Installing speaker wire for an audio speaker system is a bit of a funny thing. Though it’s fairly easy to connect, it can still go wrong in many different ways.
Once you’ve settled on a home theater stereo system, connecting your speaker wire comes next. Here is a quick look into how to connect speaker wire step-by-step the way it was designed. Fortunately, it’s quite straightforward.
All you need is to understand the different speaker wire connection types that your system will have. They’re in the form of binding posts and/or spring clips.
Connecting Binding Posts
Binding posts can be found on all kinds of audio systems, everything from low-cost models to extremely high-end equipment.
Binding posts are the most common type that you will find on the back of your speaker system. They are red and black caps. This can accommodate both bare wire and banana plugs. Connecting your speaker wire to a binder post with bare wire is simple. Just unscrew the cap, place the wire inside the opening, then screw the cap down. Connection done.
Spring Clips
Spring clip connectors work slightly different.
On the back of your system, you will see red and black tabs with an opening above as you press the clip. The spring clip connector works well with both bare speaker wire and banana plugs. Once you press on the clip, you push the speaker wire into the opening then release the clip closing the opening.
Stripping Wires
When you use wire strippers on speaker wire, this gives you a clean connection. This way, you can take any length of speaker wire and cut it down to size. This is why bare wire is the easiest method for connection because you don’t need anything extra.
All you have to do is pull the positive and negative wires apart. They come apart easily. Don’t cut into the insulation on exposed bare wire further down the cable. Expose the wire at the end using a dedicated wire stripper, removing 1/2 inch of insulation from each wire. Twist each of the exposed wires together so that there are no loose strands on each wire. Insert the bare wire into the connectors. Done.
Final Check
When using spring clips, close the clip then pull on the wire to make sure that it is firmly held. For binding posts, place the wire in the opening, screw the cap down, and then pull the wire to make sure that it is firmly held. Always double-check your speakers before you call it finished.
The most important thing to remember connecting speaker wire is there should be no loose strands of copper and your connections should be firmly in place. Always place positive to positive and negative to negative, and have your right and left sides put to their appropriate counterparts.
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