What are the different types of speaker wire connectors?

There are three types of wire connectors that you can use with your speaker cables: banana plugs, spade connectors, and pin connectors. Each is easy to install, requiring only a few simple tools. In order to choose the right kind, you first have to take a look at the terminals available on your equipment.

What wire goes where on a speaker?

positive wire
The “positive wire” connects the amplifier’s positive output terminal to the speaker’s positive input terminal. The “negative wire,” conversely, connects the amplifier’s negative output terminal to the speaker’s negative input terminal.

Do you need special wire for speakers?

Thick wire (12 or 14 gauge) is recommended for long wire runs, high power applications, and low-impedance speakers (4 or 6 ohms). For relatively short runs (less than 50 feet) to 8 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine. It’s cost-effective and easy to work with.

Why does my speaker have 3 wires?

3 Answers. The size difference and rough casing on the center wire indicate that it’s probably shielded cable. This takes the form of a braided wrap on the two speaker wires, and prevents the speaker from receiving interference, for instance from 60Hz mains wiring or transformers in the iPod player device.

What are the two wires on a speaker?

Speaker wire is made of two separate cables that need to be connected to the positive and negative connectors on the amplifier and speaker. It doesn’t matter which way round you connect the wires – even if the wire is marked with a plus and minus.

What happens if you wire a speaker backwards?

What happens if speakers are wired backward? Wiring speakers backward, causes them to be out of phase. Phase cancellation results in certain frequencies being reduced in the output, and it is detrimental to the audio quality. It also negatively affects the stereo imaging of the speakers.

How do I connect my wired speakers to my phone?

Connect Wired Speakers Directly To phone The simple and straight forward for connecting your wired speakers to the phone is using AUX cable that is available in almost all the phones. It is a cable with 1/8″ or 3.5mm jack on both ends. You can get one at the cheapest price.

Is bare wire better than banana plugs?

Often bare speaker wire connections are unreliable. Wires tend to get pulled out or frizzy as time passes, which can affect your sound quality. Banana plugs also will help the back of your speakers and receiver look nicer and reduce the messy look of all the wires.

Does it matter what speaker wire you use?

There’s no scientific test data to back up the (misleading) idea that “special” or “audiophile” speaker wires or expensive cable make a noticeable difference versus affordable, good quality speaker wire of the correct gauge. 99.9% of the time it’s unsubstantiated claims and the difference really does not matter!