16/2 Speaker Wire, in-Wall CL3 & Direct Burial, Black, 100ft - 16AWG, 2 Conductors, Stranded Oxygen-Free Copper, UL Listed - V-1210-1

Best option I've found for high quality CL3 wire. Easy to handle, write on, ft markings for quick reference of cable used. The jacket is thick enough to protect but not too thick to impede on flexibility. The jacket thickness naturally requires larger holes or conduit for multiple wires in a single run.

Client's existing system precluded 70V sound (which is what our firm recommends for longer runs and/or multiple speakers). So, we went to 10 gauge speaker wires to ensure nice sound despite long runs. Overall happy to have gone with this wire. What was great: 1. Manufacturer service and communication have been beyond outstanding. My spools had lost some retaining rods in transit that held them together, and the manufacturer sent me a replacement set very promptly and free of charge. They've even texted me to confirm address. Six stars for this! 2. The cable is very soft despite its weight. Nice enough to use as a regular speaker cable, outside direct burial applications. Rolls off the spool very easily, and isn't stubborn even in a cold weather. 3. The cable is actually a twisted pair (at a fairly low rate of twist, but still). A welcome feature in terms of RF noise rejection vs. many other audio cables that aren't twisted. 4. It takes solder very readily. Some cables have oil or contamination on the copper strands from the manufacturing process, which complicates the soldering - not an issue here. 5. The outer jacket is slick and doesn't stick to each other (as some soft plastics tend to). Pulling it was a breeze even in tight spaces, with a bit of pulling grease. 6. The cable has both used and remaining markers, and they are in a very easy to read white ink. Room for improvement: 1. According to the manufacturer, the outer jacket isn't UV-stable. I had to run it in raceways or wrapped in electrical tape, outside of ground and shaded areas (on a plus side, I painted those to match the surrounding). I feel, all outdoor and burial cable outer jackets ought to be UV-stable, and the product listing and packaging should make it very clear if they're not. 2. The cable structure is just a soft and thin outer jacket, some tissue paper to reduce internal friction, and two conductors (red and black). I wish the outside jacket were tougher - such as it was, I felt it was just a bit too fragile to drag multiple times across gravel etc., without worrying about the jacket getting pierced or worn through. I also wish besides the tougher outer jacket providing the mechanical protection, there should be a separate inner jacket providing the protection against water ingress, with gel between the two jackets. Clients pay a lot for labor, and I would like to be confident they will enjoy the results for many years. If the cable starts taking on water, its sonic performance will degrade, and I don't want to be worrying about that. 3. I was very careful handling these (quite heavy) 500ft spools, but couldn't avoid cracking the 0.5" plywood spool side. I feel, the weight of the 500ft spools warrants a heavier built spool. UPDATE 2021 Jul 29: Upgraded from 4 to 5 stars. With cable connected and in use, performance has been excellent. Client is very happy.

This is excellent wire for speakers. Very good quality and flexibility and doesn’t look like lamp cord!

Excellent price at time of purchase ($60). High quality. Would buy again.

Price is high but honestly just about any good quality wire is anymore. The thickness and material were everything i was expecting based on the description whereas some others i have purchased lacked.

Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to work with a number of 14/4 and 16/4 in-wall speaker wire offerings. Some are much better than others for a variety of reasons such as actual wire gauge, strand count, and jacket quality & fit. About a month ago, I found myself searching for superior speaker wire to sleeve and utilize in my home theater setup. I was drawn to Next's seeming commitment to quality and that their cable seems to have been constructed to an actual design standard rather than having been sourced from the cheapest off-the-shelf Chinese supplier. For this, I was willing to pay the small premium. When the cable arrived, I was not disappointed. It came packaged in a high quality box with a super smooth payout system. The cable itself has a very high quality jacket that fits very tightly around the individual conductors, which makes for beautifully sleeved cables that feel tight and well-built. The Next cable is also true to gauge and very flexible due to the high strand count (105). The cable also features a lining inside the jacket that aids in stripping longer runs of the jacket if need be. For those looking to actually run this cable within walls, the print legend on this cable is second to none, particularly for distinguishing runs to different rooms. I highly recommend this speaker wire to anyone needing a high quality, well built OFC speaker cable. I will definitely be ordering more when my existing stock runs out. Next's 16-4 wire is equally excellent.

Low resistance copper works well. The outer shielding is fine, the inner shielding is fine. I buried it with no conduit. The whole "oxygen free" copper stuff is nonsense of course. It's 14awg copper wire. No different from any other brand of 14awg copper wire. The insulators might be different brand to brand and product to product. Easy to empirically verify with a function generator (or just an arduino) and an oscilloscope. Connect the two through the wire and run a DC-20KHz sweep. The wires aren't twisted, so it wouldn't be suitable for high frequency data transmission but for simple audio it's perfect. Some people pay more for name brand wire, as the old adage holds true today as when it was first coined. "A fool and his money are soon parted."

I purchased this speaker cables to run under carpet. Now I purchased it before 2 years ago and now I have updated my speaker system to include two Klipsch R-625FA tower speakers and since they are Dolby Atoms I had to run more speaker wire under the carpet. The existing speaker wire that was there two years ago was in great shape. Now as for sound quality you get highs and lows as well as great Dolby Atmos. I also have 3D sound and it is great. Get this speaker wire for all uses.