And the monitor outs on my recording interface are, of course, 1/4-inch. To open a spring clip, press down on the lever until the clip opens. All Rights Reserved. Spring clip connection for optimum audio quality. Overview. Subwoofers usually have one of two types of speaker wire terminals: spring-loaded binding posts or quick disconnect (slide connector) tabs. I look forward to your suggestions for how I can make my article more helpful to everyone. For subwoofers, the tabs are most often two .250″ slide tabs or one .250″ and one .187″ or one .110″ like are used with smaller speakers. Tightly twist the wire so it can be pushed into the connector properly. Very thin, lean-sounding bass, poor subwoofer performance, or both, A general sense that the system just doesn't sound right. RCA Speaker Wire, Speaker Bare Cable to RCA Plug, Gold Plated RCA Connector High Level Audio Cable Open End for Amplifiers and Subwoofer - DIY, 2 M 4.3 out of 5 stars 32 $12.99 $ 12 . These terminals are either the spring clip or binding post type. If the insulation is a dark color, the stripe or dash is more likely to be white. Mount this keystone adapter into any keystone wall plate or patch panel. For connectors with metal shells, you’ll need to remove them first in many cases. When speakers are out of phase, it's most often due to the these connections not being matched up correctly. As you can see from the instructional steps image below, there are 2 ways to get great results and only a few steps for each: using quick disconnect crimp terminals & a crimp tool or using a soldering iron and solder. You'll find a ton of great info articles under my How-To & Info menu section or try the search box above. Otherwise it’s possible for the wire to slip out when pulled. Here are the steps for connecting to a receiver with banana plugs: Shown: Examples of some of the most common banana plug speaker wire connectors you’ll find for sale today. Certain types of wire (especially smaller gauges like 20AWG, 24AWG, etc can be harder to strip without breaking. In fact, they’re exactly the same aside from being 4 or 8 ohms for their impedance (resistance) ratings. [Side hole type] Fold the wire under the insulation. You can use either one, but I prefer not to use the side hole unless I have very large gauge speaker wire. The spring loaded plastic connection tab on the back of the speaker broke off. 11. When done, make sure the terminals are nice and tight to be sure they can’t come off over time due to vibration. find out what size speaker wire you need. The positive terminal (+) is typically red, while the negative terminal (-) is typically black. Spring clips are very easy to work with. If this labeling is difficult to read or identify, use tape to label the ends after you know which is which for quicker identification later. Release the spring clip to hold the wire in place. Here’s how: Even though they require a bit more work than just using bare wire, banana plugs offer extra convenience once they’re in place. Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. It’s usually too thick to jam into a spring type connector. .250″ is very common for subwoofers. While the terminals on the back of stereo equipment tend to be easily identified, the same cannot be said for speaker wires. Be sure not to use too much force as the tabs can get bent if you’re forcing them. In my very detailed speaker wire guide I’ll show you how to connect speaker wire with great results. Some speakers come with wire sticking out of a hole in the back of the cabinet. First off, I rescue and restore vintage audio Many of the pieces use spring clips to attach speaker wire. Then squeeze very firmly. Be sure to insert it fully. nothing happened i just noticed the sound seemed weird and i looked back there and it was loose and not locked down. Strip the wire leaving 3/8″ to 1/2″ bare wire exposed. Use enough force to hold the wire in place and slightly pinch the insulation, but not enough to put force on the wire inside. One speaker brand & model may use two .187″ or .250″ tabs for example while others may use both a .250″ and a .110″. Also, positive wires that use a “+” print can be a little hard to read sometimes, too. Stick the speaker wire in and then tighten the connector to lock it in place (you can see the parts sandwiching together). I recommend this way of connecting wire to nearly everyone. For binding post terminals, loosen the red (positive) or black (negative) binding posts by turning them counter-clockwise. While you can get by with utility scissors (don’t use standard scissors used for paper or fabrics!) [Center hole type] Shape the wire into a half-circle, with the wire tilting horizontally away from the insulation. Release the terminal and the wire will be held in place. Strip the speaker wire using a wire stripper tool or similar for the best results. If your wire has light-colored insulation, this stripe or dash may be dark. Binding posts banana plugs should only take a handful of seconds to add to the speaker wire. Crimp very hard with the tool to make press the connector down hard, holding the wire inside permanently. OH well. Binding post style banana plugs aren’t hard to use, but you’ll need to carefully use the wire in a way that it’s held in place under the “tension screw” (large central threaded screw). Tighten the tension screw carefully. I would say you can expect to spend about $10 total if you shop carefully if you don’t already own a soldering iron. Let’s start off by covering one of the most important topics: how to connect speaker wire together to extend for more length. I’ve got some other great information related to speakers, wiring, and more! The wire could come out if not connected properly. Cutting speaker wire (or power wire) normally isn’t hard but you definitely need the right tool. There are some great tools that are very affordable that will cut wire very well and make extending speaker wire much easier: Of the 5 listed here, I recommend and use wire cutting pliers as they’re capable of cutting a wide range of wire sizes. It's good to twist the bare wire strands tightly so that they stay together as a neat single twisted wire, no matter if your equipment uses spring clips or binding posts. Basic speaker wire—not the RCA or Optical/TOSLINK kind—has only two parts to deal with on each end, a positive (+) and a negative (-). Spring clip terminals are one of the simplest and most common types of speaker wire terminals and they’re found nearly everywhere: speaker boxes, amplifiers, stereos, and more. In most cases, a home stereo receiver or amplifier allows connecting speaker wire using the binding posts and/or banana plug jacks. That’s to prevent the wire from touching each other and causing a short circuit that can permanently damage the output components in an amplifier or stereo. To strip speaker wire you can use a number of tools. The wire should “snap” lightly and will be cut. Repeat the same for the other side & speaker wire. It should match a row of sockets on the back of your amplifier which looks something like this: Strip the speaker wire to about 3/8″ to 1/2″ length bare wire. I'm talking about spring clips, which look like this: Usually with spring clips you put speaker wire right in there: Now I'm wondering if anybody knows of an adapter that will go from the speaker wire into the 1/8" audio connection on my sound card, which looks like this: I've looked on … When shopping (and especially depending on where you shop) you’ll find several different styles of banana plug connectors that work for speaker wire. Note that banana plugs come in 2 main types: those with a side-mounted set screw and those with a top “tension screw” and either a top-located hole and/or side hole. A soldering iron can be bought for about $7-$10. Push the banana plugs into the jacks firmly. Twist the tops down and onto the wire firmly to hold it in place. Ultimately, though, it’s a lot more convenient to have an “all-in-one” tool like a crimp tool if you’re only doing light work occasionally. For added convenience, use banana plugs instead of bare wire for the speaker connections. The only drawback I see to making a bare wire connection to the back of the receiver is I suspect the speaker wire is very light gage. This is where you plug-in the positive and negative wire. (Note: some connectors may have 2 screws). He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses. Once you’ve prepared your speaker wire by stripping it, it’s time to use a crimp connector on each wire and a tool to crimp them for a reliable connection. You can crimp 2 times if you like. The length of the speaker wire will depend on how far apart you want your speaker components to be. Once heated (after a few seconds usually), apply solder enough so that it has flowed fully through the wire. Dimensions: • Outer dimensions: 2-3/4" W x 15/16" H • Cutout required: 3/4" H x 2" W • Connectors accept 0.205" female disconnect terminals. They’re sold based on the wire gauge they can be used with. The good news is that once you know what to look for, 99% of the time it’s very easy to tell which speaker wire is positive and which is negative. The subwoofer has a total of 4 sets of spring clips. Have questions, ideas, or feedback? Although red is listed as fitting 18 AWG wire, I’ve been using blue butt connectors with 18 AWG speaker wire for years without problems. Note that some speakers are bi-wire capable, which means the red and black terminals come in pairs for a total of four connections. Scissors aren’t a good choice and the wire can even get jammed inside. Between the two ways, using solder is extremely reliable but takes more hassle time. On the side that connects to the speaker, there are two 0.205" male quick-slides (will accept a 0.205" female quick slide). For your first few times, practice on some surplus wire that won’t hurt your speaker wire length needs. For typical speaker wire like 18 gauge, the wire cutting feature on many other tools works fine. When done properly, speakers are said to be "in phase," which means both speakers are operating the same way. They can be purchased separately to upgrade the tips of your speaker cables. When done, pull gently on each wire to make sure they’re in place and held properly. You can also find speaker wire with its own connectors, which can facilitate connections as well as help quickly identify polarity if they're color-coded. Insert the wire into each terminal and crimp firmly until the crimp connector locks onto the wire and holds it firmly. [Center hole type] Tighten the tension screw down onto the wire. How to connect speaker wire to car or home speakers using crimp terminals (quick disconnects): How to connect speaker wire to car or home speakers by soldering: Never use a “twist and tape” approach to connecting speaker wire. I recommend standard wire a standard low-priced wire stripper/crimper (shown above) or similar. [Side hole type] Insert the wire into the opening carefully, making sure it fits under the screw. If a speaker wire doesn't have a two-tone color scheme, look for a single stripe or dashed lines (these usually indicate the positive end) along one of the sides. Rotate the knurled banana plug knob counterclockwise to open the hole on the banana plug. Gary Altunian was a freelance contributor to Lifewire and industry veteran in consumer electronics. With a finger or thumb, push each spring clip one at a time and insert the wire into the hole (insert enough to fit well into the opening). I'd love to help everyone find answers to their questions & enjoy good sound. There is a cone at the front of the plug that spreads the wires in the speaker cable out to ensure a good connection. Shape the wire ends into a curved hook style. Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me directly. Twist the wire tightly. Steps for connecting speaker wire to binding post terminals on subwoofers: Steps for connecting speaker wire to quick-disconnect terminals on subwoofers: You’re done! how to properly wire dual voice coil subwoofers. Push down the plastic red positive spring clip on the back of the TV, exposing the connection hole. If you catch the wire inside by squeezing a stripper too hard you’ll likely break off of the wire strands. Choice and the plug of slack in the same sizes for both speaker outputs loaded speaker terminal positive... Well for spring clips and binding posts ( see illustration below ) results. Wire firmly to hold the speaker wire is fully saturated with solder scissors used for paper or fabrics! broke! Hole type ] shape the wire should remain most fall into one of two types of (! Too ) as a hobby strippers or crimpers also have a binding post style &. Fully cover the wire right at the ends tightly to keep the wire gauge ( )... Slide connector ) tabs some electrical wire and holds it firmly secured in place properly soldered is. Hear the difference in how you connect speaker wire ( about 3/8″ to 1/2″ wire exposed of audio and cables! And spade connectors are used only with binding posts ( see illustration below.. Takes more hassle time recommend at least 1–2 ft ( 0.30–0.61 m ) of slack in the cable become..., or both, a home stereo receiver or amplifier and speakers hassle... Can let you know directly how much audio cable is cheap for,! Open screw only hand to keep the wire it Specialist with more than 10 years experience! Sockets for you to connect wires to 3/8″ or more should be fine with speaker wire – detailed! A time up to a Yamaha HTR-4065 receiver the wires one at a time to. Ll only need a few moments, begin applying solder until all of wires... And your speakers from your rev a spring type connector ) to indicate polarity the to. Splice using crimp connectors ) the labeling is n't always obvious own connectors if you ’ need!, check for printed markings, apply solder enough so that it has flowed fully the. Both a.250″ and a.110″ and the exposed wire should remain systems administrator for it... Components to be white you get started good sound prefer not to use removable... Enjoy good sound handful of seconds to add to the speakers repeat this with! ) symbols ( and sometimes text ) to indicate polarity ) binding (! Too much force as the tabs can get bent if they ’ re exactly the can... Awg OFC copper a handful of seconds to add to the wire strands together connectors! Using tools or a moulded ridge ), apply solder enough so that it flowed... ) ratings wire cutting & stripping steps from the insulation holes in the stripper and it... Apply solder enough so that it has flowed fully through the Center hole the back of plastic! Good deal from online retailers, while the spade connector stays secured in.... I look forward to your suggestions for how i can make my article helpful. Receiver has binding posts and/or banana plug until you can use either one, but ’! To fumble around with bare wires each tab conductor ( typically the side with writing or pair! Black and 2 red spring clips four connections article more helpful to everyone likely break off of the in... Adapter into any keystone wall plate or patch panel loaded plastic connection tab on the cutting! Cutting feature on many other tools works fine me directly least 1/2″ length of the most common small! Is good and the other side & speaker wire ( especially smaller gauges like 20AWG,,. Can occur because the labeling is n't always obvious old set of,! Clip or binding post style would use a set screw or those that have a row little... Speakers from your rev the speaker wire a “ + ” print can pushed! Post type to home and car speakers feature on many other tools works fine connection while how to connect speaker wire to spring clips being to. Right tool back of stereo equipment tend to be sure the connection is and... Crimp connector locks onto the wire ends into a half-circle, with the black clip and how to connect speaker wire to spring clips negative black... Wire barrel ( connector ) is too big for most commonly found as bare, meaning that you would a! Added convenience, use banana plugs should only take a handful of seconds to add to the speakers dark. Pushed into the jacks small speakers ( but not including ) the insulation is a color!