Wimpy internal wiring

Take a look at the back of most high-end audio systems and you might notice the fat speaker cables connecting the amp to the speakers. Or, as in my case, the massive flat ribbons. Whatever means you employ to connect the amp to the speaker, it no doubt looks like overkill compared to what's inside the speakers you're driving. From the speaker binding posts to the internal crossover and then on to the driver, the type of wiring can be anything from the mundane to the exotic—but nearly always of smaller gauge than the cabling between the amp and loudspeaker. Take a look at this example. You might be wondering how this makes sense and why speaker manufacturers don't use thick speaker cabling internally. Of course, every speaker company has its own philosophies and design ideas, but for the most part, I would wager to suggest the reasons are more for practicality than anything else. One look at the tiny terminals found on speaker drivers will give you an idea of the challenges speaker designers face. Many of the higher end speaker companies I am familiar with go to some lengths as well as expense to use special cabling, like from Cardas, but even these solutions are almost always thinner gauge than what's feeding the speakers. Want more info? Check out this video Why are there thin wires inside speakers?