Example, a mono block that pushes 1000 watts rms needs a 4 gauge power cable, but the speaker cable that actually transfers power to the woofer is much smaller.
In: Engineering
Is this in a car? The gauge wire is determined by the number of amps of current. Cars use 12V electrical systems so P=I*V means the current in the power cable is 1000/12=83 amps which is a lot of current and requires a very thick wire to avoid getting super hot. For the speaker wire, use P=I^(2)*R, assuming 4ohm speakers, the current is √(1000/4) = 16 amps which is still a lot of current but a lot less than 83, so it can use a less thick wire. Also, that puts the voltage in the speaker wire at 63V, so that’s another way to look at why it can be thinner – it’s using higher voltage to carry less amps.
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