Low-Voltage Outdoor Wiring For Speaker Cable?
- Thread starter stevieb
- Start date
drossfile
nope
should be fine. outdoor lv cable is usually between 8 and 16 gauge, speaker cable is usually 16. so if anything, it should be the same or even a little better.
that is, if i'm understanding your question. you're talking about using your landscaping lighting wiring for speakers instead of the lighting, right?
if you're trying to wire both in parallel, that might be ok, depending on the load and gauge. wiring in series would be a huge no-no.
specifics?
Okay, it was a bit of a trick question- I had this email exchange with Roger Russell, of McIntosh Labratories, Inc:
ME: Just read your essay "Speaker Wire, A History." Informative and confirms my
thoughts for years, thanks for writing it.
I provide the sound system ("PA") for a band I play music in. Pro audio
speaker cable is very expensive- also often hard to distinguish from
instrument cord. I have considered using large-gauge zip cord in place of
it- can you address that application? Thanks.
ROGER: There is nothing wrong with zip cord. However, if you are using the wire
where there is a lot of traffic and handling, you might consider low
voltage outdoor lighting wire that has thicker insulation.
I figured that is as good an authority as I need, and I wanted to see if anyone here would, within about 48 hours, contradict him. But the response of running BOTH low-voltage power AND speaker feed thur the same wire is so intriguing, I just had to come clean with this little "test."
ME: Just read your essay "Speaker Wire, A History." Informative and confirms my
thoughts for years, thanks for writing it.
I provide the sound system ("PA") for a band I play music in. Pro audio
speaker cable is very expensive- also often hard to distinguish from
instrument cord. I have considered using large-gauge zip cord in place of
it- can you address that application? Thanks.
ROGER: There is nothing wrong with zip cord. However, if you are using the wire
where there is a lot of traffic and handling, you might consider low
voltage outdoor lighting wire that has thicker insulation.
I figured that is as good an authority as I need, and I wanted to see if anyone here would, within about 48 hours, contradict him. But the response of running BOTH low-voltage power AND speaker feed thur the same wire is so intriguing, I just had to come clean with this little "test."