Speaker Wire!

audiocableguy, I didn't see such a large drop in power using that Flash demo as you did (with the numbers you used).  However, it is still pretty far off reality.

In comparing to this good Flash demo,

• the Streetwires demo shows a difference in loss of 100 watts using total of 600 watts amp power with 16 feet of speaker wire...with 16 ga. wire as compared with 12 ga.wire.
• the h.o.alt demo shows only a loss of 40 watts with the same figures.  I used a load impedance of 2 ohms for this comparison.

The power loss is indicated using full power as criteria and calculating voltage drop along the length of wire.  It is interesting to note that the voltage drop and subsequent loss of 40 watts of power to the speaker is much less than 1 db, which is inaudible.

The big problems with that Streetwires demo are that the impedance of the load is not accounted for, and the tiny dials in that calculator are not accurate.  Knowing the impedance is necessary because of the differences in current going through the wire at different loads on the amp (Ohm's Law).  That demo could be used for a complete novice in a retail environment but is not of any good use to anyone who knows a little about what's going on.

Ahh, but here is something interesting:  using the BCAE calculator that DYohn linked to (which corresponds very closely with the h.o alt calculator), there is a tiny warning that appears at the bottom of the calculator that "there is too much loss"...until you get up to 12 ga. wire for this scenario!  Even when you try much shorter lengths of speaker wire!  The criteria, it appears, is that there are too few circular mils of wire per amp (cm/A).

Dude, chill out.  No one is arguing with you!