[Review&QnA] High Performance 12 Gauge Speaker Wire, Oxygen Free Pure Copper - UL Listed Class 2 (50 Feet Spool)
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[Review&QnA] High Performance 12 Gauge Speaker Wire, Oxygen Free Pure Copper - UL Listed Class 2 (50 Feet Spool)
About this item
- HIGH QUALITY 2 Conductor Speaker Wire Flexible Clear PVC Jacket with Red Stripe Polarity Allows for Fast, Easy and Accurate Installations
- 12 AWG, 65 Strands of Pure Copper Wire per Channel Providing Clearity and Undistorted Signals to all Sounds System
- 99.99% Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) Conductors. Compatible with Bare Wire Connectors, Banana Plugs, Spade Tips or Bent Pin Connectors
- UL Safety Certified, NEC 725 Class 2 Rated for Home and Commercial Use
- Sequentially Marked Every Two Feet in Descending Order From the Start of the Reel to the Core
Reviews
★★★★★
Size: 200ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Perfect OFC speaker wire.
MaxBrite 12AWG OFC speaker wire is perfect. Just as good as the "high end"more expensive names out there. Just as long as you use oxygen free PURE copper you will be happy. Dont let the marketing of brands like "Monster Cable" "Blue Jeans Cable" etc... take advantage of you. This wire is just as good but it doesnt look as fancy. You pay double or tripple the price for pretty cables but the performance of this wire is FLAWLESS. It's perfect for any speaker to amp application. One thing to stay away from is Copper Clad Aluminum. That stuff is the devil!! Copper Clad Aluminum wire has no place on earth so please dont settle for that garbage. Aluminum is NOT as conductive as copper and niether is gold. (Google it) Pure copper is the ONLY way to go for any type of connection.
★★★★★
Size: 50ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
AWESOME!!!
This speaker wire is absolutely amazing!!! Really thick and yes it is pure copper( tested it). I used this with Mediabridge banana plugs and it is right at the limit to get it through the hole, but it can be done with a little muscle. The sound is noticeably clearer on a pair of Focal floor speakers. I was using some pre made wires that were quite expensive and so you think their going to be good, but I believe this wire tops them. Took about an hour to make them, but worth every minute!!!
★★★★★
Size: 50ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Great wire for the price
Having been somewhat of an audiophile most of my life I have to say, I have never really found much of a difference in sound quality between decent speaker wire. This wire is of good quality and the sheathing material is relatively soft and flexible. The winding of the copper is nicely uniform. I made up a set of wires for my two channel system and it sounds great. So, I have to highly recommend this wire for any system.
★★★★★
Size: 200ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Excellent wire
The audio performance difference after upgrading from 16AWG aluminum clad wire to this beefy solid copper 12 gauge is just amazing. This wire came as a single 200 foot piece. It is heavy and solid but flexes for easy working. The diameter and high stand count mated perfectly with Media Bridge banana clips.
★★★★★
Size: 50ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Re-vamping your home theater? This is the best speaker wire for the job.
This product is highly recommended for anyone using 12 gauge speaker wire. We love the durability. Product is probably best for in-wall wiring purposes; however, we didn't use this product for that purpose. My only complaint is the limited choice of lengths as I underestimated the required length and had to buy more.
I did have to buy the wire tool to strip and get banana plugs for some of the connections to the receiver.
★★★★★
Size: 100ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Many opinions on the right speaker wire
Is pure copper better than an alloy? Do you need more, fine strands to properly carry the high frequencies? Will better wire make your speakers sound better? I don't know. You probably won't know either. With the proper instruments and an anechoic chamber, you could probably measure the differences.
I bought this to ensure I had adequate capabilities for the upgraded surround sound speakers (Polk) I purchased. I know gauge helps with the raw power aspects and the number of strands helps with the higher frequencies as they travel along the surface of the wire. I feel both of these were adequate for my needs and I will buy again for side speakers when I implement those.
I was asked to review on dimension called "stretch." Yeah, it didn't and my cable stretcher is out for repair.
★★★★★
Size: 200ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Excellent
Just what you would expect from a high-quality speaker wire which this is. If you look at my photo the one on the left is this product the one on the right is the cheaper product (Pyramid brand) that I wasted my time with last week. That one went back. I suggest you learn from my mistake! Spend the extra money and get this better quality wire. I’m only doing this review because I was so aggravated with other wire which is half the price and about an eighth of the quality (the cheap low quality brand is Pyramid...junk).
★★★★★
Size: 50ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Its really copper!
This is true 12 gauge copper with the proper electrical resistance. I bought another brand of 12 gauge wire before this and it had the characteristics of 14 gauge wire? I guess It was because it was aluminum clad copper, what a lot of crap! I have 4 ohm speakers and their 12 gauge would only allow for a 40ft max run of wire, I needed 42ft. This High Performance 12 Gauge Speaker Wire follows true 12 gauge resistance of 4 ohms for a 60ft max run. Very happy!
★★★★★
Size: 100ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Very Pleased!
This speaker wire is top notch! Don't be suckered into buying the more expensive name branded stuff. This speaker wire is just fine and delivers a good, solid connection delivering quality performance to your speakers and amplifier and/or receiver. If you need better looking aesthetics, I could see somebody spending the money on higher priced wire, but if you are like me, I don't care as I hide my wire either in the wall or behind objects making aesthetics negligible.
★★★★★
Size: 100ft. Spool | Verified Purchase
Richer sound; no signal loss.
My rear speakers sounded anemic, so I conducted a little research and learned the distance the signal had to travel from my receiver to my speakers was too far for the measly wire is purchased -- because I didn't know any better, and the associate at the store didn't ask! Maybe he didn't know either. In any case, I'm loving my system now. No signal loss! The rear speakers sound as great as the pair in front. The sound is more full, richer -- awesome. This project was a little spendy, and it took some time to rewire everything (banana clips, etc.), but the result is so worth it. Don't hesitate.
Question & Answer
Question :
is this certified/safe for in-wall/in-ceiling installation?
Answer :
It says that it is UL Safety Certified NEC 725 Class 2 Rated for Home and Commercial Use. It is extremely well insulated.
Question :
Is it 50' of both or 25'? Of both?
Answer :
dual wire 50' length. It is like 12/2
Question :
can this wire handle 125VAC and above, if not where can I find wire that can?
Answer :
This wire can handle up to 125vac, but would definitely not push it past that. I would suggest using 10 or 8 gauge wire for anything over. Any box store hardware would have the higher gauge.
Question :
Can this be used permanently outdoors year round. I live in the deep south so no extreme weather conditions just rain?
Answer :
I don't think this wire is sufficiently covered to be exposed to rain on a regular basis. I would look for something that has thick rubber or plastic wrapping, something specifically made for outdoors. Also, I found that this 12 gauge wire is too thick for the terminals on my 1970s stereo receiver and speakers. I had to trim the ends way down to get the wire to fit. Unless you are running some very high-powered sound applications, I think the thinner 18 gauge wire would be much more useful.
Question :
Is the strand with the solid red line positive or negative?
Answer :
I don't think it matters if you use the red for positive or negative, as long as you use the wire the same way on both stereo speakers. On the back of a lot of stereo amps/receivers and speakers, one terminal is colored red, and the other is black. For simplicity's sake, I would just put the red wire into the red terminals, and the plain wire into the black terminals. Stereo speakers make sound by moving in and out, pushing air. To make sure both speakers are moving in and out at the same time, be sure to wire both of them the same way, red/black. If you wire them differently, one speaker will be moving in at the same time the other is moving out, which can affect your listening enjoyment. Also, please note that this 12 gauge wire is really too thick for most stereo applications. I had to trim the ends way down to get it to fit into my 1973 receiver and speaker terminals. Unless you are running some really high-end audio equipment, or need to run the wire long distances, the thinner 18 gauge wire should work just fine, and probably cost less per foot.
Question :
I noticed comments mentioning lengths over 200ft, are there spools available that are 300, 400, 500ft?
Answer :
I bought 100, went faster than I thought for 3 systems. I dont believe in magic wire, copper is copper. Dont worry about oxidation, its conductive.
Question :
Can i use this wire to run my 12v electrical? like led lights, 12v water pump, and a 12v max air fan?
Answer :
Yes.
But, consider adding split loom or some other type of protection for another step of wear/abrasion prevention.
I frequently use speaker wire for 12v power since both strands are fused, but the jacketing is softer than most primary wire which opens up the possibility of premature wear and eventually short circuit issues if ran carelessly. In other words, don't let your car end up as an ash pile on the road side when your under protected wire rubs open & shorts out!
Question :
how many feets do i need from this to wire 4 speakers to amp for sedan ?
Answer :
50ft should do.This wire is huge for door speakers,its more in line for high powered subs,16 gauge ofc is good enough for door runs in my opinion,and easier too.
Question :
is this rated for in wall use?
Answer :
Yes, it is UL rated Class 2.
Question :
This is pure copper, not aluminum clad, correct?
Answer :
Pure Copper! Good stuff....good price.
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