If you've walked into a big box electronics retailer in the last few years, you're no doubt aware of just how difficult it can be to do something as seemingly simple as purchase a length of speaker wire for your in wall speakers, in-ceiling speakers or floor standing speakers. There are so many different brands, lengths, types and supplementary features at play that it's hard to wade through the noise and find the options that you're really after. By clearing up a few key myths that have prevailed about speaker wires over the last several years, you'll be well on your way to making sure that your hard-earned money is well spent.
Myth 1: All Of Your Speaker Wires Should Be the Same Length
While it's true that the quality of an audio signal does degrade the farther it has to travel, this does not mean that every speaker wire that you purchase needs to be the same length as every other wire in your home theater speakers. This myth was likely born out of a misunderstanding of a real speaker wire best practice: that speaker wire should never be longer than it needs to be.
If your right channel is exactly three meters away from your receiver, don't use a five meter cable. Use a three-meter cable to achieve optimum audio reproduction. If the rear right channel needs a 10 meter cable, that's okay – so long as you aren't buying cables that are longer than the precise distance that you're trying to cover.
Myth 2: You Need to “Break In” Your Speaker Wires
One common myth is that you need to “break in” your wires by sending a small electrical charge through your home theater system in order to achieve the best possible results. While this used to be true, technology has advanced to the point where there is literally no need to do so any longer. If someone is trying to sell you a speaker wire “cooker” for this purpose, they're trying to take advantage of you or they don't know what they're talking about. End of story.
Myth 3: Thicker wire Is Important
Many stores will try to sell you on the idea that for the best possible audio quality, you need to purchase thicker (and therefore more expensive) speaker wires. This myth is actually “sort of” true but there's definitely diminishing returns on thicker speaker wire. Common 14 AWG speaker wire will sound great in under 20 meter runs of speaker wire which cover 99% of install cases.
JENSEN SPEAKERS
At JENSEN Speakers, we're proud to act as your premiere source for in wall speakers, in-ceiling speakers, floor standing speakers and room shaking subwoofer speakers! Our entire speaker range will add that finishing touch to your home theater surround sound with studio quality clarity or Hollywood action bass.
