[Review&QnA] InstallGear 12 Gauge AWG 30ft Speaker Wire 99.9% Oxygen-Free Copper True Spec and Soft Touch Cable - Brown
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[Review&QnA] InstallGear 12 Gauge AWG 30ft Speaker Wire 99.9% Oxygen-Free Copper True Spec and Soft Touch Cable - Brown
About this item
- 30 feet (9.1m)
- True spec stranded wire
- Rugged PVC jacket
- Two color jacket for easy polarity identification
- Oxygen-free copper (OFC)
- 30 feet (9.1m)
- True Spec Stranded Wire
- Rugged Frosted PVC Jacket
- Two Color Jacket for Easy Polarity Identification
- Oxygen-Free Copper Conductor (OFC)
- Compact Spool for Easy Storage
- Rugged PVC Jacket Makes it Easy to Route through Car Panels
- Easily Installs into Most Crimp Terminals
- Jacket Strips Easily for a Quick Install
- Low Memory Jacket Makes it Easy to Route Close to Wall Moldings
- Easily Installs into Most Banana Plugs
- Jacket Strips Easily for a Quick Install
Reviews
★★★★★
Size: 100ft | Verified Purchase
True to specification, quality product
Purchased to use for the main speakers in a home theater setup, thought I'd check it against some other 12 and 14 awg wires I had around (see photos). Cut off about 1.75" of each wire and removed copper from insulation. Measured weight of metal from each core using a precision balance:
0.2 g: Pyramid Power 12 awg (see other review)
0.4 g: Monster XP 14 awg purchased around 2000, discontinued in 2018
0.8 g: hardware store 14 gauge purchased in ~2012
1.2 g: Installgear 12 awg purchased here on Amazon (this wire)
Checking the official dimensions for stranded copper wire, this wire is right on spec at ~18 pounds/1000 ft. Only this and the generic hardware store wire met spec. The Monster wire is labeled as 14 awg on the sheath but was later marketed as 16 awg, which would have been more accurate. I did not take a long enough piece off each spool to measure the resistance of the different wires (I didn't want the hassle). Of the four, the Installgear has the nicest handling and looks good with it's smoked insulation, although I could not verify the OFC claim and it had no special features in its construction. The Monster wire is genuinely complicated. It has two outer layers of insulation and a clear plastic core that the copper strands run around. If it were available as 12 gauge I would have bought more although I expect it would be more expensive per foot than the Installgear.
For the price, accuracy of specification, quality of construction and availability I give this wire 5 stars.
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
Spendy? Yeah. Trendy? Definitely.
This is the nicest wire I've ever seen. It looks great, it's easy to work with, it lays flat, it sounds great... It's also kinda spendy, but I don't think you'll regret it, especially if there's any chance people will see it. I terminated mine with some super nice MediaBridge connectors and it makes my equipment look as good as it sounds.
★★★★★
Size: 100ft | Verified Purchase
Good value for the money
The insulation is translucent. It looks and feels nice as well. Other viewers were right about it not wanting to kink when pulled - a bonus! One thing I’ve noticed was the thickness of the copper cable. It didn’t seem to be a true 12AWG but it isn’t a thin 14AWG either. I have seen thicker cables. Not the end of the world. Past the thickness, this is made of copper not CCA which is what I’ve looked for. With a small cut using a wire cutter, I’ve meticulously inspected using a magnifying glass, and found no traces of Aluminum in the core. For what I need it for, it will serve its purpose just fine.
Purpose: Bi-Amp wiring for front channels with a 7ft run per-channel (2 for Left and 2 for Right), with an 8 Ohm impedance. Speakers are Wharfedale Diamond 225s.
Is it worth the price? Yes
I may provide an update after measuring the spool.
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
Excellent quality and very flexible
The very high number of very fine copper strands and the flexibility of the polymer used in the insulation make this speaker wire a pleasure to work with as well as having excellent electrical properties for for connecting speakers. The insulation is easy to strip and the fine strands are easy to work with to spread over self-crimping banana plugs. Also, due to the extreme flexibility, the wire lies flat on the floor without retaining any curvature from being on a spool; amazing. All in all it was a pleasure to work with this wire. All this and the benefit of 12 gauge, finely stranded, 99.9% OFC to connect my speakers. One more thing was that since I needed only 20 feet I could buy a 30 foot spool without paying for and then storing 80 feet more than I needed. BTW, the speakers sound excellent too.
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
Fantastic quality OFC wire for a reasonable price!
This is true, high quality oxygen free copper wire! Used it to wire my sub in the box and then the amp to the box with excellent results. The wire has a thick jacket that is very flexible. I highly recommend at least 12 OFC gauge wire for subwoofers, if not higher so you aren’t losing power. Don’t bother trying to save a few bucks with CCA wire, it simply is worth the nominal amount of money for the good stuff. I couldn’t be happier, especially for the price!
★★★★★
Size: 100ft | Verified Purchase
... the job of remaking cables for my six Focal Super (sleepy) Bird speakers
I got excited as I began the job of remaking cables for my six Focal Super (sleepy) Bird speakers. I was not happy with the first wire I chose because of the mediocre quality, very brittle, neither did my birds, sing like they should, they sang like Barney Fife on the Addy Griffith show, now that is below terrible. However, this wire is without question the best cable I have ever used, that about 50 years. The wire is perfect when used with banana plugs or any cable making you may do of your own. It’s crazy, the wire is so soft I wanted to make a bed of it, to sleep in. But at the same time the wires in the cable are super strong and well wrapped to decrease resistance and increase speed! Check it with your ohm meter, as I did. I just get excited when I purchase a product of any kind which meets or in this case exceeds the makers description. Most of the time it’s a shot in the dark, if we are first buyers in line. Many sellers out there misrepresent their product in one way or another. I would recommend this product to the pickiest of the picky, I confess, I am one of the pickiest! Keep up the excellent work InstallGear, making this awesome cable. The cable absolutely makes a difference in sound quality. Use InstallGear Cable then hear and feel the difference, my birds did they are now truly flying like Super Birds and they sound fantastic too, I can hear the music now, yes cable makes a difference. Always keep the chain strong use the best wire, like InstallGear. InstallGear knows that or they would not have made this cable like they have, help produce the sound our ears and body can enjoy. Hey, God Bless All!
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
Heavy duty!
Very satisfied with this cables to my front speakers.
I use them for my LRC(12awg) speakers and Monoprice for surround and atmos speakers(14awg). They are much heavier than Monoprice and looks nicer too.
Monoprice cables uses some kind of pvc plastic and this InstallGear uses a kind of rubber! I like it. I think its more wellmade.
I also use Monoprice bananas and had some problems to get it work with InstallGear 12awg cable. I had to cut of some rubber to have a slimmer cable to fit into it. If you wanna use this cable with bananas, i strongly recommend you to try Mediabridge bananas witch holds up to 8awg cables!
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
No problems or issues.
So I'm an electrical engineer. People saying this isn't 12 gauge: you're wrong. It fits exactly through the 12 gauge hole on my autostrippers. You know it's a good fit when it nearly cuts a couple of strands as it's stripping unless it's straight on. I didn't have problem splitting the + and - wires either. Small cut with an xacto knife to get it started and it pulls apart fine. I had to assemble 16 banana plugs with solder and didn't have any issues. The insulation held up really well and didn't melt down.
I have no means of verifying the "purity" of the copper but realistically the difference between 99% copper and 99.9999999% is negligible anyways. Speakers aren't anywhere near as sensitive as high speed analog signals.
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
Excellent copper wire
This copper speaker wire is excellent. The plastic is soft and pliable making it easy to use. Cheaper wire often has a harder plastic coating that I don't care for as much. The copper wire is composed of many very fine strands, which also helps its flexibility. It has a real quality feel to it. As far as it working, it works great. I am not an audiophile, but the speakers I've used it on (two different sets) sound great. It is more expensive, but you get what you pay for. As a chemist, I'm not sure about the 99.9 oxygen-free copper claim. Most copper metal is oxygen-free. High purity is important for better conduction.
★★★★★
Size: 30ft | Verified Purchase
High quality speaker wire at a fair price
I purchased the speaker wire to connect two bookshelf speakers to a Pioneer SX-255R receiver. I wanted the pure copper wire and the low resistance provided by 12 gauge. The speaker wire is exactly as described by the seller. It’s a high quality product at a fair price. Note that the 12 gauge thickness made it somewhat difficult to connect the wire to the speaker wire inputs on the receiver.
Question & Answer
Question :
What is the outer diameter of the insulation?
Answer :
When separated, a single strand is .165 in. in diameter and together it measures .165 in. by .345 in.
Question :
Where is it made?
Answer :
Probably china. The wire feels very high quality. It’s soft and flexible, and I got fuller richer sound out my home theater after I rewired with this.
Question :
So are we getting 50ft of each =100ft or 100ft of each =200ft?
Answer :
It's One 100ft spool of speaker wire.
Question :
Is this good for outdoor use?
Answer :
Very good for outside use
Question :
would this work well with a 4mm banana clip?
Answer :
It should work fine. The wire is composed of many fine strands so if it was too thick (unlikely) it would be easy to trim it down to fit into the banana clip.
Question :
Is this good for a car stereo?
Answer :
I use it in-home and it’s excellent. I would say car stereo would be fine! It’s very thick and insulated.
Question :
I'm using a 100 watt amp but powering speaker that are about 30 feet away. do i need this 12 gauge or is 14 gauge ok?
Answer :
12 or 14 gauge is fine for that length speaker run. I used this 12 gauge for a short run but it is sort of overkill and the wires are a bit large for insertion at my receiver's speaker outputs.
Question :
true spec??...so, what are the specs?..ie Resistance for example..
Answer :
I think "true spec" is a marketing concept. Outside of this brand(I believe they allow NVX to brand it as well) I've not seen that.
Question :
Is this rated for use in-wall?
Answer :
Technically no! In wall wire has a plenum putter jacket for protection. This does not. Can it work, yes! Is it code? No.
Question :
This wire doesn't appear to be to code cl2 or cl3 so you can't run it inside walls or to upper and lower levels. am i correct?
Answer :
No, not correct. This is a speaker wire, not a power cable. There is no code for speaker wires.
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