Speaker wire extension

Tessa · Joined: 25 Mar 2005 Posts: 7 Location: United Kingdom

I get music from my computer sound surround and I would like to extend the wire on my speakers so that I can wall mount them. The current wire is black but white would blend up the wall better. I have no idea how I do this can anyone give me idiot proof instructions on what to use and how?

breezer · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:06 pm

(scratches chin, makes sucking noise through teeth, then speaks. "tough one this.!!!!!!!!!!"

you will have to remove the wire from the speaker, connect one end of new cable to speaker, connect other end of new wire to old wire.

connections should be suitable for the job. choc bloc will be fine, but ideally the new wire will be long enough to go from speaker to pc

by the way that just cost you £49.98, your credit card has been debited twice (sorry about that)

felix · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:00 pm

Breezer almost said it all but, at that price, should have added one more thing. Your wire has two cores. DO NOT CROSS THEM OVER. If you do, the speaker will appear to work but the surround sound will not come out right. Then again, at least half the population would never notice!

2scoops0406 · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:06 pm

Tippex ?

plugwash · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 8:22 pm

Tessa wrote:

I get music from my computer sound surround and I would like to extend the wire on my speakers so that I can wall mount them. The current wire is black but white would blend up the wall better. I have no idea how I do this can anyone give me idiot proof instructions on what to use and how?

computer speakers often have the amplifiers inside the speakers

the first question is what wires do you have connecting what to what in your speaker setup and what if any connections do they have on them?

GRC · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 10:25 pm

plugwash wrote:

Tessa wrote:

I get music from my computer sound surround and I would like to extend the wire on my speakers so that I can wall mount them. The current wire is black but white would blend up the wall better. I have no idea how I do this can anyone give me idiot proof instructions on what to use and how?

computer speakers often have the amplifiers inside the speakers

the first question is what wires do you have connecting what to what in your speaker setup and what if any connections do they have on them?

GRC - I second the first question. Second question; are the speakers mains or battery operated? If mains, and the amplifiers are built in, the owner will have power & signal leads to worry about......

Regards, Graham

Tessa · Joined: 25 Mar 2005 Posts: 7 Location: United Kingdom

Thanks for all your adivce, cheap at 1/2 the price! The wires are sealed units and it all sounds too complicated for me so I'll call in an expert - would this be an electrician or a computer boff?

felix · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 4:27 pm

Your best choice is a computer or audio boffin, preferably one who will do it for a two cans of Carlsberg Special. Sorry but I'm too busy right now!

Scoby_Beasley · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 4:36 pm

If your speakers plug into a jack on the back of your p.c., how about a straight forward extension lead ? Although personally, p.c.'s happen to have crap sound systems if you like your music

GRC · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 11:51 pm

Tessa wrote:

Thanks for all your adivce, cheap at 1/2 the price! The wires are sealed units and it all sounds too complicated for me so I'll call in an expert - would this be an electrician or a computer boff?

GRC - Don't be annoyed with me, but I think you give up WAY too easily. It's not difficult or complicated.

You could get some white sleeving to cover over the black wires; Maplin or similar electronic suppliers can supply this. However, you'd need to disconnect either the plug at the computer end, or the cable at the speaker end, to get the sleeve over the current cable (and its extension).
As someone pointed out, a simple extension lead would do the trick, but wouldn't get around the colour match failure.

The leads may be sealed into the speakers (i.e captive leads) but there's no reason you can't take the speakers apart to disconnect them and splice in some extension cable in white. Where there's a will there's a way.

Regards, Graham

felix · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 12:50 am

GRC is right. This isn't rocket science. If you can join two wire ends together, even if you only twist them and wrap them in insulting tape, (deliberate mis-spelling there) it will work. If all you have is two core wire then it's not difficult and it's not dangerous.

1) Choose a point at which to cut your existing wires.

2) Mark one core on each side of the cut point. (Very important.)

3) Splice in your new, black two core wire. DO NOT CROSS THOSE CORES OVER!

4) Job done. Drink the Carlsberg Special yourself.

Tessa · Joined: 25 Mar 2005 Posts: 7 Location: United Kingdom

felix wrote:

Your best choice is a computer or audio boffin, preferably one who will do it for a two cans of Carlsberg Special. Sorry but I'm too busy right now!

Pity, I would have stretched to 3 cans and a bag of crisps!

felix wrote:

GRC is right. This isn't rocket science. If you can join two wire ends together, even if you only twist them and wrap them in insulting tape, (deliberate mis-spelling there) it will work. If all you have is two core wire then it's not difficult and it's not dangerous.

1) Choose a point at which to cut your existing wires.

2) Mark one core on each side of the cut point. (Very important.)

3) Splice in your new, black two core wire. DO NOT CROSS THOSE CORES OVER!

4) Job done. Drink the Carlsberg Special yourself.

Sounded OK till you said "(Very important)" and "DO NOT CROSS THOSE CORES OVER"! What are the consequences if I did?

GRC wrote:

Tessa wrote:

Thanks for all your adivce, cheap at 1/2 the price! The wires are sealed units and it all sounds too complicated for me so I'll call in an expert - would this be an electrician or a computer boff?

GRC - Don't be annoyed with me, but I think you give up WAY too easily. It's not difficult or complicated.

You could get some white sleeving to cover over the black wires; Maplin or similar electronic suppliers can supply this. However, you'd need to disconnect either the plug at the computer end, or the cable at the speaker end, to get the sleeve over the current cable (and its extension).
As someone pointed out, a simple extension lead would do the trick, but wouldn't get around the colour match failure.

The leads may be sealed into the speakers (i.e captive leads) but there's no reason you can't take the speakers apart to disconnect them and splice in some extension cable in white. Where there's a will there's a way.

Regards, Graham

Sounds like I need a man that can, or wireless speakers!

______________________________
moderator

Tessa, please note 10a

Scoby_Beasley · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 1:41 pm

If you cross your wires, the speaker cone will be "pushing" when it should be "pulling". Now if you do it with both speakers you may not notice it, if you do it with one speaker, errrrrrm, you may not notice it

But when you wire them up correctly you'll think "s**t man that special brew sure screwed up my hearing (and did I put them crisps in me ears ??)"

felix · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:46 am

In non-technical terms, if you cross your speaker wires over nothing nasty will happen but it will sound wrong. The thing you are likely to notice most is a reduction in bass (low frequency) sound. There are plenty of people out there who would never notice this and you might be one of them but it costs nothing to get it right.

new sparky · Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Posts: 7 Location: United Kingdom

If you extend the cables with two joints with one at the speaker end and one at the computer end you can hide the joints. You will not see the one behind the computer anyway, and if you make the other close enough to the speaker you will not be able to see it when the speakers are up on their brackets.