Wire size for subwoofer

[BRiedman]

So I have 4 Orion HCCA 12.2 powered by an Orion HCCA 8000.1d

So I have 8 gauge and 14 gauge (sky high car audio) wire already, am able to buy more/different size if needed. I was planning on using the 14gauge wire because the terminals on the woofers are quite small. I was curious What would be the best wire gauge to use for them though?

 

[bmwking]

8ga.  or buy some reducers

[alex912005]

The thicker the better.

[k58.cross]

Are they wired at 1 ohm each woofer?

If so....

2kW for each woofer at 1 ohm per means about 44.7 Vrms on the woofer at your 2kW.

2 kW/44.7 Vrms = 44.7 Arms (thanks to 1 ohm operation).

American wire gauge chart says you can use 10 gauge in the 35-50 A range for lengths anywhere from 0-10ft.

[k58.cross]

Note - this is why speaker wire is so much thinner on average than power wire, because the speakers have a much higher voltage across them.

[MrSkippyJ]

I thought current was related to wire size and voltage was related to the insulation capabilities. 

 

--this might be semantics though...we might be saying the same thing.

[k58.cross]

Yeah that is correct. I should have worded it differently - Since you're setting the power to a specific level and running a high voltage (as compared to the input of the amp), you're drawing a smaller amount of current. That's what allows the smaller wire size.

[BassMunky]

good to know