Home > Consumer Reviews > METRA Ltd S12-50 12 Gauge Clear Speaker Wire

I bought two spools of this because the 12 gauge wire prevents my receiver from overloading and powering off. My receiver is about 35 feet away from the speakers. At that distance, if you turn the volume up too much the receiver overloads and it shuts off to protect itself. The 12 gauge wire carries more of the load away from the receiver, thereby saving it from overload. The sound quality isn't as good as speakers that use thinner wire at a closer distance, but this is for a noisy machine shop, so that is hardly noticeable.

High quality of wire for such a low cost. I needed longer wire for my home theater. Works great.

The "Raptor" wire is very attractive speaker wire. There is centimeter or so of clear plastic insulation that makes the wire look very thick and robust, which has some aesthetic value. The two strands are marked in silver and copper colors, so identifying stands is easy. The wire was easily installed in banana-plugs as well. I recommend this to anyone looking for decent speaker wire. It is just as good as Monster cables (which are smaller gauge if I recall) and is significantly cheaper. You can't go wrong here.

The average speaker wire sizes are 12, 14 and 16 gauge. 16 gauge is the cheapest and the thinnest, less efficient. 12 gauge is the best, the thickest and the priciest. But it is for a reason. The performance from your speakers will be incredibly different with each gauge and the 12 gauge will blow you away. I just purchased new equipment for my home theater system and 12 gauge is a must for any home theater system whether its a large area taking up a whole room or a small central viewing area. The 12 gauge provides, crisper, amazing audio and splits all the range in the audio perfectly.

I purchased this METRA to redo my speakers with my new system and it is of the highest quality. You don't need to worry about remembering which side of the wire is + or - for the wire has one side silver and one side gold. So simple. I already had 12 gauge with these speakers so the sound was still of the best quality. But then I used it to rewire the speakers to my receiver that handles my 5 disc cd player. My speakers provide amazing sound but it was not 12 gauge wire. It was either 14 or 16. I rewired them with this 12 gauge wire and it is as if I have new speakers. The sound and clarity is amazing. It is as if the performers are in my room now.

Bottom line - when setting up a home theater system or any audio system you don't scrimp and settle. 12 gauge really is the best. Don't settle. Allow yourself to have the best system possible. And the price here for 50 feet is great. You can find 12 gauge more expensive but it will not work any better than this. Some people get fooled and think the price dictates the quality. Don't be fooled. This METRA speaker wire is of the best quality and at a very reasonable price. If you don't have 12 gauge, splurge and you will be amazed by the difference.

Raptor makes good speaker wire. Good insulation, true 12 gauge size. They color the wires a red color and a silver color. This makes it easy to tell the difference between the "+" and "-" side of the wire. The wire is fairly flexible and provides for a good combination between thick, low resistance speaker wire and flexibility for installation.

Unfortunately the copper strands within the insulation are quite fragile. A slight mistake when using a gauged wire stripper can result in many strands being cut. I find the speaker wire from Monoprice to be less fragile in this respect, and cheaper as well.