Positive and Negative Speaker connection question

[Liber]

Ok I asked this question one time before but I looked it up and it never really got answered so I'm going to re ask

"when installing new speakers how can I tell which wires are positive and which is negative?"

That is labeled on the speakers but not on the wires. It annoys the hell out of me. I'm about to install some new 5.25 inch alpines. Anyone got some answers? also

"Does anyone here think it would be a good idea to cut out the speaker cover in the door panel to expose my alpine covers?"

thanks for the help

 

[06Liberty]

Actually I just had the same problem. I installed four new Infinity 6 1/2's. There's probably a better way but this is what I've always done.

-Take the factory speaker out and turn it over (still plugged in)
-Whatever wire is on the left side, keep it on the left side (also with the right side of course)
-Then when you connect the factory wires to the new speakers, at least the wires are on the same side that they've always been on.

I guess that makes sense, it's always worked for me...hope it helps.

I do know that you can get plug adapters for the speakers just like you can the head unit. That would be the best way I'm sure because you just unplug the factory and plug in the new one....no wires to cut. But, if you're like me you don't think about that crap until you're in your driveway with all four door panels off and no patience to go get those kind of things!!

 

[06Liberty]

oh and for cutting the door panel...nope, I probably wouldn't. That sounds like one of those thing I would regret doing and then have to pay God knows what for a new panel!

 

[GregScuba]

you could use a 9volt battery and see which way makes the factory speaker move outward away from the magnet. Then mark the wires, and hook the aftermarket speaker up accordingly.

 

[Liber]

I don't quit follow what you're saying about the nine volt battery.

 

[fasto82]

before removing the wires from the old speakers decide which one youre gonna put a piece of tape on and be consistent with the rest. find the wire going into the positive terminal and put the tape on that. do the same for all the other speakers. this way you will know which is which.

 

[jfortier777]

you could use a 9volt battery and see which way makes the factory speaker move outward away from the magnet. Then mark the wires, and hook the aftermarket speaker up accordingly.

This is a very effective test process.

The nine volt will tell you which terminal on the speaker is which.


With a
+/+(terminal1)
-/- (terminal2)
connection to the speaker, in respect to the 9V and the speaker terminals, the cone will push itself slightly outward.

With a
+/-(terminal1)
-/+(terminal2)
connection to the speaker, in respect to the 9V and the speaker terminals, the cone will pull itself slightly inward.


EDIT:
Sorry, I just now noticed that this doesn't address the original question directly enough.

Additional info. After testing both the stock speaker, and the aftermarket speaker; take the wire that was connected to the positive terminal (which you discovered with the 9V test) and connected with the terminal you determined to be pos on the aftermarket speaker(again, 9V test).


If this process is too difficult to understand, than I can make a short HOW TO video for you.

 

[joshy0077]

I had this problem as well

You know I had this exact same problem when I was installing my audiobahn 3-ways...The best solution I found was just to use the existing connections i.e. the male and female connectors that are currently attached to the stock speakers, use a soldering iron, heat up the solder and pull the connectors off the speakers, there is a clip that will break but it doesn't affect anything except that now the connection will be floating instead of attached to your speaker. Then, just use the wires coming out of your new speakers, solder them in to where the old wires were...and you have a pretty nice little setup. I know it sounds like a bit of work but it takes all the guess work out of the installation. Also, on cutting out the speaker grills...definately don't, my audiobahns have the flame grill covers, however there is about a quarter inch gap around that would be just open space if you cut all of the stock grill off, and in my opinion would look horrible. However, because I did want to see my grills, I used some blue LEDs installed them under the aftermarket grill to get some backlighting, and then ran wires via a pack of 6 volts and simple switch. Then I just installed the speakers with the grills on them, which does fit (or for me it did at least), and then voila, I could see my grills (an outline at least) through the stock speaker grills.

 

[jfortier777]

Re: I had this problem as well

The best solution I found was just to use the existing connections i.e. the male and female connectors that are currently attached to the stock speakers, use a soldering iron, heat up the solder and pull the connectors off the speakers, there is a clip that will break but it doesn't affect anything except that now the connection will be floating instead of attached to your speaker. Then, just use the wires coming out of your new speakers, solder them in to where the old wires were...and you have a pretty nice little setup. I know it sounds like a bit of work but it takes all the guess work out of the installation.

It most certainly does not.

 

[joshy0077]

Alright? Well it worked pretty damn well for me, my speakers sound phenomenal.

 

[jfortier777]

Alright? Well it worked pretty damn well for me, my speakers sound phenomenal.

Speakers will work with the terminals reversed.

But you had a 50/50 chance anyway.


But what I was saying is that what you described there does not tell anyone which terminal is which.

 

[joshy0077]

Speakers will work with the terminals reversed.

But you had a 50/50 chance anyway.


But what I was saying is that what you described there does not tell anyone which terminal is which.

Alright, maybe what I said was a bit confusing. If you decide to use the stock connectors, it's probably easiest to take all your speakers out first, find a good work area (like a work bench) and take your time, just look to see which side of the connector is connected to what colors in the door, and keep that consistency. I think the colors are green and brown ( I really don't remember that well it's been a while) and just do as an earlier post said and keep the (+) wire from your new speakers on the same side the stock speaker was in on the connector and the same for the (-).

 

[jfortier777]

....

The problem is that not all aftermarket speakers will have pos.neg terminal locations that match the stock speakers. Not to mention that takes much much more time than is necessary.

This is most problematic in the event that someone may opt to put in higher quality component speakers. In which your stock wiring wont even connect to the speakers themselves.

 

[Liber]

Ok so basically what you are telling me is this.

I should note the wire colors to the stock speakers. Then take the speaker and connect it to a 9v battery. Then if the battery pops outward I know that the positive end of the battery is connected to the positive end of the speaker, and neg to the neg. And that will tell me which wire was connected to the pos and neg. However if the speaker con caves in then I have the connections backwards.



is that correct?

 

[jfortier777]

Ok so basically what you are telling me is this.

I should note the wire colors to the stock speakers. Then take the speaker and connect it to a 9v battery. Then if the battery pops outward I know that the positive end of the battery is connected to the positive end of the speaker, and neg to the neg. And that will tell me which wire was connected to the pos and neg. However if the speaker con caves in then I have the connections backwards.



is that correct?

Absolutely correct! Enjoy your new speakers.

 

[06Liberty]

Just for the sake of argument, let's say you got it backwards and had the positive to the negative and negative to positive. How bad would it sound or what would it sound like?
I guess now I'm a little paranoid that I got it wrong even though it sounds really good.

 

[jfortier777]

Just for the sake of argument, let's say you got it backwards and had the positive to the negative and negative to positive. How bad would it sound or what would it sound like?
I guess now I'm a little paranoid that I got it wrong even though it sounds really good.

The difference would only be noticable to people who are familiar with identifying distortion in foriegn systems. Some speakers will not work at all when reversed, while some will work but at reduced sound quality.

At the heart, a speaker is recieving an AC signal from the amp which is sending pos/neg to the terminals and alternating it however many times per second that the signal demands. The problem arises when that first cylcle is out of phase. I don't want to get super detailed, but suffice to say that it can decrease quality.

Damage to the speaker however; very unlikely. Although at high volume, any distortion poses a potential risk. But unless you have a larger than HU amp powering them there shouldn't be a problem. Provided that you properly cross them over that is.

I will have to rip off a door panel in the near future. I suppose while I'm in there I will test the leads to see which wire is which and post the colors.

Unless someone beats me to it.

A great rule of thumb... (I've got a million of these...)

"If you expect/force bass to come out of anything besides a component midbass driver, or a subwoofer; than you are not fit to tweak your system"