I'm moving things around a bit and am moving a speaker further
from my stereo. Unfortunately two far. My speakers have wire
attached with has exposed wire ends. How do I go about extend the
length of wire? In particular,
Is there a special speaker wire?
How do I connect the new wire to the old?
Do I solder it or use some special connectors?
Do I need to extend both speakers to keep the cable length the same?



The reply-to email address is .
This is an address I ignore.
To reply via email, remove 2002 and change yahoo to
interaccess,

**
Thaddeus L. Olczyk, PhD

There is a difference between
*thinking* you know something,
and *knowing* you know something.

Unless you have extremely sharp hearing/tonal abilities:
-- You can likely reach up to 50' with the same size wire you
already have.
-- Any wire will work, as long as it's not too small. For 50'
or so, you can buy standard "speaker" wire which is stranded wire
in a zip insulation similar to a lamp cord but usually clear in
color. It's convenient to use and easy to work with.
-- About the only thing you should really keep track of is the
"polarity" of the connection. If your amp output is marked with
a + (or whatever), that + of each channel should go to the same
location screw/connector of each speaker, so when you disassemble
the wires, keep track of which one went to which connector on the
speaker and on the amp.
-- No, the wire lengths don't have to be kept the same.
-- You could solder it, if you know how to solder and can do it
correctly. Not necessary though; tightly twisting the wires
together and a cap or black tape will be plenty. There is
nothing dangerous about standard speaker voltages/currents, as
long as the insulation stays in good shape.

So, if you're running a standard setup;
-- Get some wire similar to the wire that's already there,
assuming it's standard speaker wiring. You can normally use a
larger gauge, but not a smaller gauge.
-- Add to or replace the wire that's already there. If you add
to it, just strip the insulation off an inch or so, twist the two
bare ends together by hand tightly, cut off the excess, and wrap
it up in electrical tape. Or dolder if you wish, and wrap it in
electrical tape. Make the splices behind the unit or someplace
where they won't be visible to keep it looking neat.

Some might give you a lot of info on impedances, resistances,
padding, etc etc etc but I would seriously doubt you care about
any of those issues from the phrasing of your question.

Add some details like the peak or RMS power of your amp, distance
from the amp to your speakers, what kind of connections are
provided at the amp and at the speakers (screw terminal, springs,
rca phono jacks, etc.) , the wire that's already there, etc., and
someone might give you more definitive answers.


"TLOlczyk" wrote in message
...
| I'm moving things around a bit and am moving a speaker further
| from my stereo. Unfortunately two far. My speakers have wire
| attached with has exposed wire ends. How do I go about extend
the
| length of wire? In particular,
| Is there a special speaker wire?
| How do I connect the new wire to the old?
| Do I solder it or use some special connectors?
| Do I need to extend both speakers to keep the cable length the
same?
|
|
|
| The reply-to email address is .
| This is an address I ignore.
| To reply via email, remove 2002 and change yahoo to
| interaccess,
|
| **
| Thaddeus L. Olczyk, PhD
|
| There is a difference between
| *thinking* you know something,
| and *knowing* you know something.

I found Heavy Duty Lamp Cord to be a frugal and serviceable speaker wire.

It's run off a big spool by the foot,

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchR @ & MID=9876

It's not as fancy as dedicated audio and you need to worry about
polarity and all but it works well, and comes in black.

Then again there is Radio Shack,

http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=C TLG%5F011%5F010%5F006%5F000&Page=1



Connections from my point of view would be to cut both ends offset (so
the two connections wont lay side by side when you're done), some
solder, and some shrink tube, which you need to slide on before you do
the soldering.



TBerk

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 04:27:02 GMT, T wrote:



I found Heavy Duty Lamp Cord to be a frugal and serviceable speaker wire.

It's run off a big spool by the foot,

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchR @ & MID=9876

It's not as fancy as dedicated audio and you need to worry about
polarity and all but it works well, and comes in black.

Actually, the polarity is identifed, either one conductor is ribbed,
or hex-shaped.
John

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 13:38:38 -0500, TLOlczyk
wrote:

I'm moving things around a bit and am moving a speaker further
from my stereo. Unfortunately two far. My speakers have wire
attached with has exposed wire ends. How do I go about extend the
length of wire? In particular,
Is there a special speaker wire?

There is but any power-adequate wire will work fine.
"soeaker wire is generally pricier.

How do I connect the new wire to the old?
Do I solder it or use sou
Solder is fine but wire nuts
will work too. You'rte just doing a form of electric current.

Do I need to extend both speakers to keep the cable length the same?

Not unless the difference is so great that the electrical resistance
is significantly different --- may be a 100 yards ??



The reply-to email address is .
This is an address I ignore.
To reply via email, remove 2002 and change yahoo to
interaccess,

**
Thaddeus L. Olczyk, PhD

There is a difference between
*thinking* you know something,
and *knowing* you know something.

"TLOlczyk" wrote in message
...
I'm moving things around a bit and am moving a speaker further
from my stereo. Unfortunately two far. My speakers have wire
attached with has exposed wire ends. How do I go about extend the
length of wire? In particular,
Is there a special speaker wire?
How do I connect the new wire to the old?
Do I solder it or use some special connectors?
Do I need to extend both speakers to keep the cable length the same?


There is no reason to keep the cable length the same. If your speakers have
binding posts, etc. you may just want to go with new wi

I'd recommend 14 gauge speaker wire unless you're running in-wall
applications--I'd use 12 gauge for that. If flexibility is important I use
low-voltage wire (e.g., for outdoor lighting applications):
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=100-847

This is stiffer but the insulation is color-coded:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=100-780

In-wall wire needs to meet local code and you'll need something like this:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=100-740

Parts Express is a good source for cables/wires/adapters or DIY stuff. They
also carry the overpriced brands but there is no reason to squander your
money on those products. You can also patronize home improvement and/or
discount department stores.

FWIW, I don't recommend speaker wire with clear insulation. I've found the
PVC
jacket breaks down over time, leaves a sticky residue on the wire surface
and may gum up your binding posts.

A good reference site: http://home.earthlink.net/~rogerr7/wire.htm

....
| I'd recommend 14 gauge speaker wire unless you're running
in-wall
| applications--I'd use 12 gauge for that. If flexibility is
important I use
| low-voltage wire (e.g., for outdoor lighting applications):
|
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=100-847
....

I took a look at that site: Looks interesting and I'm always on
the lookout for reliable sources.
No cookies, no probes, no popups, nothing irritating except a few
colors g.
If this one checks out as well as my quick-check seems to show,
I'll probably add them to my list.

Anyone have payment/delivery experience with them?

Thanks for the tip

Pop

"Pop" wrote in message
...
...
| I'd recommend 14 gauge speaker wire unless you're running
in-wall
| applications--I'd use 12 gauge for that. If flexibility is
important I use
| low-voltage wire (e.g., for outdoor lighting applications):
|
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=100-847
...

I took a look at that site: Looks interesting and I'm always on
the lookout for reliable sources.
No cookies, no probes, no popups, nothing irritating except a few
colors g.
If this one checks out as well as my quick-check seems to show,
I'll probably add them to my list.

Anyone have payment/delivery experience with them?

Thanks for the tip

Pop

I've purchased various items from Parts Express over the last couple of
years with good results. Delivery times were always quick.