Speaker Cable

Work out the system first, a directly driven speaker or a 100V line, then size the conductor for the run and choose the sheath for where the cable goes.

Direct drive or 100V line?

A hi-fi or DJ amplifier drives low-impedance speakers directly, so the cable carries high current and its size matters on longer runs. A 100V line PA system sends a higher voltage and a lower current, with transformers at the speakers, so long runs to many ceiling or wall speakers can use a thinner cable. Mercury's 801.816UK, 801.817UK and 801.878UK are double insulated 100V line cables, and the CIE Group LSZH-SPKR-1.0MM names 100v line speaker runs.

Conductor size and material

Most Mercury cables state a current rating and many a cross-section, for example the economy 807.060UK at 0.41mm² and 2.5A, the heavy duty 801.696UK at 2.5mm² and 25A, and the 802.764UK power/speaker cable at 30A. Belden sizes much of its cable in AWG, with pairs such as 14, 16 and 18 AWG and 10 AWG in the 6T00UP. Many Mercury cables mix copper and copper clad aluminium strands, while the 805.850UK uses pure oxygen-free copper.

Sheath and fire rating

Choose a low smoke zero halogen (LSZH) sheath where smoke and fumes would put people at risk, such as escape routes and public buildings. Mercury's purple 807.100UK and 807.101UK, the CIE Group cables and the Securi-Flex SPK-PRO LSZH cables are examples, and many Belden cables state a CPR Euroclass such as Eca or Dca, as does the Securi-Flex SFX/SPK-PRO-4C-LSZH-PNK-200 (Eca). Belden's 6200UE and 6300UE have Flamarrest jackets, and the Securi-Flex SFX/SPK-PRO-2C-PE-BLK-200 has a polyethylene sheath designed for outdoor use.

Brands we stock in Speaker Cable

AV:Link, Belden, CIE Group, Mercury, Securi-Flex and SFX Cables.

Belden supplies the most, followed by Mercury.

Related categories

Speaker cable is part of our cable range. Pair it with speakers, ceiling speakers and mixer amplifiers, find terminated leads in speaker leads, and see the wider audio visual collection.