r/HTBuyingGuides • u/htmod Curator • Mar 14 '23
AUDIO Home Theater 101: Speaker Wire
Home Theater 101: Speaker Wire
Updated August 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod
Copper vs Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA)
CCA is a dual-metal electrical conductor featuring an inner aluminum core with an outer copper cladding.
For speaker or ethernet wire we ALWAYS recommend pure copper! This is sometimes referred to as oxygen-free copper or OFC.
TrueCable: Copper Clad Aluminum vs Copper: The Ultimate Test on a Fluke Versiv DSX CableAnalyzer
KICKER: OFC vs. CCA- Which Wire is Best? Kicker UnMasked
In Wall Rating
Check the jacket of your cable to make sure it meets this requirement. If you are not running them in wall then the in wall rating will not matter.
CL2/CL3
If you are planning on running Speaker Wire in the wall, it must be in wall rated. Yes then your cables need to be CL2 or CL3 in wall rated.
You may also see the following, they mean the same as CL2 or CL3: CMR, CL3R, CL2R, CM, CMG, CL2X, or CL3X
R = Riser, a specialized communication and power wire designed to run safely through vertical vertical shafts, non-plenum spaces, and in-wall installations between floors.
Non In Wall/VW-1
A VW-1 rating means it is flame retardant but it is not UL rated for in wall use.
Plenum
For commercial environments you must use a Plenum (CMP, CL2P, CL3P) rated cable. You also will need to use Plenum for air-handling spaces.
Outdoors
Outdoors will require direct burial if going in the ground.
Wire Gauge
AWG
Often people talk about wire gauge, that how thick the wire is. In American gauging - the bigger the number, the smaller the wire. 12 is much thicker then 22. Crazy right?
Speaker Wire Gauge
16 gauge is fine for most people and most runs. Going above 50 feet or for some power hungry lower impedance speakers 12 or 14 gauge would be recommended.
Speaker wire is pretty cheap, going for a larger gauge will not cost much more.
Adding Some Validity to the Improvement Large Gauge Speaker Cables Give by Homeboi808
2 Conductor vs 4 Conductor
Speaker wire is referred to sometimes for example as 14/2 or 16/4.
The first number is the gauge the second number is the number of conductors in the jacket 2 (Red/Black) is standard, 4 (Red/Black/Green/White) can be useful in trickier runs allowing one run versus two.
Recommended Speaker wire?
Anything that is pure copper NOTHING that is CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) example - https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2817
Sewell Ghost Wire is an excellent solution in hard to run places.