From this thread on HDMI cables, I see that I should be very concerned about the dancability of my speaker wires. I may have a problem.
Our parlour has in-wall wiring (14 gauge) for its four speakers. Due to a couple shifts in layout, three of the speakers need to be moved away from the current wire’s reach. In the short term, I’ve added 14 gauge speaker cable via wire nuts and all seems to be good. However, I haven’t gone back and forth between direct connection and the extensions to see if I could hear a noticeable difference in sound, one of the components (the receiver) is about to change, and the wire caps are a temporary solution—I don’t have conduit large enough to stuff them into.
From a concretely testable electrical perspective (i.e., putting the danceability, polarfuzzation, electromagnetaharmonics, and feng shui aside), what’s the best way making the cable-to-cable connection? Should I twist them together or just lay them as flat as possible next to each other? If I do twist, should I do so like I did last summer? Twist and shout? Should I strip ¼”, ½”, or 1” from each wire and twist them together in line with each other or parallel as if I’m using a wire nut? Should I just tape them or should I solder them? Regular solder or should I use special gold (alloy, dipped, or coloured) solder? Should I be drinking Goldschläger or Johnny Walker Gold?
So long as a solid connection is made, you’re not going to hear any differences between wirenuts, soldered splices, or gold-plated magnetically harmonized sonically isolated cable couplers. The only danger is that the joint might introduce significant resistance into the speaker circuit. Any permanently secure joint is adequate.
As well as a solid connection (which might be just two wires twisted together), you also need to insulate the wires from each other, and from any possible path to ground. You can do that by wrapping electrician’s tape around the joint in the wires.
when i want to make a lasting connection of that type, i would solder the cables with rosin core electrical solder (sand paper the wires bright first) using a Western Union splice (wire stripped back 1/2" , lay the stripped ends overlapping and parallel with each other, cross them at the halfway point and wrap each tightly around the other in the line of the cable) this makes a very compact and durable splice which you tape up. nicer if you offset one wire splice an inch or two from the other. soldering makes a noncorroding tight connection.
everything posted so far is correct. wire nuts are fine for temporary use, but the exposed wire will eventually corrode/oxidize. for a permanent solution, soldering and vinyl tape (or heat shrink tube, even better) will do.
Um…any reason you don’t go to the local hardware store and just buy a roll of 14 gauge speaker wire and cut wires of the needed length? You should be able to draw the new wire through the wall using the existing wire, and then you won’t have to mess with soldering or insulating wires, which can cause interference problems with the high fidelity signal you’re trying to send on speaker wire if not done properly.
Soldering, while making the most robust joint (and the only non-separating electrical connection that we use on launch vehicles) is more difficult than it looks; it is very easy to get what looks and initially sounds like a good connection, only to find out that you have only a shallow surface bond that will crack due to tension or thermal stress. And it frankly takes a lot of time to do properly.
If you do want to splice the cables, my preference is a sleeve-type butt splice. Crimped pigtail splices are pretty robust, too; just not quite as clean. Either type should be subject to a ~10 lbf pull test after being crimped. If it will be outdoors or otherwise exposed to moisture (even in a conduit) then an epoxy coat should be used to seal the connector. If it is strictly indoors no protection should be needed.
Wire nuts are, as indicated, not a good permanent solution. There isn’t the danger of sparking that you have with 120/240 VAC, of course, but as jz78817 notes, you’ll eventually get an oxidation layer that can act like a small capacitor. Wire nuts are also intended for solid wire like Romex and not really well suited to twisted or braided wire that is generally used for speakers, as you make get only limited contact and the wire tends to work its way free of the nut under any kind of vibration.
I’m curious to know what your mental picture is of how in-wall wiring is run. You do know it’s not just all loose wire from one end to the other, right?
I’m presuming, of course, that this in-wall wiring was done to code and not the way I would have done it.
The best solution is to use solder and (then afterwards) heat shrink tubing. Contact a local ham radio operator/club and ask for assistance. Once you find one, a retired ham radio guy will probably help you out for little (if any) money.
This is by far the best way. Heat-shrink tubing is better than electrical tape, which can unravel over time. Also, it you are splicing ripcord or two-conductor cable, make the splice for one wire a few inches farther along than the other. That way, even if the tape frays or the tubing wears thru, you won’t have bare wires touching.
You can get crimp connectors, which make both good electrical and strong physical connections, but you will have to invest in a crimper (maybe $10-20). Not worth it unless you are going to make many splices.
If it’s done pre-sheetrock installation, you’re likely right. It would be tacked periodically along it’s run. If it’s post-sheetrock installation, then it’d likely be loose wire. This is fairly common, and for speaker/data/phone/control cables, is no problem at all.
I’m leery of pulling wires, mainly because I suck at wire-fishing. They were put in during construction and in one direction go around a fireplace and several large windows; in the other direction there are three 5-foot entryways to go up and over. Basically, there must be a handful of right angles or other twists that may muck things up for an easy pull.
The crimp connectors and shrink tube sound like a great way to go. I have a good pair of electrical pliers (have a good electrical plier? That sounds odd) and they have the little pointy-bit and recessed bit that I assume are good for crimping. I’ll probably throw them in the car and ask at Radio Shack. (They still sell electronics and know what they’re talking about, right? Or am I living in yesteryear?)
I hate crimps. I have seen many wires that have inadvertently pulled out of crimps. This is less of a problem with industrial crimps that use expensive dies and hydraulic tools, obviously. But crimping with the use of run-of-the-mill electrician pliers almost always results in an inferior splice.
Heck, I would rather use wire nuts vs. crimping.
The *only *time I crimp is when I need to attach a ring or spade terminal to a wire. And then afterwards I apply solder to the crimp junction.
Soldering is not difficult to learn. And the tools & materials are cheap. Well worth the investment IMO.
If it makes a difference, there will be little to no stress on the joints—wherever the splices are they will have support and either be inside wire channels or resting on a shelf behind things. I also assume that wrapping the splice in electrical tape before the shrink tubing will help keep the physical connection (with the tube protecting it from the harsh parlour environment).
I have a soldering gun (though I’m not well-versed in its use), so both crimping and soldering are viable options. But as mentioned, soldering is a skill. While I’d love to learn and get good at it, I don’t think I have the short-term time to do so—so whatever connection is made will be passable at best.
How would I test the quality of the connections? Can I, say, solder a connection then test with a multimeter(?)and get one reading then compare that to a different set of wires I crimped? To test would I need to connect the receiver-end wires together, making one giant loop? If I do that, how do I control for two different receiver-end connections between the crimped and the soldered wires?
What* is *it I’m looking for, anyway? Most stock speaker wire seems to be 18 gauge. The wire I have (both in-wall and the extension) is 14 gauge. What is a mediocre connection, and what is it choking off? This is where the audiophile hype clouds the issue. All I really know is that wires conduct magic smoke, and that magic smoke can be measured in amps, volts, and ohms, and that the wires may or may not be part of the resistance (Vive la fil!). Would a poor crimp or shoddy soldering job make the wires equivalent to 20+ gauge wire? Would it strip out all the upper-level di-harmonics? Cause a fire? :eek:
Maybe technology has changed. When I was installing network, telephone and related (non-AC) wiring in industrial locations 30 years ago, ALL of our connections were done with a crimp. I think of wire nuts as something used in AC practice.
Professional crimping tools are far superior to just a hobby plier. I bought a crimping tool for $60 once that never failed me. It put a reliable amount of pressure on the connection every time, and wouldn’t release until you had completed the bind.
In contrast, wire nuts require a judgement call as to tightness, and if you use the wrong size, the connection is poor.
It’s a lot like insulation stripping tools – you can use a pocket knife, but a professional tool will give you a perfect strip every time without cutting too deep or not enough.
So I guess I lean the other way. I have no problem with soldering – having built hundreds of electronic devices – but compared to a quick crimp, it’s slower, requires electricity, a warmup time unless you use a gun, generates heat and smell, and you have to wait for it to cool before covering the joint. A crimp is done much faster.
No, you do not want to wrap it with electrical tape before heat-shrinking. FWIW, I have absolutely no use for electrical tape.
I don’t mean to sound snippy, but I taught my 12 y.o. daughter how to solder two wires together in less than 10 minutes. Do you have a soldering *gun *or soldering iron? I find a soldering gun is too heavy and unwieldy for 99.9% of electrical work. A soldering iron will work best.
Electrically? You don’t have the tools to do it. You need a micro-ohmeter, and those are pricy. The only thing you should worry about is getting a good, solid, reliable mechanical connection.
You can do a simple go/no-go continuity test with a multimeter. But if you solder the wires a simple continuity test will probably be a waste of time, since there’s virtually a 100% guarantee you’ll get continuity. If you solder, your best bet is to simply perform a visual inspection and make sure it looks shiny, does not have voids, and is not a “cold” or “disturbed” soldered joint.
You’re thinking too much. As mentioned above, you want an electrical splice that is mechanically reliable. I just got through building a home theater in our house, and I didn’t use splices anywhere. (As I stated in another post, I *despise *splices.) I soldered all my banana plugs, for example.
If you’re uncomfortable with soldering, find a ham radio operator (preferably an “old timer”) and ask him to teach you. He will probably be honored at the request.
I’m well aware that a specialized crimp made by a trained technician using a specialized (and expensive) tool can offer a reliable connection. But this is different. What we’re talking here is making a connection using a cheap, general purpose crimp and tool. Like a ten-cent butt splice being crimped with a run-of-the-mill strip/crimp tool. I would never suggest anyone do this for a permanent installation.
