What Gauge Wire is Best for Car Audio?
To achieve the best experience in a car stereo, you must know the art. The art of perfect sound production comes with using the best equipment and well-engineered products. It is recommended that you only use high-quality gauge wires for car audio.
In this article, our editors have explained 4 of these top-rated gauge wires for the car audio system. Along with this, we have added a detailed buying guide for gauge wires in 2022.
You will know what a gauge wire exactly is, and what its function is. After that, I will tell you some fantastic gauge wire products that may help you in selection.
I will conclude the topic with the best advice and tips to enhance wire gauge performance and the factors that can affect it.
What Gauge Wire is Best for Car Audio? Top 4 Reviews for 2022
Below is the comparison chart for the best gauge wire for car audio in 2022. Our editors have selected top-rated gauge wires for this article.
So hold your gear and let me start right now. Do share your questions and views in the comments or any information you want to add about the topic. Our website team is present 24/7 to assist you in any matter related to stereo.
| Best Gauge Wire for Car Audio 2022 | AWG number | Features | Price |
| Install Gear 14 AWG wire | 14 | Copper Clad Aluminum, perfect for car speakers, cheaper and effective. | Check Price |
| Amazon Basics 16 Gauge AWG | 16 | Flexible, equipped with the latest specs, color scheming is good. | Check Price |
| Install Gear 12 AWG wire | 12 | Best option to buy, rugged jacket, fantastic insulation. | Check Price |
| Luxtronic 24 Gauge AWG wire | 24 | Thin wire, works well with speakers and other appliances, so affordable. | Check Price |
AWG Car Audio Guage Wire
AWG stands for American Wire Gauge. It tells us about the cross-section of a wire by using a simple gauge for electrical cables that are solid and round.
What is the number system of AWG wire, and why is it necessary?
The numbering system is quite essential for the wire. It determines the quality as well as the quantity and size. It also describes how much resistance wire can show against the voltage.
The thickness of the wire and the AWG numbers are inversely proportional to each other. If the number of AWG is higher, then it means the cable is getting thinner. The higher the number will go, the thinner the wire will be. The number belongs to the size of the wire; it does not have anything to do with the insulation jacket it is encapsulated in.
There is a whole big mathematical formula, which determines the number of the AWG wire, which I will not explain here.
One thing that you might also know is that the thickness of a wire and its resistance are also inversely proportional to each other. If a wire is thick, it means that its resistance is much likely low, and the voltage can be carried to a longer distance.
Stranded vs. Solid wire
There is a difference in stranded and solid wires. Stranded wires are more in diameter than the solid ones. We calculate the length of solid wire by calculating its distance, while we measure the cross-section area of the strands of the stranded wires.
Some amazing AWG speaker wires
Let us show you some of the best AWG speaker wires below. Our team of editors has picked the hot favorite items of 2022, and these best-selling products have proven their qualities.
Install Gear 14 AWG speaker wire
If you are looking for perfect wires for your speaker connectivity in your car stereo, then you must try the Install Gear 14 AWG speaker wire. It has worked fantastically for both the car and home users and has proved its worth.
The length of the wire spool is 100 ft. Or 30.5 meters. As I already said that this wire is a 14 gauge wire made with a soft-touch jacket that is flexible enough to fit anywhere. This is among the best gauge wire for car audio in 2022.
Click here to buy from Amazon.
The wire is clung with both Copper and Aluminum, also known as CCA. This stranded wire comes with a rugged jacket comprised of two colors that can be very helpful in identifying the polarity. The jacket also makes it much convenient while routing it along the panels of your car.
The jacket of this product comes in a stripe-easy way for an efficient installation. Moreover, it provides easy installation to the terminals that are crimped the most.
It is a pure, light-weight wire that will be sufficient enough to cater to your music needs. The insulation is of good quality, and the product has many satisfied customers and reviews. The best thing about this item is its price. With the class you are getting, the price is exceptionally mediocre and affordable.
The excellent quality material used in its making makes it durable too. If you talk about sound quality, then it is fantastic. This product can help in creating the best sound effects even if you use it in a full-fledged big home theatre system.
Read detailed product reviews at Amazon.
So I guess, if you want to save money and go for good quality and durability, then buy your Install Gear 14 Gauge AWG speaker wire.
Amazon basics 16 Gauge AWG, Best Gauge Wire for Car Audio
If you are looking for a perfect 16-Gauge AWG wire, then you should consider buying the Amazon Basics 16-Gauge. This pinky beauty seems so fascinating, and its performance is exceptional, as well.
This product enables you to connect and attach your speakers with a receiver or amp. The wire is so easy and convenient to use; the reason for it is the use of sturdy plastic spool, which covers and protects it. It makes the dispensing more convenient. It is one of the best gauge wire for car speakers.
Buy now from Amazon.
Now you do not have to worry about the distinguishing of the polarity as the amazon basics 16 AWG wire comes with a dual-color theme, which makes it easier to distinguish. One comes with a white mark and other color being bright pink, the difference is visible and apparent, which lets the setup and connectivity more efficient.
The newly-developed amazon basics wire is one of the best options available. It has already marked its impression in the market, and customers are more than satisfied with it, primarily due to the least amount of distortion it creates. Due to this factor, the delivery of signals is tremendous and regarded as high quality.
This product is also a 100 feet long cable which is long enough for connectivity in your car speakers. Moreover, you can also use the leftover cable for future use or in any other speaker at home. It doesn’t go waste.
This is available at Amazon.
The price range of the product is also very affordable and economical. So if you want a low budget 16 gauge audio wire, then try the amazon basics 16 gauge AWG wire, you will love it as the other customers do.
Install Gear 12 AWG speaker wire
Presenting you another top-notch product from Install Gear. This one is Install Gear 12, while the previous one was Install Gear 14. Now let me again explain to you the difference between these numbers. The smaller the number, the lower its resistance will be against the current flow, and the thicker it will be. Low in number and more abundant in size.
The materials used in the making of this product are exceptionally in comparison to the price it is offering. The wire is made of CCA or also referred to as Copper Clad Aluminum. It is a low-cost solution that gives satisfying and non-distorted performance. The sound output, with the help of these wires and materials, will be smooth and satisfactory.
Check Price Now.
The product has a very soft and smooth touch jacket, or you can say a rugged one. It lets you adjust the wire’s properties. You can change the resistance on impact, elasticity as well as its flexibility.
The adjustment is quite simple and not at all hectic. The soft jacket has a low cache memory, which makes your wire more flexible and easy to route.
Like any other wire, this product also comes with a distinct difference in colors. You can see the black and blue wires which can be easily distinguished, except in dark light. Other than that, you can always do well in the daytime or good light and check the polarity. It will save you from any future hazard and protect your speakers from exploding, as well.
The 100 feet or 35 m wires come with a compact spool which lets you roll in or out the wire efficiently. It also makes you store and re-use the wire more easily. The easy installation structure of this product allows it to make space even in most crimped terminals. The soft jacket, which I discussed earlier, also plays a useful role in easy installation and strips off without difficulty.
This best gauge wire for car speakers might be more expensive than the others I have reviewed about but the specs it is presenting along with the flexibility are worth it. It has many satisfied customers and is one of the best-selling gauge wire these days.
Buy now from now from Amazon.
So if you want a gauge wire unique and durable, then there is no better option than Install Gear 12 AWG speaker wire. You will not regret buying this item.
Luxtronic 24 gauge AWG wire
If you are looking for a small, compact cable with a very cheap price tag, then look nowhere else as the Luxtronic 24 gauge AWG wire has got everything to offer what you were looking for. It is the final product I am going to review, and it is quite different than other ones.
One notable thing which I found quite impressive in this product is that it is oxygen-free. Oxygen-free copper wire is such a wire which is refined electrically, leaving a deficient level of oxygen particles present inside.
Luxtronic AWG is among the high-quality gauge wires for car audio. Such types of cables are long-lasting as they can do well in scorching temperatures. They are also able to transfer and carry big loads of current.
Buy this product now.
The outer jacket of this product is made of thermoplastic material, which is quite flexible and good quality. The stripping of these jackets is quite simple. Another advantage of the thermoplastic jacket is that they would not melt off quickly even in high heat, so the Luxtronic wire is better if you live in a hot, humid area, and your car always heats up.
Like any good quality wire gauge, this one also has a dual-color theme, which distinguishes its polarity easily. It will save both the wire and the stereo from any electrical mishap: dollars and life, both safe by just a simple color scheming.
A flexible jacket protects the wire of the product. You have to be very cautious while crimping it because it is delicate and may break off. You can use the assistance of an expert in this case.
The wire is 100 feet. It can be used in other electrical appliances as well, so it is more diverse than the previous one. It is cheap also. So I think if you want an affordable, thin 24 gauge wire, then you should go for this top-rated gauge wire for your car speakers.
Guide to buy best AWG wire for car audio
You must look at some aspects of your mind to buy an AWG wire, these factors are essential, and it can save you lots of bucks, time, and energy. So go through these aspects and let us know how useful they are.
Impedance
Impedance, one of the most important things you must need to check is if the wire is good enough to handle the impedance of the speakers. The impedance is the property of the speakers, which lets a certain amount of current to pass through it. The impedance must match both the speakers and your wires.
A typical speaker can handle impedance of 4 to 16 ohms, most likely, so we must choose a wire that can handle such type of impedance accordingly. It will provide you a much better quality sound output with zero or less distortion. It will also maintain the long life of your speakers.
Materials used
The material used inside the wires is a thing you cannot ignore. It can play a significant role in bringing the type and quality of sound out of your speakers. Good quality material is used in the Best Gauge Wires for car audio.
The most used ones are copper and aluminum. Zinc and nickel wires are also available in the market. But if you are buying an AWG wire, then pure-copper wire is highly recommended. The reason is that the copper provides high conductivity to the current. It is one of the best and cheapest material to buy for your car speakers.
On the other hand, you may find aluminum or other materials too used in wires, but they are not as effective as copper. Even if copper and aluminum are induced together in a wire, they will be less likely to conduct current as much as the pure copper ones.
It will also lead to bad sound quality, and your wires may break down due to fragility. So buy the copper AWG wires for best performance and always check the reviews of that product before buying it.
Number of the wire
As I already mentioned, the soon you go to lower numbers, the thicker your wiring will be. The size and impedance of speakers play a role in choosing the number of wire. The most commonly used AWG wires are 12, 14, 16, and 18. 24 AWG can also work fantastic sometimes.
But if you want to know which wire is the most popular in all types of speakers, then the answer is 16 AWG wire. If your speakers are long and are of low impedance, then you can go for smaller numbers. If you still cannot decide, then consult a professional. Ask us your queries in the comment, and our team will assist you there.
Oxygen-free
Oxygen particles present in the copper wires can create a big mess. They make the conductivity of copper wire lesser. They will eventually cause the wire to malfunction. So it is always recommended to go for an Oxygen-free AWG wire.
It will save you from replacing your wire too soon and further damages. It will also prevent the cable from heating up. It is recommended that you follow these guidelines for buying the best gauge wires for the car speaker system in 2022.
Color Scheming
Color scheming plays a significant role in an AWG speaker wire. There are two sides of a cable, one positive and one negative. It is much essential to put the positive wire into the positive side and negative one into the negative side. It can be tough if the wire has only one color.
So you need to buy such wires that can provide a good color scheming. The easily distinguishable colors can save you from a mess and the burning of your speaker. This feature can quickly know the polarity. An example of this scheme is in the reviews.
Insulation
The wires must have an excellent insulation jacket. The insulation will protect your wires from any damage for a long time. It will also protect you from touching the wire directly as it can cause you a shock if you touch any bare part of the electric wire.
You must consider insulation, which can prevent your AWG wire from getting heated up too quickly. You must also prefer wires that are resistant to water and fire. These insulation jackets are great for protection, and they can come off soon if you crimp them.
Connectors
This one is a necessary step. Always use a connector to connect your wires to the speaker and amp. The connectors may come with the wires too. If they don’t come, then buy them from your local stores.
Connectors are critical as they hold the wires firmly, and they provide the best connection to the speakers. You can buy a banana plug for connecting your wires. Other available options are spade and pin connectors.
But, in some case, some speakers require bare wires to connect with them. So these connectors are not required there, and you can put the wire strands inside the speaker and clip them.
A few precautions
You must always follow a few precautions to save your life and expensive things. Please do give them a read.
- Turn off your car before installing the speaker wire. The car engine turned on can give you a great shock while doing this electrical work.
- Always use the right tools for the proper work. Use a sharp wire cutter and crimper for crimping. Also, use a Needle-nose pliers to twist or wind the electric wire strands, do not use your hands.
- Always wear safety gloves and glasses while doing such type of work. Do not work in a wet area; choose a lit and dry one.
- You must always seek professional assistance if you think you are unable to do it.
Final Words
AWG system is quite a tricky one. These speaker wires are best for your car stereo system. We might explain its mathematical formulation in another article, perhaps.
But you should also research and find the best AWG wire for your car speakers. Do not forget about the tips we gave and enjoy life and music.
Team: Howstereo.com
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