Choose an appropriate gauge of speaker wire for the best performance.
Although most people familiar with the world of consumer audio are comfortable plugging in a pair of headphones, setting up computer speakers or hooking up a DVD player, the task of connecting speakers to an AV receiver can still mystify many. Don't feel intimidated by an unfamiliar connector, wire or terminal though. Connect your speakers to your receiver in minutes and enjoy years of hi-fi home audio.
Instructions
1. Determine the speaker wire gauge you need based on the distance between your receiver and your speakers. For runs of 80 feet or less, use 16 gauge; for runs between 80 and 200 feet, use 14 gauge; for runs greater than 200 feet--unlikely but possible in a home theatre setting--use 12 gauge.
2. Cut appropriate lengths of wire to run from the receiver to each speaker. Make sure to leave enough slack if you want to neatly dress the cables after they're connected.
3. Strip about a half-inch of insulation from the end of each individual wire (the speaker wire has two insulated wires fused together). Twist the exposed wire to keep the strands from fraying in their connections.
4. Push down the tab of the spring clip connector or unscrew the binding post connector of the terminal is on the back of your receiver. Insert the exposed speaker wires into the correct terminal (positive/striped/lighter shade goes to red, negative/plain/darker shade or plain to black).
5. Secure the exposed ends on the speaker end of the wire to the terminals on the back of the speakers as necessary. Make sure to match positive to positive to positive and negative to negative to avoid sound reproduction issues and damage to your speakers.
Tags: speaker wire, your receiver, your speakers, gauge runs, Make sure, positive positive