As Bill said in post #2 , yes, it is possible, but it is unlikely. Amps have protection circuits in them and should shut down in the event of a short circuit. However, if there is a fire unrelated to the wire itself, the wire could give off toxic fumes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WhGEJThIr0
Do speaker wires carry electricity?
Speaker wires carry whatever level of current comes out of the amplifier. A typical 100-watt amplifier powering an 8-ohm speaker would produce about 4 amps at 30 volts, which most people would not feel.An electrician would not usually be needed to hook up speaker wires in this type of installation.
Can you leave speaker wires exposed?
Speaker wires have low voltage running through them and don’t cause any electric shock when we touch them. However, when the naked ends touch each other, they can cause damage to amplifiers.
Does Heat Affect speaker wire?
Registered. There’s no real risk of it affecting the performance, though heat might affect the color. The only (small) risk is that heated wire insulation might release some funky plastic fume you’d rather not breathe.
Is it safe to run speaker wire under carpet?
Most speaker wires are too thick for under-carpet installation, as they will be visible and felt under the rug. Special flat speaker wire made from insulated copper ribbons are one solution.
Is 12 AWG speaker wire overkill?
The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire.Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms). For relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine.
How long is too long for speaker wire?
Speaker wires can definitely be too long. Ideally, the maximum length a speaker wire should be run through is about 50 feet. Anything above 50 feet is considered too long. The length of the run of speaker wires from amplifiers to speakers affects the quality of the sound produced by a system.
Can an amp start a fire?
Prolonged continuous operation of an amplifier, speaker, or subwoofer in a distorted, clipped or over-powered manner can cause your audio system to overheat, possibly catching fire and resulting in serious damage to your components and/or vehicle. Amplifiers require up to 4 inches (10cm) open ventilation.
Can speaker wires touch insulation?
Fiberglass insulation, even if directly touching the speaker’s electrical terminals, is not a fire hazard.The increased pressure on the speaker may hurt the higher-frequency sounds and amplify the lower frequencies. It will also have an effect on the sound known as compression.
What happens if your speaker wire is too small?
The only problem with using too-thin wire is that if you put enough current through it that it melts, then your amp won’t be too happy. The amplifier will be quite happy if the wires melt and fuse, leaving an open circuit with no load.
How do I know if my speaker wires are bad?
Check the connection of the speaker wire for each speaker by gently tugging on the wire where it connects to the terminals on both the speaker and the receiver. If you have poorly connected the speaker wire, you will notice that the wire will come loose from the terminal easily.
Why is my speaker getting hot?
Is it normal for speakers to get hot? It’s completely normal for speakers to get hot. After the speakers convert the electrical signal from the amp into sound, the remaining power is dissipated into heat.Also, the speakers could be faulty, and you have to repair or replace it.
Can you hide speaker wire under carpet?
Because of its flat shape, you can easily put it under your carpet or any other flat surface. At the same time, you can also run it along walls or opt to run it in your car for audio. The speaker includes adhesive on the cable already.
How can I cover speaker wire in carpet?
Take advantage of light strips. If you have light strips in your room, you can route speaker cables next to them, rendering them completely unobtrusive. Route the cables under throw rugs or even the carpet in the room. Flat cables such as Sewell Ghost Wire are best for this.
Is thicker speaker wire better?
A lower-gauge number indicates a thicker wire, while a higher-gauge number indicates a thinner wire. Speaker wires with lower-gauge numbers are better at carrying an amplified audio signal.However, for longer speaker wire runs (to another room, for example), it is better to use a thicker, lower-gauge wire.
Can I mix 12 gauge and 14 gauge wire?
It’s perfectly safe to use it. Don’t worry about confusing future workers. If they want to add something to the circuit, they will have to go turn off the circuit breaker first, and then they will see they are working with a 15 amp circuit.
Should I use banana plugs for speakers?
There are many benefits of using banana plugs with your speaker wire. Not only do they help your installation to look cleaner, banana plugs also give you a permanent and high quality connection.Banana plugs also will help the back of your speakers and receiver look nicer and reduce the messy look of all the wires.
Why is speaker wire so thin?
This section of cable is almost always quite short and is housed inside the speaker cabinet. Because the running length is quite less, a thin cable is more than enough to achieve the low resistance requirement, for efficient power/energy transfer.
Should left and right speaker wires be same length?
Speaker cables do not need to be the same length. It may seem logical that using speaker wires of the same length would result in a more consistent electrical current, the truth is it doesn’t matter. Unless there is a substantial length difference of over 30 meters, the impact is unnoticeable.
Does the length of speaker wire affect sound?
Excessively long or other high-resistance wire can affect the sound by causing a drop in speaker volume and some other details. For best results, do not coil long lengths of speaker wire as this can create inductance that reduces some sound frequencies as a crossover does.
Why did my sub catch on fire?
Clipped, unclipped, dirty, clean, it doesn’t really matter how the power goes into the woofer, it is going to cause the voice coil to heat up. If the voice coil heats up enough, it will eventually reach the point of burning the resins that hold the coil windings together.
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