For example, a 12 AWG wire is bigger than an 18 AWG wire. ... If the run between receiver and speakers is on the shorter side, less than 50 feet or so, an 18 AWG or 16 AWG would work well.

It's measured in AWG (American Wire Gauge), and the lower the number, the thicker the wire. For shorter runs under 50 feet, 16-gauge wire works fine for bookshelf or smaller tower speakers.

I'm sick of trying to stuff 14 AWG stranded wire into my audio equipment. I'd like to have short runs (maybe a foot) of 18 AWG wire that connect directly to my receiver, speaker selector, etc that ...

The cost of 18-AWG wire in 250-lb quantities is $5.50/lb, including the current copper adder of $1.06/lb. Alpha-Core Inc. www.alphacore.com; (800) 836-5920 About the Author ...