, thickness (also known as gauge), and impedance. While we’ll get to impedance and thickness in a bit, the length of a wire only has an impact based on the other two points.
A reduced thickness and high impedance will require a shorter length of wiring to maintain quality sound. Conversely, a fairly long wire will need a very low gauge while also having a low impedance, or else the sound will become strained.
Lower Gauge Speaker Wire
Another important term to be aware of is gauge speaker wire. In fact, the gauge speaker wire aspect is one of the most important distinctions one can make between two different wires.
Another word for a wire’s gauge is its thickness.
This thickness determines its protection against electrical interference while also factoring into the level of resistance present.
Unlike other things, gauge speaker wire moves on a downward scale. Simply put, the lower your gauge speaker wire, the thicker and larger the wire will be.
As an example, the American Wire Gauge (AWG) standard sits between 12 and 18 gauge, with 12 being considerably thicker wire than the 19 American wire gauge (AWG).
The importance of the gauge speaker wire is only really based on what type of performance you plan on giving. Small performances won’t need more than a 16 or 18-gauge speaker wire while larger performances with wiring that needs to cover large distances may need a 12 or 14-gauge speaker wire to reliably perform.
Low Impedance Speakers
Impedance is a term that is often included in speaker descriptions and is measured in ohms (4, 6, or 8). Essentially, impedance directly correlates to how much resistance your wiring should have. The lower the impedance the lower your speaker wire’s resistance should be.
This is because the ohms of your amp and your speaker should be the same, with too much or too little on either side potentially causing distortion and interference, negatively impacting the sound quality.
Price
Last on our list of considerations is the price of your speaker wire or speaker cables. This is a bit of a controversial topic for many, as there is an ongoing debate about whether speaker wire deserves the price ranges considering the more subtle alterations between different brands and wire quality.
For example, a gold wire speaker material wire and a copper-platted aluminum wire are very different in price points while the end result, for many, is seen as not all that different.
This has gone so far as to delve into the professional sphere, as many researchers conclude that the listening experience between audio devices will be the same regardless of the speaker wire used.
So what does this mean for you? Well, a few things.
First, you want to gauge your budget and see what you are most comfortable spending. While the higher quality will result in a better experience, many argue that that experience isn’t going to be “that” much better. So, see what you feel comfortable spending and don’t go over it.
You’ll also want to make sure other things are in place. How durable is the wire? What’s its length or gauge numbers?
While the wire type itself may not be wholly important, how easily it falls apart or how far it can stretch is very important. You should splurge in these areas while being a bit on the conservative side when it comes to everything else.
The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of different things to think about when setting up your music and perfecting the audio quality in your space. The last thing you want to do is break the bank on wiring.
Best Speaker Wire: The Verdict
For many, a big question is how much you should spend on the best speaker wire. Honestly, it shouldn’t be more than 10% of your total setup’s budget, with the audiophiles in the room likely to enjoy the subtle shifts that come from the higher-end options.
So long as you focus on the speaker cable length required and a respectable gauge, your sound should be fairly uniform regardless of the brand or what perks are offered.
