speaker gauge wire?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=100934
Printed Date: May 05, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Topic: speaker gauge wire?
Posted By: bumflik
Subject: speaker gauge wire?
Date Posted: January 08, 2008 at 4:05 PM
How is it possible to run a 2 gauge power wire through you whole car and then use 12-16 gauge speaker wires? Like lets say you have the 2x 1000 Rms pioneer premier subs using 12 gauge speaker wires. How do the wires handle the high load? Shouldn't you be using the same 2 or 4 gauge wires (that you ran through the car) with the subs connected to the terminal and from terminal to the amp as well?
I don't understand how it works.
- I never hooked up subs before.
Replies:
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: January 08, 2008 at 4:55 PM
Wire gauge size determines how much current the wire can carry. Power in a vehicle is low voltage but can be very high current. Speaker-level signals are relatively high voltage but relatively low current. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: January 08, 2008 at 5:13 PM
...and is a good time for you to get introduced to Ohm's Law. Ohm's Law uses simple math to explain what occurs between electrical forces. The basic law is known as PIE, or in words, power is the result of current times voltage. Ohm's Law explains why the wire has to be thicker from battery to amplifier than from amplifier to speaker. https://www.the12volt.com/ohm/ohmslaw.asp ------------- Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Posted By: sedate
Date Posted: January 08, 2008 at 5:28 PM
bumflik wrote:
How do the wires handle the high load
The inversion from DC to AC contributes significantly to this - DYohn's mention of voltage is but one aspect of this attribute. This is actually why Westinghouse took the power industry from Edison way back in the day - DC is not suited to transmitting power over more than just a few feet at most. The losses are enormous.
When the power gets to the amp however, the amp turns the low voltage DC into high voltage AC formed into a neat, pretty sine wave. As such, small speaker wire, (>16g for subs) is permissible as long as it is not excessive - say >100ft or so before losses are significant compared to just a few dozen inches for DC current. ------------- "I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview
Posted By: crewwzin
Date Posted: January 09, 2008 at 11:50 AM
sedate wrote:
bumflik wrote:
How do the wires handle the high load
The inversion from DC to AC contributes significantly to this - DYohn's mention of voltage is but one aspect of this attribute. This is actually why Westinghouse took the power industry from Edison way back in the day - DC is not suited to transmitting power over more than just a few feet at most. The losses are enormous.
When the power gets to the amp however, the amp turns the low voltage DC into high voltage AC formed into a neat, pretty sine wave. As such, small speaker wire, (>16g for subs) is permissible as long as it is not excessive - say >100ft or so before losses are significant compared to just a few dozen inches for DC current.
Most people are unaware that an amplifier is actually a variable voltage power inverter. DC input, AC output at varying voltages. Just thought I'd throw that out there for the car audio newbies. ------------- I'd rather be in the boat with a drink on the rocks, than in the drink with a boat on the rocks!
Posted By: bumflik
Date Posted: January 09, 2008 at 5:20 PM
sedate wrote:
bumflik wrote:
How do the wires handle the high load
The inversion from DC to AC contributes significantly to this - DYohn's mention of voltage is but one aspect of this attribute. This is actually why Westinghouse took the power industry from Edison way back in the day - DC is not suited to transmitting power over more than just a few feet at most. The losses are enormous.
When the power gets to the amp however, the amp turns the low voltage DC into high voltage AC formed into a neat, pretty sine wave. As such, small speaker wire, (>16g for subs) is permissible as long as it is not excessive - say >100ft or so before losses are significant compared to just a few dozen inches for DC current.
o0o thanx i didnt know that! You answered my question!
Posted By: bumflik
Date Posted: January 09, 2008 at 5:22 PM
stevdart wrote:
...and is a good time for you to get introduced to Ohm's Law. Ohm's Law uses simple math to explain what occurs between electrical forces. The basic law is known as PIE, or in words, power is the result of current times voltage. Ohm's Law explains why the wire has to be thicker from battery to amplifier than from amplifier to speaker.
https://www.the12volt.com/ohm/ohmslaw.asp
thanks put "DC to AC" was all I needed to know.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: January 09, 2008 at 6:15 PM
bumflik wrote:
thanks put "DC to AC" was all I needed to know.
Maybe if you want to stay a noob. Dc to AC is NOT the only reason, although it is a part of the reason. The main reason is the current. You really need to know Ohm's Law by heart if you intensd to be more than a "user' in car audio. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: Steven Kephart
Date Posted: January 10, 2008 at 12:28 AM
I broke Ohm's Law once which created a huge mess. Voltage was flowing everywhere. 
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