Will increasing speaker cable AWG make a difference in sound quality?

Whilst increasing the gauge of the wire invariably changes the sound in some way the original post talks about Improving Sound Quality...

Increasing speaker cable size (for example w/AQ the cable sizes move up in size from 15AWG to 10AWG) improve sound quality?

For me - improving sound quality encompases

1. eliminating tonal colourations - i.e getting to a natural sound
   • increasing the gauge will CHANGE the colouration, but will not reduce them
   • this is because the surface area of the insulation that comes into contact with the metal of the wire increases.
   • The Dielectric Constant of the insulation needs to be as low as possible in order to reduce coloration
2. faster dynamics - i.e. crisper percussion instruments
   • this can be achieve by improving the metal of the wire
     • e.g. OCC copper instead of OFC wire
   • OCC solid silver wire provides the fastest dynamics at present
3. improving clarity and details - and as a result, improving image
   • this can be achieved by using a better cable geometry, which reduces the noise actually generated within the cable between conductors
4. using solid wire as opposed to stranded wire - improves clarity and dynamics

NOTE: changing one of the above will improve sound quality a little, but the more things you change the better the sound quality

If you want to read more on this topic take a look at this thread

What I have found makes a good cable

And if you really want to get into the nitty gritty of DIY cables take a look at

Duelund conversion to diy helix geometry cabling

Regards - Steve

Good question.  Good responses.

If it's possible to get you hands on the cable of interest, give it a listen in your system.

Referring to your speciflc reference to AQ: As the AWG increases, there are other changes in material quality, geometry, dialetric, shielding, etc. The differences will be taking in more factors than AWG alone, so it won't be a linear 15AWG vs 10AWG comparison.  Also helps explain the price jump.

I have found that even 10 down to 8 will make a difference in my atc 19 standmounts.More in bass transients though.

Had Hollowgram II - 8awg.Which at times offered so much bass that it made my stand mounts sound like small floorstanders/felt like too much at times.After having these in my system for well over 15+ years...I wanted to compare some other like awg wires after reading diy projects reviewed.

Started DIY project with the usual wires.

Mogami 3104...8.5 awg.Great wire and on par with hollow grams with dynamics.I had to run these in hard to clean out some usual bloat and open high's and was rewarded nicely.Honest timber and Could live with them if really.

canare 4s11...11 awg.Felt like system needed more...good sounding though.Open and nice verve to it

Canare 4s12...10 awg.Felt very close to 4s11.Was bought by ghent cables redone.Could have used more hours.After 400-500hrs I felt i knew enough were they stood.

Furez 4/12...8.5 awg.Nice open sound to this wire/fep insulation?...glad i could get it when i did.These are up there with mogami 3104 in dynamics but touch more open.

My current wire is Zavfinos prema mrkII...9 awg.These are occ as well as hollow gram with center silver coated wire.These are the balance i believe my system needed.

I will add that i had a pair of Audio envy 9’s that were a great sounding wire.This cable bucked the awg theory that a bigger wire is more "effective in Quality"...so trying is the only way to know about the "sound quality" imho.In the end thought that is was the lowend that was the biggest trade off.

As a long time user of (small gauge) Audience speaker cables, I am skeptical. I have tried highly regarded, larger gauge cables (e.g. PAD, Inakustik, etc.), and have always returned to Audience.

I am not arguing that thinner gauge is better, but doubt that there would be any meaningful differences.

When you go up the AQ (and some other manufacturers) cable line you don’t only get bigger gauge wire. You get better quality materials and better connectors. You have to figure all this into equation. And connectors do make a difference.
All being equal, will you hear the difference between the same quality cable of 12 and 10 awg terminated with the same connectors? I guess it’s possible but depends on a lot of other factors.