Is all wire created equal?

[KickinAudio]

Not all Wire is the same. If you've ever looked at home/building wiring, then you've noticed that it's solid. Most automotive wiring has multiple strands. The reason is voltage. The Power company delivers high voltage alternating current power to your home or business. Sometimes as much as 440 volts. Alternating current will travel extremely long distances, especially in high voltage. Solid conductors are the perfect conduit for this high voltage power because voltage travels INSIDE the wire. Amperage travels on the OUTSIDE of the wire.

Ohm's law says that voltage x amperage = watts. So high voltage needs little amperage to create wattage.

The power in a our Car stereo's battery is 18 volts at best. Most of us have 14 volts coming from our alternators. This means that in order to create thousands of watts of power we need to draw large quantities of amperage. Since amperage travels on the outside of the wire, we need lots of surface area to move the amperage. This is where multiple stranded wire is beneficial.

Some companies skimp on their wire strand count. The gauge may be the same, but if the strand count is lower then the surface area is less. This means less efficient power transfer. Other companies make the wire look fatter by using excess insulation with less actual wire inside. Remember, there's nobody out there making sure that X Company is telling you the truth about the gauge of their wire.

Some companies use different types of copper in their wire. All copper is not created equal. If you've ever tried to buy copper buss bars, they'll tell you that there are different alloys of copper. They don't sell raw copper. They mix other metals with the copper to make it more stable, etc. So you need to keep in mind that the wire may not be the same alloy.

You'll see them claim to have OFC wire. That means oxygen free copper. The copper in OFC wire has never been exposed to oxygen before it was insulated. The reason that metals corrode and rust is because of oxygen. Oxygen is highly unstable and affects all kinds of things on earth, including people. (This is why doctors tell you to eat anti-oxidants.) Oxygen is the same reason your battery terminals get green or white coke on them. You'll notice that some wire is coated in solder or tin. This increases the resistance to corrosion from oxygen exposure.

To make it all even worse, there are even theories on the way that the wire is woven inside and how that affects the power transfer.

So, you may be asking, "Geez Buzz. What freaking wire am I supposed to get?" Get whatever you feel is the best deal. Everyone has different tastes. You may want a certain color, pattern, flexibility, etc. You may be on a budget. You may want the most expensive. It all up to you. The important part is that you make your decision based on some knowledge of what makes the different wires unique.

Good luck!


** Written by Buzz Thompson