As you pursue setting up your home stereo system to achieve Hi-Fi audio quality, you will have to deal with lots of wires, pins, and cables. You may wonder how to wire speaker to amp at one point. I am here to show the ropes of how to get the job done.
Speaker wires
You will have to use wires to connect speakers to an amplifier. Usually, they are color-coded, which helps you avoid confusion.
Speaker wires have positive (+) and negative (-) polarities. Be attentive to the polarity side of the wire when connecting devices. When you swap the positive and negative lines, you can seriously affect system performance or notice a cracking sound from connected devices.
Double-check if the wire has a marker that indicates the polarity. Usually, the red wire is positive, and the black wire is negative. If both wires are black, the white stripe or dashed lines will testify to the positive end of the wire, while the unmarked will stand for the negative side. Clear or translucent speaker wires will have printed labels on them. You should look for either positive (+) or negative (-) symbols or text indicating polarity.
Here is a tip for you. If you find it confusing to define positive and negative polarities, use tape to label the ends once you know which is which to identify polarities quicker in the future.
Types of connectors
Before connecting wiring speakers to amplifiers, it makes sense to look at the connections on both devices. Then, considering the connectors type, you will define how you can connect speakers and amps. Note that there is a likelihood that you may have different types of connectors on the amplifier and the speaker.
There are two basic types of connectors: binding posts and spring clips.
Binding posts
When talking about the most popular connector type, this status will definitely go to binding posts. You will find them in all kinds of amps and speakers – from budget to more sophisticated devices.
For this type of connector, you can use bare wire or connect spades or banana plugs to the end of the speaker wire if there is an opening for that.
Spring clips
You will probably have spring clips to connect these devices if you have budget amplifiers and speakers. They may come in two pairs – blue and red to help you better identify polarity. This connector is pretty simple to operate. You just have to push the spring and insert wires into the hole. Both bare wire and pin connectors can be used with this type of connection.
Connecting speakers to amplifier
Before you proceed with the amplifier and speakers connecting procedure, make sure you unplug the amplifier to avoid electrocution. This is a simple yet important safety precaution that may save you or prevent the device from damage. Then, check whether you have the right cables and connectors at hand. Do not forget to find the positive and negative terminals of the wires.
When you are all set, connect the end of the speaker wire with that corresponding to the back of the amplifier. In case you use various connectors, verify whether you connect the correct polarity from the speaker to the amp. Mind that you’ve got to push the wire down before inserting them using a spring clip terminal. If you have a proprietary socket, just match the wire with the corresponding terminal.
As you’ve successfully connected the amp with the speakers, you can finally plug in your amplifier and enjoy the sound from your home stereo system. If you have a wireless speaker, you can connect them to a receiver.
