Audio Systems: wire and cable, speaker cables, speaker wire

Question
With regards to speaker cable, I noticed most of the ones you buy in the store are not only thicker, but are split between copper on one side and silver on the other side.  I recently tried out a speaker system that I bought from a store and the manufacturer supplied all the speaker cables.  I can describe the cables in this way.  They are much thinner then regular speaker wire.  The outside of the wires are a black plastic, and one side has a stripe on it that tells you it goes in the positive terminals.  Both of the wires are made of silver.  The manufacturer stripped the ends, but surprisingly the ends are not frayed, but are very solid and straight.  I'm not sure what gauge this wire is (maybe you know and could tell me), but it appears to be a lower gauge than wire you buy in the store.  Would this wire be fine to use or should I go out and purchase better wire.  Will I still get the same sound quality from either?  Also, why is most of the wire you buy in the store have copper on one side and silver on the other, but this prepackaged one that I mentioned has both silver on the ends?  Thanks very much.

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Followup To
Question -
I have a question related to speaker wire for a surround sound system.  Does more expensive wire always equate to better sound?  I mean, do you need to buy Monster Cable in order to achieve the best sound from your speakers?  The costs of some of these wires are really high.  I've heard that you really don't need to buy the most expensive speaker wire to get the best sound.  Most of the so called "good" speaker wire  is usually hyped up by major advertising, and this equates to premium prices.  If I look for speaker wire what would be a good gauge to get (20, 18, 16, 14...etc.)  The salesman at Best Buy told me you always want to get the heaviest and thickest wire, as this will give you the best results.  Is this true?  Yes, I do want the best sound but I am also on a budget, like so many other people are.  One other question I have that is related to this regards audio/video cables.  Do you really need to spend more to buy the 24k gold plated cables to really get better audio/video signals, or are just plain old RCA cables just as good?  The advertising on many of the product boxes say things like “provides optimum signal transfer” and “superior conductivity” because the cable itself is supposed to be double shielded or something like that.  Is this mainly a marketing ploy or is gold really better.  Thanks again for all your help.
Answer -
Dear Dave,

Good to hear from you again. No, you do not need exotic speaker cable. I recommned not less that 16AWG, but feel that 14AWG is better. Radio Shack offers 50' of its 14AWG flat wire for $20--one of the great steals in audio. Get that stuff and forget about your cables forever.

Gold plated RCA cables *do* offer a better contact than the regular kind. If you can afford them (again, go to Radio Shack--best prices, excellent quality), get them. But the key here is "contact", meaning the quality of the connection. Gold plating per se does not offer better sound, just a more reliable connection.

I use gold plated interconnects exclusively.

Kindest regards,

Kevin

Answer
Dear David,

Even 18AWG wire will work, but I suggest thicker wire like 16 or 14AWG because there is some evidence to suggest that thicker wire will carry higher and especially lower frequencies more efficiently. However, there's no evidence to suggest that the various brands of exotica do anything except separate you from your money more quickly.

Avoid wire with copper as one lead and aluminum as the other. It's not going to last. The "silver" at the ends of the manufacturer's wire is solder, which is why the ends don't unravel or fray.

I stand by my suggestion of 50' of Radio Shack 14AWG flat wire for $20. If you're going to replace the wire you have, don't fool around with the cheap stuff.

Kevin