Speaker Cable Gauge - Long run to Guitar Cab.

[WERNER 1]

Hey guys, I'm trying to get a bit of advice here.....

I know that this is mostly for recording, but I've got a live application question for you all.....

I'm running a 100 w. head into an 8 ohm cabinet. The only problem is that the cab is about 50 ft. away from my head and I can't change that. So what I need to know is: What gauge speaker wire should I be using in this application?

Thanks,
Rick

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by WERNER 1

Hey guys, I'm trying to get a bit of advice here.....

I know that this is mostly for recording, but I've got a live application question for you all.....

I'm running a 100 w. head into an 8 ohm cabinet. The only problem is that the cab is about 50 ft. away from my head and I can't change that. So what I need to know is: What gauge speaker wire should I be using in this application?

Thanks,
Rick

50 ft isn't much. 16 gauge will work fine with less than 0.5dB loss.

[bongolation]

Bigger is better in this case.

Read the part about speaker cables here.

[lpdeluxe]

Twelve gauge is cheap, go for it.

[mshilarious]

How about that, three of us and three answers

I think I've done this math right, the prices are for bulk cable without connectors from partsexpress:

50 ft of cable into 8 ohm speaker:

Gauge Power Loss dB Loss Price/50 ft
12AWG -2% -0.09dB $20.63
14AWG -3% -0.14dB $14.74
16AWG -5% -0.22dB $10.62

So pick which one you like.

If your head can do 4 ohms and you think you might buy another cab someday, that will significantly change the table above.