hooking two speaker wire together

[bananastylez]

hello
I am trying to setup my speaker wires
but I ended up having two speaker wires that are
too short
I have two 15 feet and thinking to join them together
to get 30 feet
if I do that will that worst my sound quality>?
thanks

[GregLett]

If it ust be that long that would be fine. Use a western Union Splice for a good connection.

[bananastylez]

If it ust be that long that would be fine. Use a western Union Splice for a good connection.

hello thanks for the reply
so after doing the western union splice
do I just tape it with duct tape
to prevent it from touching other wires?

thanks

[Azeke]

hello thanks for the reply
so after doing the western union splice
do I just tape it with duct tape
to prevent it from touching other wires?

thanks

No, don't use duct tape, unless you have no other choice, the adhesive glue may cause issues down the road. Just purchase some electrical tape (3M-#33, I believe is good quality).

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

[Alaric]

Shrink tube works and doesn't unravel. I would also solder that connection , if possible.

[GregLett]

YEP. No duct tape,and solder if you can.

[David Meek]

Electrical tape will work just fine if you don't have access to shrinkwrap and/or a soldering gun.

[dknightd]

Twisting them together should be fine, at least for awhile. I'd seriously consider splurging and getting a piece of wire that is 30' long. That way if your stereo sounds wrong in a few years you won't have to worry about it being caused by your splice.

[Alaric]

Ok , I have to ask. Twisting them together??? Is this the same sub-culture (audiophilliae) that frets over the purity of 110 acv? That thinks nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on cables?
I know from personal experience that there are electronic gizmos out there that don't function properly if you even solder a connection in the current path. Hell , I've seen Harley turn signal modules not work properly because an AutoZone bulb was used in one indicator. I stand by my recommendation-solder,solder,solder. Best solution , though , is one continuous wire. If you're not trying to repair an expensive cable , go to HomeDepot and get a roll of "speaker" wire.

[David Meek]

Well, you have to look at the situation. If a member is asking in the context of what will work and they're on a restricted budget, the answer will be different from a member that has a lot of capital to throw at a solution.

[Alaric]

Well, you have to look at the situation. If a member is asking in the context of what will work and they're on a restricted budget, the answer will be different from a member that has a lot of capital to throw at a solution.

True. I only meant to encourage a better connection than a wire nut.My HTIB has HomeDepot speaker wire-that's how I know it's cheap! My budget is very restricted , but I forgot not everyone has a soldering iron laying around the house. Given the circumstances , yeah , a tight wrap will get the sound from A to B-and that's what it's all about anyway. Given my modest budget , I should have known better. ops:

[GregLett]

True. I only meant to encourage a better connection than a wire nut.My HTIB has HomeDepot speaker wire-that's how I know it's cheap! My budget is very restricted , but I forgot not everyone has a soldering iron laying around the house. Given the circumstances , yeah , a tight wrap will get the sound from A to B-and that's what it's all about anyway. Given my modest budget , I should have known better. ops:

Actuall what I sugessted is better than a wire nut. Note I gave instructions for a specific type of splice.

[Alaric]

Humbly , what you suggested doesn't even have the value of compressing the connection-as a wire nut does. The WE splice is for strength against a pulling force , not efficient transfer of signal. WE came up with that for repairing telegraph wires.If you must join wires instead of a contiguous run , solder is the best method. I realize I'm way down the ladder on audio knowledge , but I diagnose , repair , and oversee electronic repair on a daily basis. Also , making the solder melt is only the beginning. The best soldering method is to make the pieces being connected hot enough to melt the solder-not just touching the solder with an iron. It's welding , joining the pieces together as one piece , not just gluing them together. My $.02

[stevo238]

When making any kind of repair, and if at all possible, a mechanical connection and solder is the best repair. IBM rule book.

[bananastylez]

hey guys
thanks for the info
I had twisted and solder it together
but I was not able to test it out yet
since my basement is not done yet
lets hope it works

[Lex]

all glue adhevises can break down over time, do NOT use duct tape, it's adhesion is the worst possible over time IMO. Electrical tape after heat shrink. Preferred is shrinking heat shrink over it. Actually, I'd probably tape it first, then shrink it.

[whoaru99]

It's welding , joining the pieces together as one piece , not just gluing them together. My $.02

Actually, soldering is not welding. Welding is a fusion process of melting the parent/base metals together with or without a filler. Soldering is, IMO, more similar to gluing - albeit a very hot hot-melt glue.

I do fully agree though, that there is more to a good solder joint than just putting a blob of "glue" on a couple wires.

[Alaric]

For the record...

The proper way to join two pieces of multi-strand wire is as follows:
Splay the strands at each end of the joint , then mesh them together . After twisting the strands around the joint (tight wrap) , heat the joint from the bottom with the soldering iron. Touch the solder to the wire-when the wire is hot enough to melt the solder it will run into the joint like liquid (which it is at that point). With this method there is a molecular bonding (on the suface , at least) between the solder and the wire , creating more of a "single piece" as opposed to using solder a metal "glue".
It is , tecnically , brazing instead of welding but it provides a superior joint and conductivity. Anyone who has ever sweated copper tubing will be familiar with the process/results. Glue ain't gonna seal the high pressure side of an air conditioning system. :W