Buying Speaker Wire At Home Depot? Here's What You Should Know First

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Although it might not be the first thing you think of when you think of Home Depot, you can actually swing by there to pick up new speaker wires for your home hi-fi set-up. Among Home Depot's array of other unexpected items is a wide variety of copper speaker cables, with many different gauges and lengths to choose from. With each option having a pretty high user rating, and with there being so much diversity to choose from, you might find it tricky knowing exactly where to start and which kind of cable to pick up for your needs.

Even besides anything to do with Home Depot's offerings, there are also a few things you need to know about your own set-up and needs before you head over there to pick up your new wires. Firstly, you need to know what your budget is. The longer the wire is, the more money you'll need to be prepared to spend on it. Similarly, the heavier the cable gauge, the more expensive it'll be. You'll need to be ready to buy a drum of a certain length, generally known as a foot package, and cut down the amount you want for each speaker at home.

Secondly, you also need to have an idea of which gauge wire you need for your setup. Home Depot specifically sells 12, 14, 16, and 18-gauge speaker wire. The lower the gauge, the thicker the wire is. In turn, the thicker the gauge, the less resistance it has, allowing your amplifier to push power through it more efficiently. This means heavier gauges can generally sound a little better, depending on how your hi-fi is set up.

The gauge of your speaker wire can be instrumental in shaping the sound of your speaker set-up. Thinner wires — so, those with a higher gauge — can struggle to maintain clarity when carrying audio signals between your hi-fi system and your speakers. This is especially noticeable when the signal is being carried over a long distance. For instance, if you put your speakers on the other side of the room from your amplifier, then using a higher-gauge wire could make your audio quality suffer. This happens because electrical resistance increases over longer wires, which in turn causes signal loss. A thicker cable helps to combat that resistance. 

Generally speaking, you should aim for a lower gauge wire to preserve audio quality as much as possible. This is especially the case if you plan on placing your speakers far away from your amplifier, such as in a wired surround sound set-up. So, when shopping at Home Depot, try to look out for 12, 14, or 16-gauge wire that also fits your other needs when it comes to length and materials.

You should also keep a few details about the rest of your setup in mind while selecting your gauge. You should ideally know your amplifier's power output and your speakers' resistance levels. If your hi-fi has a high wattage, then you should match that with a lower-gauge cable to preserve sound quality. Similarly, if your speakers have a lower-resistance level, then they will also benefit from a lower-gauge wire. If your amplifier has a lower wattage, your speakers have a higher-resistance level, or some combination of the two, then you can get away with using a higher-gauge wire.

There are also a couple of things you should keep in mind about your chosen speaker wire's build. That includes both the material it's made out of on the inside, alongside the way it's insulated, and coated on the outside. When it comes to the cable's contents, Home Depot sells speaker wires made from both regular copper and oxygen-free copper. This isn't hugely important for selecting your cables, but some research suggests that oxygen-free copper provides better conductivity, so you could also get better audio quality from wire made with this material.

What is important to consider when shopping for cables, though, is where you're going to use them. This is important because that decides the type of insulation your cables should have. Specifically, if you're planning on using your speaker wires outside or installing them in-wall, then you need to make sure you pick wires that can withstand the elements. In that case, cables with high-grade polyvinyl chloride (PVC) jackets are worth looking out for, as they protect the copper from ultraviolet rays from the sun and moisture in the environment. Picking the right kind of cable in this regard is crucial, as some types are only designed for indoor use.

Home Depot lists the safety standards the cables meet on their online product pages, as well as whether they're flame-retardant, and what materials they're made with. This means it's massively worth taking some time to research their listings before you buy, or head in-store to check out what's available. You can also use these pages to order your chosen wires online, or to check if they're going to be in stock when you arrive in-store.