The Advantages of 4 Conductor Vs. 2 Conductor Speaker Wire

By Sean Russell

An ohm is the electrical resistance between two points of a conductor.
i speaker image by Byron Moore from Fotolia.com

Speaker wire delivers sound data from receiver to speakers. Not all speaker wire is created equal. Delivering the optimum amount of wattage to home audio components begins by deciding the correct speaker wire conductor size. Four-conductor speaker wire is applied differently than two-conductor wire.

Function

Designed for bi-amping, which means using two amplifiers for a single speaker, four-conductor speaker wire has a higher threshold for power compared to two-conductor speaker wire. Two-conductor speaker wire is effective when wiring a single speaker powered by a single amplifier.

Sound Quality

Four- and two-conductor speaker wire come in various gauge sizes. Larger gauged speaker wire handles more ohm load, which increases potential power. Four-conductor speaker wire does not create better sound than two-conductor speaker wire. Each is designed for a different purpose unrelated to sound quality.

Considerations

Four-conductor speaker wire works when connecting two speakers if need be. It is also useful when running power from a receiver to a volume control. When doubled up, four-conductor speaker wire has a higher effective gauge, which increases power delivery.

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