# 150w using 16 guage speaker wire enough?



## BigRain (Sep 30, 2002)

I'm planning on running 150w from my amp in the trunk to the front door components. The speaker spec is
Continuous power handling: 75w RMS/channel
Recommended Amp Power 40w-150w RMS/channel

Will 16 gauge speaker wire be enough?


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## dkl (Jul 18, 2004)

should be fine for 75w.


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## BigRain (Sep 30, 2002)

do we consider what the speaker's RMS or the AMP's output in selecting these gauge?

Also, is 16ga enough for my rear if I'm putting a bridged 500w to a pair of stealthbox which only ask for 150 rms in mono mode. :angel:


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## dkl (Jul 18, 2004)

16ga is fine for your speaker's RMS rating (75w) since you won't want to go above that anyway...so it's pointless to look at your amp's rating if your speakers will blow if it's driven past 75w. For the sub, I would go with either 12ga or 10ga, but I'm not sure how safe it is to use a 500w amp to drive a 150w speaker as you can blow out that speaker pretty easily if not careful (make sure you turn the gain way down). If you're dead set on using that amp, I would look for a sub that can at least handle something in the 400w-500w range.


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## BigRain (Sep 30, 2002)

Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure I turn the gains to the minimal to start with at least. I did some research and found that you'll never blow a speaker w/ more power, only if you're not careful w/ the tuning. At least that's what I learnt.  

And, too late anyways, the amp's already bought. hahaha


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## cjwheeling (Jan 26, 2006)

*Don't forget quality RCA's*

I just finished upgrading my 325Cic last weekend. I have a buddy who does home installs for a living, and he got all over me for getting ready to use some cheap Kragen RCAs. I went and bought some Rockford Fosgate RCAs at Best Buy and we did a "blind taste test". There was no doubt that the higher quality RCAs made a huge difference. That was for my door speakers, not my sub, but if you're going to spend the time to do it, do it right the first time and pony up the extra $20-$40. I ended up running 3 sets of RCAs; 1 for the subs (2 12" MTX) one for the interior speakers, and one for another amp I plan to run in the future.

If you're just running them to the sub, you might want to run a spare set of RCAs for future upgrades since you're going to have to tear apart the interior anyway. You'll kick yourself later if you have to do it twice.

good luck! 
cjwheeling


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## BigRain (Sep 30, 2002)

Hey, thanks for the advice.
That's what I plan to do, do everything right the first time thru.

I won't be using RCA's since my amp doesn't have RCA output. I've bought 100' of Stinger 16ga wires which I think will be enough for the components. As for my subs, I think I'll just go get a few feet of 12ga's since it's at the back of the trunk and doesn't require much length anyways.

My setup is:
JL ZR525 csi component speakers
JL Stealthbox (I don't need a very heavy bass)
Zapco 1000.4 amp.

I've a Canadian spec non-HK car. Meaning that I only have 6 speakers to start with anyways. So, all of the new parts will take place where the original ones are with the rear deck woofer taken out to create opening for the stealthbox.

I'll try to pull 2 pairs of 16ga for the front components each side if space allow. Otherwise, I'll use the original wire for the tweeter only.


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## cjwheeling (Jan 26, 2006)

*Wow, 1000 watts just for the components?*

Your eardrums will burst at high volume. Should sound pretty tight!


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