how do you convert speaker wire to rca

How to Convert Speaker Wire to RCA Adapter?

Full Answer

How to connect RCA audio plug to speaker wires?

You can connect your external speakers one of 3 ways in this case:

• Buying ready-made RCAspeaker cables.
• Using RCA breakout style connectors to connect regular speaker wire.
• Making your own using RCA plug connectors.

Can I use speaker wire as RCA?

Yes, by following all the process above, the wire is finally converted into an RCA plug. Now you can connect this 'speaker wire' to any RCA output. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Videos you watch may be added to the TV's watch history and influence TV recommendations.

How do I extend speaker wire?

The Best Wire Extension Techniques

1. Wire Nuts. As mentioned, wire nuts are one of the quickest and easiest ways to extend your speaker wire. ...
2. Crimping. Here, we have another “user-friendly” technique. ...
3. Soldering. Soldering used to be very popular back in the day, and it still is. ...
4. Tubing. Last, but not least, we’ve got the so-called “shrink tubing” approach. ...

Can you use regular electrical wire instead of speaker wire?

Yes you can. The advantage of true speaker wire is in the amount of strands it has versus electrical wire. The normal electrical wire such as Romex will be solid copper and in commercial you also have stranded colors of copper wire but it is still short of the number of strands in speaker wire.

How to connect RCA plug to a RCA ring?

Drop the outer sleeve of the RCA plug over the wire. Hold one wire to the center pin connector, heat them with the soldering iron, and then apply a small bead of solder. Repeat with the second wire and the ring connector. Then, slide the outer sleeve up over the innards of the connector and snap or screw it into place.

How to choose speaker wire?

That means 10-gauge wire is huge, and 26-gauge wire is fine. Big wire is best for long runs, and enthusiasts love extra pure, oxygen-free speaker wire, but for most living rooms, ordinary wire of 16- to 20-gauge is fine. After you settle on the wire, you need to select a set of RCA plugs. Choose plugs that accept the gauge of wire you selected. It's maddening to start soldering and discover you can't fit the wire into the plug. The plugs themselves range from inexpensive plastic to heavy-duty, gold-plated brass. If you opt for premium wire, get premium RCA jacks. If you picked inexpensive wire, pick inexpensive connectors, too.

What is solderless RCA connector?

There are two kinds of RCA connectors you can choose from: soldered or solderless. The solder type has two contacts inside, one for the pin and one for the sleeve, where you can readily solder a wire.

How to keep RCA plugs from fraying?

Start by stripping the wire and twisting the ends together to keep the strands from fraying. You might find it helpful to "tin" the ends of the wire by applying a small amount of solder to hold the strands together, like the plastic tip on a shoelace. Drop the outer sleeve of the RCA plug over the wire.

How many contacts does RCA have?

The standard RCA connection makes two electrical contacts. One is at the pin that sticks out of the connector, and the other is on the ring or the shield. When you're attaching the speaker wire to RCA plugs, you can connect either the marked or the unmarked side of the wire to the pin, whichever makes sense for you.

How many wires does a stereo use?

Stereos use two wires per speaker to carry the sound, one positive and one negative. If you take a close look at your speaker wire, you'll see that it always differentiates between the two wires in some way. You might see a solid stripe on one wire's insulator, for example. It might also be a ridge you can feel with your fingertips or a line ...

Why does it make a difference when you plug in a speaker?

It makes a difference when you plug in your finished speaker because the contact on the outer ring is always considered to be the ground. Whichever wire you connect to that contact should always go into the black terminal at the other end. Advertisement.

How to convert speaker wire?

1. Collect the Cable and the Tools. First things first. Now for the conversion, few things will be required. Collect those things before jumping into the action . Now, since we're gonna convert speaker wire, there's no need to mention its name already.

What is RCA port?

These ports are called the RCA port. RCA output is the best output for device connection. Why? It's the standard connection adapter. Almost every audio device and video device feature RCA output and that's what makes it the most relevant way for connection.

How to expose wires in a cable?

Take the wire stripper and gently strip the insulation. Not completely though, just a little part of both ends. This ways, the edges of the cable will be exposed, not more than one or two inches. The exposed wire is what we need for the next step.

Do you have to cut RCA cable before converting?

You have to cut the cable before converting because you need a certain length. The length should be similar to a certain RCA cable's length.

Can you connect speaker wire to RCA?

Yes, by following all the process above, the wire is finally converted into an RCA plug. Now you can connect this 'speaker wire' to any RCA output. YouTube. J Robling. 16K subscribers. Subscribe. Convert regular speaker wire to RCA or monaural. Watch later. Copy link.

How to make a speaker wire?

Step 1: Cut the Bare Speaker Wire. To start the process, cut an approximate length of the bare speaker wire to make the connection. Make sure you don’t cut the length of the wire which is more than necessity. Probably, half an inch should do good.

What is A RCA Cable and Why Use It?

Did you ever check out the VCR or CD player about how it connected to TVs? If positive, then you’ve might seen three colored cable set that comes from the VCR and ends up on the TV? Well, if you remember, then that cables are technically called RCA cable.

How many ends does a RCA cable have?

Before proceeding, let’s have a look at the structure of a RCA cable-. RCA cables consist of one jack at the outer side and two ends (positive and negative) of metal nodes. You are supposed to connect the positive and negative speaker wire to the respective nodes and tighten the connection to let it work. Here are the steps-.

How to make a cable not touch each other?

Take a soldering iron and try to heat up the connection tip. Melt a little metal on the end of the cable connection to make it sure that two ends don’t touch each other somehow.

Can you connect bare wire to RCA?

As you have seen before, connecting a bare wire to RCA cables, and create a RCA input line has many benefits. Same goes for the case when you’re doing it with speakers.

Do you need to cut insulation from RCA jack?

If your cable isn’t a bare one, that you may need to cut a little bit of the insulation from the wire. That’s a must to make direct electrical connection between the metal wire and the metal nodes of the RCA jack.

Step 1

Plug in the soldering iron to allow it to heat up to the proper temperature. Be sure to set the soldering iron in a safe place, away from flammable materials to avoid injury or damage to your work area.

Step 2

Cut the desired lengths of speaker wire with a pair of wire cutters. Strip 1/4 inch of insulation off each end of the speaker wires. Pull off or unscrew the color-coded insulating caps from the RCA plugs.

Step 3

Solder the positive speaker wire to the pin connection of the RCA plug. You may want to feed the positive wire through the small eyelet and preheat the soldering point with the soldering iron before applying the solder to the speaker wire for the best results.

Step 4

Move the RCA plug's red insulator up the speaker wire towards the soldered RCA plug and screw it in carefully. Keep the speaker wires from twisting inside the insulator to avoid damage to the soldered connections.

Step 5

Perform the same steps to attach the other red RCA connection on the remaining stripped-off negative and positive ends of the same speaker wires. Use the same methods to attach the white male RCA plugs to another set of speaker wires to complete the job.

How to cut wires for speakers?

Instructions. 1. Buy a wire cutter from your local hardware store. It is recommended to purchase the best quality cutter so you can cut the wires precisely without damaging the connections. Make sure the cut a piece of wire long enough for your intended use. Consider taking into account the distance between the receiver/amplifier and your speakers. ...

What color is the lead on a speaker wire?

To form the connections, you will be required to determine the positive and negative leads of your speaker wire. Manufacturers use red coating for positive lead and black code for the negative lead.

Can RCA audio be wired to speaker wire?

How to Convert an RCA Audio to Speaker Wire. Although most speakers are designed to be compatible with speaker wires, there are some models that are pre wired with different RCA plugs. This is most commonly found in shelf systems which usually work as an integral part of the system.