some dip**** told me when I asked him if it was worth .75 a foot for 12ga speaker wire, he said "your stock wiring is fine! even 16ga is find for less than 100w. what do you think I'm running?"

 

so I went out and bought a ****load of bell caps, and 20ft of 12 guage wire. Even just for the speakers running off the deck, it's louder, clearer, has more low end, and doesn't clip as easily as it used to. not to mention I went to RCA cables instead of high input for the rear speakers off the amp. So that's clearer, has more range, and is waaaay louder.

 

but even just in the new wire to the front speakers, ****ty stock wiring has *nothing* against the quality of a higher guage wire, even at 22w RMS. Although I doubt I need 12guage wire for the front speakers, 14 probably would have been fine. but I think stock is like 18 or something? it's f'ricken small.

 

so for less than $30, if anybody has some decent speakers, and a decent deck, I say just go out and grab speaker wire (a whole legacy will probably take about 35 feet) and alot of terminal connectors (bell caps or butt splice connectors) and I'm sure you'll enjoy the quality of your sound much much more than stock wiring.

no offense, but I agree with the dip****. For 22 watts, 16 g wiring is fine. I had 40 watts/ch going to the fronts and used 16 g with no problems. The subs were a different issue of course.

 

If you want to upgrade to 12 g, that's ok- I would say, just do the front speakers if you're driving them off a big amp and running loud all the time. Don't bother with the rears- just a waste of money and effort in my opinion.

 

I think if you heard an improvement going to the 12 g wire, it was probably because something was wrong with your stock wiring. I don't know what kind of set up you have, or what you are looking for in a sound system, but you won't start noticing significant improvements until you upgrade the rest of your system.

 

Brian

Stereo Review did a test back in the 80's right after Monster Cable came out. They tested it against 18 gauge lamp cord, and the audiophiles they brought in couldn't correctly pick the set of wires they were listening to, and this was in a closed environment.

 

I don't think stock wire is even 18 gauge, more like 20 or 22, but it works for me. If you are pushing some serious power, then maybe some bigger cable would be of help, but I don't think 12 is necessary. I think that's what I'm running on my tablesaw with a 220V 3HP motor.

 

Anyway, I just as soon spend money on my home stereo and leave the wiring as is. Mine still gets loud enough to overcome the road and wind noise.

Is that by chance a legacy wagon? if so, could you post how the rear speaker wires are run? i've got a bad connection in mine

 

 

thanks