I agree!! Most of us refuse to believe that smaller gauge wire will handle what we think are these large loads we lovingly refer to as speakers. I prefer 12 or 14 gauge wire for just the reason you just stated. The wiring tends to corrode over time and turn green. Then it tends to lose some of its performance. The larger wire allows for a greater tolerance of the corrosion between re-stripping and re-attaching the wiring. 16 gauge wire is rated for 12 amps at 120 Volts which equates to more than 1400 watts. About the time I can put 1400 watts of power to a single speaker, its time to get a new hearing aid. Even at the reduced voltage coming out of an amp (about 40 volts) the wire is still good for almost 500 watts. 12 gauge wire is rated at 20 amps or 800 watts at 40 volts. More than enough to get the job done.