How can 16 AWG wire be used for subwoofers?

Question

So a lot of people use 14 AWG or 16 AWG to wire subwoofers to the amps, even I do. A subwoofer requires a lot of power though, much more than a 16 or 14 AWG wire should be able to carry. For example each one of my subs requires 350w RMS. That far exceeds the abilities of 16 AWG cable yet we use it. How is this wire even functional at all under these conditions? Why is it used vs. something like 8 AWG? Thanks!

Answer 1

14 gauge is rated for 15 amps, watts is amps squared times ohms (I2R), so 14 gauge is good for 900 watts into a 4 ohm load, 450 watts into 2 ohms, 225 into 1 ohm, Etc.

Answer 2

First of all, your sub doesn't "require" 350 watts RMS; it can handle up to 350 watts RMS. For normal music listening, the power level through the speaker wire will be much lower.



16-gauge is undersized for a 350-watt subwoofer, but not catastrophically so. Assuming it's a 4-ohm sub, then at rated power there will be just under 10 amps of current running through it. If this level of current was sustained, then it might endanger the wire, but most music doesn't include bass passages that are sustained for a wire-melting amount of time. Also, for the short wire lengths that are typcially found between a car amplifier and subwoofer, the undersized wire isn't likely to create enough voltage drop that it will significantly affect the sound output.

Answer 3

The only reason people use smaller gauge wire than they should, is because it's cheaper. & 8 gauge wire to the subs usually isn't necessary. You also have to remember that appropriate wire size is also a function of length:http://74.50.20.110/wiringdiagram.jpg



To make the "functionality" of under-sized wire make sense, consider a light bulb. All the filament is is a wire that you run electrical current through until it heats up enough to start glowing. If you were to run too much current through the filament, it would eventually blow. But right up until it was overwhelmed by too much power for too long, it would still seem perfectly functional. This analogy is obviously A LOT more extreme than running a few extra watts through 16 gauge wire, but it's a similar principle.



So if you use a wire gauge much smaller than recommended, it will increase the impedance seen by the amplifier, and possibly be dangerous.

Answer 4

Yes 16 G is under gauged for big stereos.. even your set up is under wired technically to run a 350w amp at 12 volts which is a car not running you would need a 10 gauge wire. now running at over 14 volts you would still need a 10 Ga wire... Not everyone wants a billion watt stereo that just rattles the license plate...

Answer 5

16 Awg Vs 14 Awg

Answer 6

Nah idk