I want to run 30 feet of speaker cable from my stereo to my patio...stereo is on exterior of wall...I will drill through masonry with bit, run wire through foundation and into the ground....

Question is:
Do I need direct burial cable (speaker)
Is it enough to use type CL-3, or does it have to say direct burial?
How hard is it to use PVC as a diyer?

I need 4 conductor wire, as this is a stereo pair.....

 

Given my druthers, I would run 1/2 inch pvc conduit with the appropriate boxes. It gives the flexibility to be able to run and change the wires in the future, and it's better protection.

It's really easy to use. Most of the hardware simply glues together, and the elbows and connectors are readily available.

If you have to dig a trench anyway, you can arrange things so that you don't have to do it again. (You might want to run a second empty conduit for future elecrical runs if there's not already power out there).

 

If I opt for no conduit...what type of wire is needed??? No electricity will be needed in this application.... or any future ones

 

Heres a link to one cable with direct burial 4 conductor speaker wire. It's expensive at $1.90 ft.

http://www.monstercable.com/custom_i...I.asp?pin=1247

 

Go to Home depot or the such and see if they have 14/3 with ground UF wire. That should be plenty good for speakers (sorry to all you audiophiles out there.....). UF wire is rated for direct burry. You can us the Red & black as your "hots" and the white and bare as your "ground".

You may not find 14/3.... I'm not sure how much the need is for that. I know they have 10/3 w/ground but that will be a few more dollars.

 

I'm with you on no conduit, it's just a pain. Unless you plan on doing alot of future digging in the area.

Here's a much cheaper solution that will last longer than you'll probably be at your current location.
Just get cheap lamp cord wire( 2 30' pieces). It's plenty of gauge to drive your speakers. I'm sure it's less than .25 a foot. Prob. closer to a dime.

fred

 

Hey lamp cord is more or less all I use for speaker wire. Get the good stuff (i.e. 16 gauge) and you've got some fairly good wire. And yes its about a dime/foot. To answer on of the first question the wire should say direct burry if you put it under ground. Now note if you use lamp cord or the such and bury it, it will eventually fall apart. It should take years (if not decades) but it will fall apart. Hopefully your stero has good output protection against shorts so it shuts down when this day comes

 

Stranded wire works much better for audio use compared to solid wire. But solid will work also.

 

Just an idea, how about low voltage garden lighting wire.
Coome sin up to 12 Guage IIRC, buriable too. Maybe splice
it to less costly indoor speaker wire..

 

I agree with Gary, but I wouldn't splice it outdoors. The splice will corrode within a year or so. If you must, wrap it in plastic and fill the area with silicone sealant.

It's always best to use at least 14-gauge for speaker wiring up to 50 feet, inside or out. Beyond that, go to 12 gauge. Stranded is better than solid because electrons travel on the outside of the wire. Stranded gives them more surface area on which to travel.

For the record, you only need three individual conductors to get stereo sound. If you use UF, use 14/2 wg. The black will be hot for one channel, the white will be hot for the other channel and the bare will be ground for both. Inside your stereo amp, both of the black terminals are connected to the same place.

The same holds true for inputs. You can use two-conductor-with-ground shielded microphone cable for a stereo input pair. The shield is common to both channels.

 

It depends on the amplifer whether or not you can use a common return for the speakers, but generally you can.

 

Absolutely right. Some of the Hafler, Mac and other high-end amps are dual mono (independent). They don't have common grounds. Chances are, though, that an amp that's used on his patio is not audiophile quality. I know mine isn't.

I don't think we'll find any of them at K-Mart ...