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Writer's pictureRonak Shah

An Ultimate GUIDE on How to Buy Speaker Cables for any Home Theater?

Updated: Oct 16, 2021


Do you have a TV or Home Theater system or a Hi-Fi Audio system?


It literally Doesn't matter what you have in your Home, as you will always need cables to connect any 2 devices. And believe me, these cables play a very vital role in the world of Electronics and Home theater.


Most of us don’t even know what are types of cables available in the market. what type of cable we should use while connecting speakers. If we do not use good quality cables in Home Theater we usually lose 60% to 70% of the optimal experience

Think of Home theater as a Human body and cables as veins of the body. If the veins are not in good condition, if they are not treated properly then your body will damage soon and you will spend money in hospital. Same way if you do not use good quality cables you will face frequency loss, video loss, and less experience while watching anything.


There are 3 things you need to consider while buying any speaker cables

  1. Shape of cables

  2. Size of cables

  3. Gauge of cables


Shape of cables

The shape of the cable is the First and most important part while selecting cables for Home Theater. There are many shapes available in the market but, we will focus on the following shapes

1. Flat cables

2. Cylindrical cables

3. armored cable


Flat Cables

Flat cables are a compact design used for Home Theater. They are usually small in size and easy to use. These are more flexible than any other cables.

We would recommend you to use flay cables if your House is already ready and you don’t have any space for other cables, then you can use flat cables below carpet so it won’t take much of your space.


Cylindrical Cables


Cylindrical cables are mostly used while doing casing capping in the home. These cables are better than flat cables and you should consider buying these cables if are planning a dedicated Home Theater.


Armored Cables

Armored cables are much thicker cables mostly used for industrial applications. These cables are heavier also. Armored cables are mostly used in High-end cinema rooms where more power and more quality is required.


The thickness of the Cables

The thickness of the Cable is another important parameter you should consider while buying cables for home theater. It usually starts from 0.5 Sq mm

To 3 sq mm. now the question is which one you should buy?

Well, when you buy an HTIB (Home theater in a Box) the cable that comes in the box is 0.5 Sq mm. To be honest those cables are not that good for us. If you are planning a home theater then you should consider buying at least 1.5 sq mm cables that will deliver the best performance for your system


Here are the few cables that we recommended

16AWG 75mtr Cable - https://amzn.to/3ef9MeQ

14AWG 75mtr Cable - https://amzn.to/3uium3C

12AWG 30mtr Cable - https://amzn.to/3gUHDvp


Gauge of the Cables

A gauge of the cable is the third yet most important parameter while buying cables for any Home cinema. Gauge and thickness are almost similar to each other.


The gauge is measured with unit AWG (American Wire Gauge). A wire gauge is a measurement of a wire, either its diameter or cross-sectional area. The gauge of a wire determines how much current can flow through the wire. The gauge also determines the resistance of the wire and its weight per unit of length.

One thing you should remember The lower the gauge number the better

Consider the following gauge for different packages


Usually, the lower AWG supports high data transmission and low impedance speakers.


Here is a chart for your reference -


There are two types of cables

  • Oxygen-free copper cable

  • Lead-free copper cable

While choosing cables one thing you should always consider is an oxygen-free copper cable. People who don’t know anything usually use lead-free copper cable but, that’s not the right choice for any home theater.

The high-end speaker wire industry markets oxygen-free copper as having enhanced conductivity or other electrical properties that are supposedly advantageous to audio signal transmission.


Connector –

The last but not the least part of the speaker cable is the connectors. We usually try to connect a direct cable to any speaker or amplifier. But that’s not recommended in any case. There is a high chance that you will damage your equipments.


There are two types of connectors available in the market

  • Banana Plug

  • Spade plug

Banana Plug

Banana plugs are a neat and easy answer to the mess behind your receiver. So named for its resemblance to a favorite source of potassium and pratfalls, the banana plug is used to finish off the exposed ends of the speaker wire and make them easier to plug into your receiver or speakers.


Banana Plug is a good connector to use in any Home Theater but, the only issue is it does not create any tension that the point of connection. That’s the reason these are not highly recommended to any connection.


Here are a few plugs you should check

Banana Plugs Link - https://amzn.to/3xBjxvE


Spade Plug

Spade terminals are designed to mate, connect, or terminate a single wire to a screw or stud-type electrical connection. The shape of the spade connector resembles a fork, making it easy to connect or disconnect the spade terminal to the electrical connection.

The spade terminal design is one of the most popular electrical connectors, as it allows for easy attachment and removal from connections, such as connecting the wire to circuit protection products.

We definably recommend buying a spade plug over the banana plug.


Here are a few plugs you should check


I hope This information helped you to make the best decision while buying Speakers cables for the Home theater.


If you still need more guidance make sure you call us on 7720090882


Here is the full video on the speaker cables






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