Speaker wire functions similarly to any other electrical connection and its performance is primarily related to its resistance.
A perfect speaker wire would have no resistance. You can reduce the resistance of your speaker wire by using a heavier gauge or shortening
the length of the cable. Or in other words, the longer the run, the heavier the gauge you should use. Another factor that can contribute
to increased resistance of your speaker wire would be oxidization, which will happen to copper and many other metals over a period of time.
Oxygen free copper will not oxidize readily, giving it more consistent performance. Other things to consider when choosing a speaker wire are
the strand count and type of jacket (though neither of these will effect performance). High strand wires use a greater number of smaller stranded
wires making the wire more flexible and easier to install. Traditional speaker wire (also refered to as zip cord) is perfectly suitable for
surface applications when asthetics are of no concern, however, wire installed in the wall should ideally have insulated conductors with an
overall outer jacket, so it will remain intact during installation. So next time you go shopping for speaker wire you'll know what parameters
to look for other than the name on the label.