Speaker wiring

SimonSays

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Please help folks, I've been a bit of a silly boy !

During living room redecoration, I took the opportunity to channel the rear speaker cables into the wall.
Trouble is I now can't tell whether the protruding wire ends are "black" or "red" and so don't know which way around to attach to the speaker terminals.
I put my amp in "5 channel stereo mode" and listened with the wires round both ways but couldn't hear any appreciable difference - should I have done ?
I thought I understood that it does matter which way round speakers are wired. Is this right ? and if so can anyone please tell me how to tell the ends apart / spot the sound difference ?
(short of ripping the cables out of my lovingly plastered wall !

Thanks,
Simon.
 
I think you are going to need a small current/voltage/resistance meter. Set the meter to read resistance then attach one probe to one of the wires at the speaker end and the other probe (via a long bit of spare wire) to one then the other wires at the amp end. You should get a short circuit on one of the wires (infinity resistance), that identifies one of the wires at both ends. Then label them as you see fit.
 
You could use the Phase tests available on AVIA setup disc which would help you tell if the speaker is connected properly.
 
Plus if you have the T2 box set. It has a THX set up tool which also allows you to see if your speakers are in phase. I would imagine its the same as Avia one.

Cheers,

Mog
 
Take a small battery and hold the speaker wires against the + & - terminals, if you got it right then your drive unit will push out, therefore the wire on the + battery terminal is the positive or if you got it wrong then they will pull inwards.
 
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.
Tried some Phase/Polarity tests from a setup disc last night (why didn't I think of that!), but it's a bit subjective. I'll try deliberately mis-wire my fronts tonight and see if I can hear the difference.

CopeyJ: Sorry to be thick but what's a drive unit and would a 9V battery be OK (and not damage my speakers!)

lespaton: "Then label them as you see fit." - I certainly will :blush:

Thanks again everyone,
Simon.
 
"what's a drive unit and would a 9V battery be OK "

I guess he means that you need to remove any speaker grill cover & then you'll see the centre of the cone move in or out depending on the polarity.

Don't know if 9v battery would be okay - if it was me I would start with the smallest battery I had such as an AAA - could be quite a difference between 1.5v & 9v.

AJP.
 

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