Verified answer

jsc_ny is full of crap.

Wire is wire.

The speaker impedance has some effect. The wire and speaker form 2 series resistors. Some of the power is dropped in the wire. The higher the speaker impedance, the less a given wire affects this. Other than that, the smaller the wire, the higher the resistance of the wire, so the less power there is for the speaker. Since a straight piece of wire is pretty non-inductive (at least at any frequency even a bat is likely to hear), it has no effect on the frequency response (or even the transient response), just on the amount of power reaching the speaker. The longer the wire, the more of an effect it'll have. #16 has a resistance of about 4 ohms/1,000 feet, so for a 10 foot length, the resistance is 0.04 ohms, about 1% of the speaker impedance. Losing 1% of the power in the wire is hardly going to make a measurable difference. (And it's not something the human ear can detect, regardless of what your friends claim, unless all your friends come from another planet.) So if you want to need hearing aids by the time you're 30, get the largest wire you can. Otherwise, it the volume is too low, just turn the control up a tiny bit.

Speaker Wire Vs Electrical Wire

The differences between your wires is the size of the insulation around the wire. If you look at power wire the rubber/plastic coating is much thinner than around speaker wire. The only reason for this is because the speaker wires need the extra thick coating to keep the wires from melting from all the power and since the wires carry alternating electric current they need to be separated more to keep them from creating the "electromagnetic effect."

As for using your speaker wire as power wire, i wouldn't recommend it but yes you can do it. 8 gauge wire is pretty small and i would consider buy a length of 6 or 4 to run to your amp location then a distribution block to go from the 6 or 4 gauge wire down to 8 gauge and into the amp. Keeping your wiring bigger is always a good idea to protect your gear and it allows for you to expand your system if you ever desire to.

hope this helps.

YES and NO. Yes they are the same #8 gauge but No they are not the same application. The speaker wires are intended to carry high audio signal or RMS voltage meaning the current flowing trough the speaker wires are in RMS wave which is in layman's term alternating - changes its direction every certain period. What am I saying and why am I saying this? Well the speaker wire can not be used for your Power source or to power up your amplifier simply because speaker wires have soft insulation and Power lines has DC direct current voltage that tends to produce more heat and thus can compromise your car. The speaker wire's insulation can melt and you can start a fire and goodbye to your car! Speaker wires are for speakers and Power wires are for Power source regardless of gauge. The gauge of the wire determines the current carrying capacity of the wires the larger the diameter (which is the smaller gauge#) the larger current it can carry. Can you use the speaker wire to power up your AMP ? why not but it is highly unsafe and it is not professional and it is not right. Put it this way : It is better to use your power wires for your speaker rather than use your speaker wires to power your AMP.

8 gauge wire is 8 gauge wire. what matters is what it is hooked to.

Before you come on here go google it.

they are the same