XLR input output & wire guage

[earth tones]

This is a pesky splitting hairs kind of question, perhaps. I'm wiring input and output XLR jacks to the pcb of an eq clone I'm building. I used 18 guage wires because I like how the cable runs can be formed into position due to the wire thickness. Is there any reason why 18 guage would be a bad choice compared to 22 guage, like increased resistance to the audio signal or anything like that? It's a short run of a few inches.

[jmann]

I am not an expert, but it seems like you'd have lower resistance with a heavier gauge wire, right? I'm gonna guess that over that short a distance it doesn't matter much.

Very curious for more informed answers, though.

[digitaldrummer]

it will work fine. heavier gauge wire costs more and is stiffer, so could be harder to route. the biggest reason for mass production though is cost. every extra cent of cost erodes profit....

[Scodiddly]

No worries at all with heavier wire. It's mostly avoided just because the pennies add up and the heavier gauge isn't necessary for those signal levels.

[Nick Sevilla]

In my sonic experiments I do prefer the 20ga or even 18ga like you.

For pro audio, or longer runs, 22ga is better, as it is less expensive.

There is zero difference for these purposes.