Home Theater Cables
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Do not under-estimate the importance of good quality speaker
cables and speaker terminals. Not even the best speakers will sound their best with poor quality cables.Speaker cables represent a final important link between expensive home theater gear and the end output device.
Use of inappropriate wire thickness, poor quality speaker wire, or low quality speaker terminals, will surely impact negatively on speaker performance.
Speaker Connection Basics
Polarity and Gauge:
Each speaker connection requires a two-lead interconnect between the positive and negative terminals on your home theater receiver or amplifier, and the speaker unit.
Polarity: Maintaining the correct polarity is important especially in a multi-channel system such as in home theater surround sound
.Incorrect polarity will throw the respective speaker in an out-of-phase mode with the rest. For this reason, speaker cables and terminals are normally color coded black for the -ve terminal and red for +ve side.
Gauge:
Wire is identified by its gauge or thickness; normal thickness range from gauge 16 to 12. The smaller the number, the thicker is the copper conductor, and the better its capacity to pass the amplified audio signal.If you are running long lengths (in excess of approximately 200 feet - approx. 60m) of speaker wires, do not settle for anything less than gauge 12.
Pre-Terminated and Special Speaker Wires
There exists a variety of speaker cables and wires - ranging from standard pre-terminated cables and in-wall speaker wires to ultra-flat speaker cables with self-adhesive backing which can be easily concealed by being painted over, run underneath flooring and carpets, or covered with wall paper.
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Standard & Pre-Terminated Speaker Wires You can buy complete speaker cables in standard lengths pre-terminated with the respective speaker connectors. However, if you order pre-terminated speaker wire, always check the type of connectors for compatibility with your equipment. |
(Click on image to enlarge) Pre-terminated Speaker Cable with Color-Coded Connectors
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Alternatively, you can purchase the required length of wire - always adding a little extra per speaker to allow for a margin of error when measuring cable runs - and then connect the required plugs or terminals to suit your needs. |
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In-Wall Speaker Wire This is the type of speaker cable to use for in-wall installations - in particular when you want to install speakers in a multi-room step-up throughout the house. When working with in-wall installations, it is important to use specially certified wires (UL-rated CL3 wires) that comply with national standards for resistance to fire, chemicals, abrasion, and temperature extremes.
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High Strand Gauge 12 CL-3
Speaker cable for In-Wall installations
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speaker Wire Exposed wires leading to speakers of your home theater system can be distracting from the appearance of your room. If in-wall installation is not a possible option, then ultra-thin paint-able speaker wires such as those available from DeCorp, can be used to help hide unsightly home theater wiring.
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(Click on image to enlarge)
The Invisible Wire - Gauge 14 Flat Speaker Wire from DeCorp Americas |
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We suggest that you take a look at our detailed Home Theater Speaker Wiring Guide for additional information on speaker cables, wire-gauges and cable connection basics. |
Speaker terminals
Speakers normally come equipped with one of two types of connectors - spring terminals or binding post type.
Spring terminals will only accept pin connectors or tinned base wire ends. Binding posts may accept many types of connection, including pin, banana plug and spade.
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Spring Terminals Spring terminals use spring-loaded connectors to create a compression connection around either pin connector or bare wire. The spring terminal connection is limited by the small size of the actual connection surface, and the fact that the connection itself is not as tight as other options. To help obtain a better connection, it is important to pull slightly the wires after these have been secured in the terminals. This will cause the teeth inside the connectors to 'bite' into the wire. |
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Typical spring-loaded connectors found on low to mid-range equipment. | |
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(Click on image to enlarge) | |
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Binding Post Terminals Normally used in pro or high power applications (over 150watts), binding posts create a connection by either accepting banana plugs, or by screwing down over spade connectors. Binding posts make a significantly better connection to speaker wire than spring terminals do because the connections are more mechanically sound. |
(Click on image to enlarge) |
Do not rely on a bare wire connection when connecting speaker cables. Bare wires tend to corrode - leading to a degraded connection over time. For a solid connection, it is recommend terminating the speaker wire with the appropriate connectors such as the good quality banana plugs shown below.
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Typical high quality banana plugs for use with binding post terminals (Click on picture to enlarge) |
Speaker connectors also help safeguard against harmful short circuits as a result of loose strands from bare wire positive and negative leads. Short circuits may lead from just a simple temporarily amplifier shutdown to a serious and costly amplifier damage.
Should it be of interest, please check at our Home Theater Store (under the Electronics section) for your home theater cable requirements. You will find a full range of cables, speaker wires, and AV connectors, from major suppliers at all price brackets.
The links below will take you straight to the respective product pages:
Or click here for a full list of products under our Electronic section.
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Last updated on 13th Jan. 2005
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