11
Making the Point 2 V2 Connections
As with any system, you should make changes to the connections only when the
power is turned off to avoid any chance of inadvertently causing a problem (such
as a short-circuit).
We recommend using heavy-gauge speaker wire, particularly when the installation
forces you to use longer wires than you might otherwise. A good rule of thumb is
to keep the “loop resistance” below 0.07 ohms.
There are many online wire gauge calculators and tables, such as
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
For example, using this table you can estimate that 50 feet of AWG 8 speaker wire
(and thus 100 feet of “loop” would have a loop resistance of about 0.063
Ω
, which
would be fine.
Alternatively, the loop resistance can be easily measured with an inexpensive volt-
ohm meter. Simply twist the two conductors at one end of the cable together, and
then measure the DC resistance across the two conductors at the other end of the
speaker wire. Doing this measures the total resistance going down one side and
back the other, hence the term “loop resistance.” If this figure is at or below 0.07
ohms, you are in good shape. When in doubt, more copper never hurts.
