CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

NateTTU · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 297

For those of you with a full ht I imagine there was a time where you had to pick out the speaker wiring. I know it is important to get good cabling but it is also important to me not to spend too much. I'm currently building some diy speakers and am in need of some great but inexpensive speaker wire. I have heard both monoprice and bluejeans names as some of the best deals and products in the business and from the prices I can see why. However, I'm looking at getting some 12 gauge wire from the amp to the speakers and some RCA analog audio cables to hook up my pre/pro and amp together. I hear both are suppose to be good but right now the prices of the selected items are drastically different.

BlueJeans:
12 Gauge (100 ft): $57
Surround Audio Cables for 5.1 (6 ft): $110

Monoprice:
12 Gauge (100 ft): $25
RCA Audio Cables packaged in as a pair (6 ft): $3.25 x 3 = $9.75

So as you can easily see the prices are sometimes ridiculously dramatic. So if anyone can tell me BlueJeans is as much as 10x better I would appreciate it.

Nate
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WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

I'm still using cable I bought at Home Depot. While the original 12AWG cable did turn green inside the sleeve, the 14AWG stuff I got has not had any problem. I cannot remember exactly, but I bought 250' rolls of the stuff for about $45-50. Copper has since gone up dramatically.

Bucketfoot · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 698 Location: Centennial, CO

I can't speak for Bluejeans, but I have never had any issues with the many things I've bought from Monoprice.

On the speaker wire, 12 Gauge is 12 Gauge. On the audio cables you could be getting better quality connectors, but even if they were I can't see the Bluejeans being 10x better than Monoprice. I highly doubt you could notice a difference.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

How about running solid core (electrical ) cable through the walls. This is copper of good quality, but solid cores are typically not used in speakers because they are not flexible--but how often do you need to flex them?

BTW, I've bought cables from Monoprice a couple of times and have no complaints--but this could be blissful ignorance. Smile

**kal** · Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 2:21 pm Post subject:

I use the Home Depot CL2 (in-wall) rated 12 gauge stuff as well. I have over 500' of it installed in my walls for the 5 channels of HT (50 foot runs, bi-wired).

Kal

Zebu Fellenz · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2567

I think that any cable will work fine if it is the right gauge. Right now I'm using 12 gauge extension cords to wire in my surround channels.

Erik

Zebu Fellenz · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2567

I think that any cable will work fine if it is the right gauge. Right now I'm using 12 gauge extension cords to wire in my surround channels.

Erik

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:40 am Post subject:

Dejavu.

9kids · Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 138 Location: Manassas, VA

I used the Home Depot stuff too. 12 gauge, rated for in-wall use, 500' spool was about $205. I just got a new 7.1 system so I had a lot of wire to run. I read up on using 12 gauge extension cords, they work very well, but they cost more per foot than the spool of 12 gauge speaker wire. If you don't need but about 100 feet then I think there are some 100 foot 12 gauge extension cords that might work well. Google Home Depot extension cord speaker wire. Some audio Magazine did a speaker wire shoot out and through in some Home Depot extension cord as a goof and it ended up winning, I think, or it rated very high.

ecrabb

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5321

Really, I got some monoprice component cables and I thought they were of excellent quality when comparing them to a monster cable I have. I have never seen blue jeans cable though.

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:55 am Post subject:

I think Monoprice has two different RCA-type cables - basic and premium. I got some longer cables for a living room system and they were pretty lame (although very decent considering how stupid cheap they were). They also have their 'premium' cables that are probably more along the lines of the PureAV cables I mentioned.

Monster stuff... Most of it is all show and no go. Nice packaging, nice looking, but cut it open and it's no better than the cheapest junk you can find.

SC