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#1
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
This is a very simple electrical question, but the answer for which I
cannot locate because I know nothing about such matters. I'd like to attach a speaker wire to a rca plug, but I am unsure what's hot/positve and what's ground/negative. 1) The stereo wire I bought (at Lowe's) is a pair of wires attached to each other: one wire postive, the other negative. Which is which? One wire has writing on it which I've been told distingues one wire from the other. Is that wire positive? 2) The rca plug has two places for the negative and postive wires to be attached. One is in the center of the plug where it can be pinched and soldered to the plug. And the other is a hole where the wire can be threaded thru. Which is positive and which is negative: the center pinch or the hole? Much thanks! John |
#2
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message m... This is a very simple electrical question, but the answer for which I cannot locate because I know nothing about such matters. I'd like to attach a speaker wire to a rca plug, but I am unsure what's hot/positve and what's ground/negative. 1) The stereo wire I bought (at Lowe's) is a pair of wires attached to each other: one wire postive, the other negative. Which is which? One wire has writing on it which I've been told distingues one wire from the other. Is that wire positive? 2) The rca plug has two places for the negative and postive wires to be attached. One is in the center of the plug where it can be pinched and soldered to the plug. And the other is a hole where the wire can be threaded thru. Which is positive and which is negative: the center pinch or the hole? Generally, the center pin is positive, and the outer shell of an RCA connector is negative. HOWEVER! You have not provided enough information to make any reliable suggestions regarding your question. What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? You can use a 1.5v battery on the speaker wires to establish which is positive and negative. OTOH, if both sides are wired the same, it is unlikely to make any discernable difference is the absolute polarity is wrong. |
#3
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message m... This is a very simple electrical question, but the answer for which I cannot locate because I know nothing about such matters. I'd like to attach a speaker wire to a rca plug, but I am unsure what's hot/positve and what's ground/negative. 1) The stereo wire I bought (at Lowe's) is a pair of wires attached to each other: one wire postive, the other negative. Which is which? One wire has writing on it which I've been told distingues one wire from the other. Is that wire positive? 2) The rca plug has two places for the negative and postive wires to be attached. One is in the center of the plug where it can be pinched and soldered to the plug. And the other is a hole where the wire can be threaded thru. Which is positive and which is negative: the center pinch or the hole? Generally, the center pin is positive, and the outer shell of an RCA connector is negative. HOWEVER! You have not provided enough information to make any reliable suggestions regarding your question. What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? You can use a 1.5v battery on the speaker wires to establish which is positive and negative. OTOH, if both sides are wired the same, it is unlikely to make any discernable difference is the absolute polarity is wrong. |
#4
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message m... This is a very simple electrical question, but the answer for which I cannot locate because I know nothing about such matters. I'd like to attach a speaker wire to a rca plug, but I am unsure what's hot/positve and what's ground/negative. 1) The stereo wire I bought (at Lowe's) is a pair of wires attached to each other: one wire postive, the other negative. Which is which? One wire has writing on it which I've been told distingues one wire from the other. Is that wire positive? 2) The rca plug has two places for the negative and postive wires to be attached. One is in the center of the plug where it can be pinched and soldered to the plug. And the other is a hole where the wire can be threaded thru. Which is positive and which is negative: the center pinch or the hole? Generally, the center pin is positive, and the outer shell of an RCA connector is negative. HOWEVER! You have not provided enough information to make any reliable suggestions regarding your question. What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? You can use a 1.5v battery on the speaker wires to establish which is positive and negative. OTOH, if both sides are wired the same, it is unlikely to make any discernable difference is the absolute polarity is wrong. |
#5
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message m... This is a very simple electrical question, but the answer for which I cannot locate because I know nothing about such matters. I'd like to attach a speaker wire to a rca plug, but I am unsure what's hot/positve and what's ground/negative. 1) The stereo wire I bought (at Lowe's) is a pair of wires attached to each other: one wire postive, the other negative. Which is which? One wire has writing on it which I've been told distingues one wire from the other. Is that wire positive? 2) The rca plug has two places for the negative and postive wires to be attached. One is in the center of the plug where it can be pinched and soldered to the plug. And the other is a hole where the wire can be threaded thru. Which is positive and which is negative: the center pinch or the hole? Generally, the center pin is positive, and the outer shell of an RCA connector is negative. HOWEVER! You have not provided enough information to make any reliable suggestions regarding your question. What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? You can use a 1.5v battery on the speaker wires to establish which is positive and negative. OTOH, if both sides are wired the same, it is unlikely to make any discernable difference is the absolute polarity is wrong. |
#6
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. Much thanks for the help! |
#7
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. Much thanks for the help! |
#8
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. Much thanks for the help! |
#9
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. Much thanks for the help! |
#10
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Jack3000 wrote:
In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Some cables are even composed of two absolutely identical wires. Nasty, eh? Most wire has some distinguishing marks, such as the writing that you've noticed. Or, there is a color difference. Or ,there is some texture or ribbing molded into the insulation. Or, one conductor is plated and looks silvery, while the other is unplated and is copper-colored. In some cases the difference between the wires in a cable is gross, such as shielded cable where one "wire" is the stranded shielding braided over the other wire, which is more conventional. The second dirty little secret is that in most cases it doesn't matter which wire you consider to be plus and which wire you consider to be minus, as long as you are consistent with your choices at both ends of the same piece of wire. Often with wire, nobody cares about your choices but you, but you should care very much about your choices. If your memory tends to fail you, cut up some pieces of say masking tape or bandage tape, use an indelible pent to write positive and negative on them, and apply them to both ends of the wire when you can easily see both ends of the wire at the same time. Again, be consistent! If you do this often, you can even get little books of adhesive markers at a home improvement or electrical supply store. They tend to fall off as they age, so real neatnicks hold them in place with clear shrinkable plastic tubing. One common exception to the "don't care" rule is the black, green, and white wiring that the AC wiring in your house is probably made up with, if you live in the US. Black is "hot" (call it plus), white is "cold" (call it minus), and green is safety ground. For reasons of safety, everybody who wires houses follows this standard for assigning function to the various colors of AC wiring. So, if one wire in a cable has printing on it, and the other doesn't have printing on it, then make up your own mind about which is positive and which is negative, but be consistent. If you need more help, I say (flipping coin) make the wire with writing on it be unhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh "positive". |
#11
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Jack3000 wrote:
In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Some cables are even composed of two absolutely identical wires. Nasty, eh? Most wire has some distinguishing marks, such as the writing that you've noticed. Or, there is a color difference. Or ,there is some texture or ribbing molded into the insulation. Or, one conductor is plated and looks silvery, while the other is unplated and is copper-colored. In some cases the difference between the wires in a cable is gross, such as shielded cable where one "wire" is the stranded shielding braided over the other wire, which is more conventional. The second dirty little secret is that in most cases it doesn't matter which wire you consider to be plus and which wire you consider to be minus, as long as you are consistent with your choices at both ends of the same piece of wire. Often with wire, nobody cares about your choices but you, but you should care very much about your choices. If your memory tends to fail you, cut up some pieces of say masking tape or bandage tape, use an indelible pent to write positive and negative on them, and apply them to both ends of the wire when you can easily see both ends of the wire at the same time. Again, be consistent! If you do this often, you can even get little books of adhesive markers at a home improvement or electrical supply store. They tend to fall off as they age, so real neatnicks hold them in place with clear shrinkable plastic tubing. One common exception to the "don't care" rule is the black, green, and white wiring that the AC wiring in your house is probably made up with, if you live in the US. Black is "hot" (call it plus), white is "cold" (call it minus), and green is safety ground. For reasons of safety, everybody who wires houses follows this standard for assigning function to the various colors of AC wiring. So, if one wire in a cable has printing on it, and the other doesn't have printing on it, then make up your own mind about which is positive and which is negative, but be consistent. If you need more help, I say (flipping coin) make the wire with writing on it be unhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh "positive". |
#12
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Jack3000 wrote:
In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Some cables are even composed of two absolutely identical wires. Nasty, eh? Most wire has some distinguishing marks, such as the writing that you've noticed. Or, there is a color difference. Or ,there is some texture or ribbing molded into the insulation. Or, one conductor is plated and looks silvery, while the other is unplated and is copper-colored. In some cases the difference between the wires in a cable is gross, such as shielded cable where one "wire" is the stranded shielding braided over the other wire, which is more conventional. The second dirty little secret is that in most cases it doesn't matter which wire you consider to be plus and which wire you consider to be minus, as long as you are consistent with your choices at both ends of the same piece of wire. Often with wire, nobody cares about your choices but you, but you should care very much about your choices. If your memory tends to fail you, cut up some pieces of say masking tape or bandage tape, use an indelible pent to write positive and negative on them, and apply them to both ends of the wire when you can easily see both ends of the wire at the same time. Again, be consistent! If you do this often, you can even get little books of adhesive markers at a home improvement or electrical supply store. They tend to fall off as they age, so real neatnicks hold them in place with clear shrinkable plastic tubing. One common exception to the "don't care" rule is the black, green, and white wiring that the AC wiring in your house is probably made up with, if you live in the US. Black is "hot" (call it plus), white is "cold" (call it minus), and green is safety ground. For reasons of safety, everybody who wires houses follows this standard for assigning function to the various colors of AC wiring. So, if one wire in a cable has printing on it, and the other doesn't have printing on it, then make up your own mind about which is positive and which is negative, but be consistent. If you need more help, I say (flipping coin) make the wire with writing on it be unhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh "positive". |
#13
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Jack3000 wrote:
In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Some cables are even composed of two absolutely identical wires. Nasty, eh? Most wire has some distinguishing marks, such as the writing that you've noticed. Or, there is a color difference. Or ,there is some texture or ribbing molded into the insulation. Or, one conductor is plated and looks silvery, while the other is unplated and is copper-colored. In some cases the difference between the wires in a cable is gross, such as shielded cable where one "wire" is the stranded shielding braided over the other wire, which is more conventional. The second dirty little secret is that in most cases it doesn't matter which wire you consider to be plus and which wire you consider to be minus, as long as you are consistent with your choices at both ends of the same piece of wire. Often with wire, nobody cares about your choices but you, but you should care very much about your choices. If your memory tends to fail you, cut up some pieces of say masking tape or bandage tape, use an indelible pent to write positive and negative on them, and apply them to both ends of the wire when you can easily see both ends of the wire at the same time. Again, be consistent! If you do this often, you can even get little books of adhesive markers at a home improvement or electrical supply store. They tend to fall off as they age, so real neatnicks hold them in place with clear shrinkable plastic tubing. One common exception to the "don't care" rule is the black, green, and white wiring that the AC wiring in your house is probably made up with, if you live in the US. Black is "hot" (call it plus), white is "cold" (call it minus), and green is safety ground. For reasons of safety, everybody who wires houses follows this standard for assigning function to the various colors of AC wiring. So, if one wire in a cable has printing on it, and the other doesn't have printing on it, then make up your own mind about which is positive and which is negative, but be consistent. If you need more help, I say (flipping coin) make the wire with writing on it be unhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh "positive". |
#14
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? "Jack3000" wrote ... I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. If this subwoofer has an integrated amplifier then it is most likely a LINE-level input. Does the subwoofer have a power/mains cord? If so, it has its own amp internally and the RCA connector should be assumed to be LINE-level (and *NOT* SPEAKER-level) input. DO NOT CONNECT SPEAKER WIRES TO ANY LINE-LEVEL INPUT. There are ways of doing this, but direct connection carries a very high risk of damaging your equipment. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). You have completely lost me at this point. How are you attaching a subwoofer to an existing speaker? Is this speaker also a subwoofer? If it is not, then it likely does NOT have the proper signal for the subwoofer. How did you come to the conclusion that you could connect your system like this? On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Yes, generally, red indicates "positive" and black indicates "negative". (Note that electricians who wire buildings have a different concept, so beware!) However, it would appear that polarity is the least of your problems at this point. Here are my concerns: 1) I question how you have arrived at your plan of how you are connecting your system. Are you trying to mix-n-match various pieces? Did someone who knows your equipment recommend this setup? 2) Your proposed source (tapping off the input of another speaker) seems questionable on two counts: a) It seems doubtful that it is the *correct* signal. It sounds like it is a surround speaker and likely has been stripped of any subwoofer low frequencies in the amplifier. b) It is not conventional to connect a speaker to the input of another speaker (called "daisy-chaining") for several reasons which I won't expand on here. You almost certainly need a direct connection between the source/amplifier and your subwoofer. Does the source have an output identified as dedicated to the subwoofer? 3) You don't know whether the input of your subwoofer is a line-level or a speaker-level input. If you feed speaker level into a line-level input, there is a very significant possibility of damaging the subwoofer. Please identify specifically what the source is (receiver, etc.) and describe all the outputs. Also identify what the subwoofer is, whether it has an integrated amplifer, and describe ALL the inputs. There is almost certainly a correct match between your source and your subwoofer, but I think you haven't found the right combination yet. Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. You didnt mention before (and I incorrectly assumed) that the RCA connector was on the *source*. But if it is on the *speaker* that would imply that it is a line- level input and you SHOULD NOT perform this experiment on it! |
#15
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? "Jack3000" wrote ... I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. If this subwoofer has an integrated amplifier then it is most likely a LINE-level input. Does the subwoofer have a power/mains cord? If so, it has its own amp internally and the RCA connector should be assumed to be LINE-level (and *NOT* SPEAKER-level) input. DO NOT CONNECT SPEAKER WIRES TO ANY LINE-LEVEL INPUT. There are ways of doing this, but direct connection carries a very high risk of damaging your equipment. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). You have completely lost me at this point. How are you attaching a subwoofer to an existing speaker? Is this speaker also a subwoofer? If it is not, then it likely does NOT have the proper signal for the subwoofer. How did you come to the conclusion that you could connect your system like this? On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Yes, generally, red indicates "positive" and black indicates "negative". (Note that electricians who wire buildings have a different concept, so beware!) However, it would appear that polarity is the least of your problems at this point. Here are my concerns: 1) I question how you have arrived at your plan of how you are connecting your system. Are you trying to mix-n-match various pieces? Did someone who knows your equipment recommend this setup? 2) Your proposed source (tapping off the input of another speaker) seems questionable on two counts: a) It seems doubtful that it is the *correct* signal. It sounds like it is a surround speaker and likely has been stripped of any subwoofer low frequencies in the amplifier. b) It is not conventional to connect a speaker to the input of another speaker (called "daisy-chaining") for several reasons which I won't expand on here. You almost certainly need a direct connection between the source/amplifier and your subwoofer. Does the source have an output identified as dedicated to the subwoofer? 3) You don't know whether the input of your subwoofer is a line-level or a speaker-level input. If you feed speaker level into a line-level input, there is a very significant possibility of damaging the subwoofer. Please identify specifically what the source is (receiver, etc.) and describe all the outputs. Also identify what the subwoofer is, whether it has an integrated amplifer, and describe ALL the inputs. There is almost certainly a correct match between your source and your subwoofer, but I think you haven't found the right combination yet. Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. You didnt mention before (and I incorrectly assumed) that the RCA connector was on the *source*. But if it is on the *speaker* that would imply that it is a line- level input and you SHOULD NOT perform this experiment on it! |
#16
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? "Jack3000" wrote ... I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. If this subwoofer has an integrated amplifier then it is most likely a LINE-level input. Does the subwoofer have a power/mains cord? If so, it has its own amp internally and the RCA connector should be assumed to be LINE-level (and *NOT* SPEAKER-level) input. DO NOT CONNECT SPEAKER WIRES TO ANY LINE-LEVEL INPUT. There are ways of doing this, but direct connection carries a very high risk of damaging your equipment. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). You have completely lost me at this point. How are you attaching a subwoofer to an existing speaker? Is this speaker also a subwoofer? If it is not, then it likely does NOT have the proper signal for the subwoofer. How did you come to the conclusion that you could connect your system like this? On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Yes, generally, red indicates "positive" and black indicates "negative". (Note that electricians who wire buildings have a different concept, so beware!) However, it would appear that polarity is the least of your problems at this point. Here are my concerns: 1) I question how you have arrived at your plan of how you are connecting your system. Are you trying to mix-n-match various pieces? Did someone who knows your equipment recommend this setup? 2) Your proposed source (tapping off the input of another speaker) seems questionable on two counts: a) It seems doubtful that it is the *correct* signal. It sounds like it is a surround speaker and likely has been stripped of any subwoofer low frequencies in the amplifier. b) It is not conventional to connect a speaker to the input of another speaker (called "daisy-chaining") for several reasons which I won't expand on here. You almost certainly need a direct connection between the source/amplifier and your subwoofer. Does the source have an output identified as dedicated to the subwoofer? 3) You don't know whether the input of your subwoofer is a line-level or a speaker-level input. If you feed speaker level into a line-level input, there is a very significant possibility of damaging the subwoofer. Please identify specifically what the source is (receiver, etc.) and describe all the outputs. Also identify what the subwoofer is, whether it has an integrated amplifer, and describe ALL the inputs. There is almost certainly a correct match between your source and your subwoofer, but I think you haven't found the right combination yet. Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. You didnt mention before (and I incorrectly assumed) that the RCA connector was on the *source*. But if it is on the *speaker* that would imply that it is a line- level input and you SHOULD NOT perform this experiment on it! |
#17
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
What equipment are you connecting to that uses an RCA
jack for speaker connections? Are you SURE that it is a speaker-level output and not line-level? "Jack3000" wrote ... I know nothing about audio equipment so excuse my ignorance. I am connecting the RCA plug into a subwoofer. If this subwoofer has an integrated amplifier then it is most likely a LINE-level input. Does the subwoofer have a power/mains cord? If so, it has its own amp internally and the RCA connector should be assumed to be LINE-level (and *NOT* SPEAKER-level) input. DO NOT CONNECT SPEAKER WIRES TO ANY LINE-LEVEL INPUT. There are ways of doing this, but direct connection carries a very high risk of damaging your equipment. The other end of the wire connects to a wall speaker (part of the surround sound system). You have completely lost me at this point. How are you attaching a subwoofer to an existing speaker? Is this speaker also a subwoofer? If it is not, then it likely does NOT have the proper signal for the subwoofer. How did you come to the conclusion that you could connect your system like this? On the speaker there are 2 connection levers for the wi black and red. I assume black is negative and red is postive/hot. In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? Yes, generally, red indicates "positive" and black indicates "negative". (Note that electricians who wire buildings have a different concept, so beware!) However, it would appear that polarity is the least of your problems at this point. Here are my concerns: 1) I question how you have arrived at your plan of how you are connecting your system. Are you trying to mix-n-match various pieces? Did someone who knows your equipment recommend this setup? 2) Your proposed source (tapping off the input of another speaker) seems questionable on two counts: a) It seems doubtful that it is the *correct* signal. It sounds like it is a surround speaker and likely has been stripped of any subwoofer low frequencies in the amplifier. b) It is not conventional to connect a speaker to the input of another speaker (called "daisy-chaining") for several reasons which I won't expand on here. You almost certainly need a direct connection between the source/amplifier and your subwoofer. Does the source have an output identified as dedicated to the subwoofer? 3) You don't know whether the input of your subwoofer is a line-level or a speaker-level input. If you feed speaker level into a line-level input, there is a very significant possibility of damaging the subwoofer. Please identify specifically what the source is (receiver, etc.) and describe all the outputs. Also identify what the subwoofer is, whether it has an integrated amplifer, and describe ALL the inputs. There is almost certainly a correct match between your source and your subwoofer, but I think you haven't found the right combination yet. Honestly, the 1.5V battery idea to check for which one is postive goes over my head. I wouldn't know what to do with the battery to check for the polarity. You didnt mention before (and I incorrectly assumed) that the RCA connector was on the *source*. But if it is on the *speaker* that would imply that it is a line- level input and you SHOULD NOT perform this experiment on it! |
#18
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. |
#19
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. |
#20
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. |
#21
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. |
#22
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. I agree. Totally. |
#23
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. I agree. Totally. |
#24
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. I agree. Totally. |
#25
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Jack3000 wrote: In general which wire is usually positive? The wire that has the writing on it? A dirty little secret about wire is the fact that it is rarely if ever marked with pluses and minuses. Everything that Mr. Krueger wrote is correct. However until "Jack3000" determines the nature of his input, and source, he should NOT attempt to make this connection in either polarity. I agree. Totally. |
#26
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that
connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. thanks! |
#27
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that
connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. thanks! |
#28
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that
connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. thanks! |
#29
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that
connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. thanks! |
#30
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message ...
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) |
#31
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message ...
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) |
#32
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message ...
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) |
#33
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Jack3000" wrote in message ...
The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) |
#34
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. |
#35
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. |
#36
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. |
#37
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
Richard Crowley wrote:
"Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. |
#38
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Richard Crowley wrote: "Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. It looks like "Jack3000" is indeed talking about a plastic "computer speaker" surround kit. I made the mistake of assuming he was talking about a "real" (12" or larger) home theatre type subwoofer. |
#39
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Richard Crowley wrote: "Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. It looks like "Jack3000" is indeed talking about a plastic "computer speaker" surround kit. I made the mistake of assuming he was talking about a "real" (12" or larger) home theatre type subwoofer. |
#40
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How to connect RCA Audio Plug to speaker wires?
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message ... Richard Crowley wrote: "Jack3000" wrote in message ... The 6.1 surround sound system I have is one from Creative Labs that connects to the computer. The subwoofer for this system has jacks in the back of it where all the the speakers connect from. There's no mismatch of equipment here, I simply followed the directions that came with the speakers. I only came across a problem when I needed to use different wire because the wire that came with the system wasn't long enough. Hopefully, with the advice that you all provided, I can successfully complete the installation of my rear speakers. Are you CERTAIN that the RCA jack input on your subwoofer is SPEAKER level and not LINE level? It is highly unusual for a subwoofer to have an RCA jack for speaker level input (unless is it is a little plastic "toy" computer speaker or something) Actually, RCA speaker jacks are not unusual with low-cost systems. My church has a low-powered integrated amp from Radio Shack that is built this way. It looks like "Jack3000" is indeed talking about a plastic "computer speaker" surround kit. I made the mistake of assuming he was talking about a "real" (12" or larger) home theatre type subwoofer. |
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