Installing home stereo systems can be tricky, especially when running speaker wire to and from an audio receiver. In this article, we’ll explain how to match up terminals and wiring to properly connect amplifiers and receivers.
How to Set Up Stereo Speakers | Troubleshooting
Most stereo receivers, amplifiers, and standard speakers have connections on the back to connect speaker wires. These connections are either spring-clamp or binding post types.
These terminals are also almost always color-coded for easy identification: the positive (+) terminal is usually red, while the negative (-) terminal is usually black. Note that some speakers are bi-wire capable, meaning the red and black terminals come in pairs for a total of four connections.
Standard speaker wire only has two parts on each end: a positive (+) and a negative (-). Even though there are only two parts, there is still a 50-50 chance that these connections can be connected incorrectly if you are not careful. Swapping the positive and negative signals can seriously affect your system performance, so it is worth checking that these wires are connected correctly before you power up and test your speakers.
