What gauge for speaker wire??

What gauge speaker wire should I use for my home audio setup?

• I have a Sony STR-DB940 home audio/video receiver, (2) Cerwin Vega E-712 model tower speakers, a Cerwin Vega LW-10 powered sub, (2) Cerwin Vega E-705 bookshelf speakers, and a Cerwin Vega E-75C center channel speaker. I have the subwoofer connected using composite cable but I am wondering if it matters what gauge speaker wire I should use. Would 18 or 16 gauge be sufficient?

• Answer:

  I work at a best buy and this is what i tell customers. When you're dealing with wiring speaker systems the gauge of the wire only really matters when exceed a certain distance because the bigger gauge number the wider the cable. So you want a larger gauge when your dealing with longer distances. A general rule of thumb I use is 50 feat for a 2 gauge difference. If your dealing with anything less than 50 feat 16+ gauge will do just fine. Hope this helps! Good luck!