is it wise to extend a speaker cable?

[Aharami]

While hooking up my home theater system, I miscalculated and cut a speaker cable too short. I needed ~7' for a clean look and I cut ~5'. Now I dont have enough cable left in the spool for 2 7' sections. I want to get this hooked up today...is it not ok to extend those 5' cables by another 2' by twisting on and covering up with electrical tape?

 

[PurdueRy]

Well it's certainly not going to kill anything provided you don't accidentally short a stray strand of the wire. However, for the sake of avoiding a shorting situation I would replace it properly ASAP.

 

[larciel]

I have same problem as well.

I have a short speaker cable that has 2.5mm jack at the one end so I can't replace it with regular cable. I'm thinking about extending it by using OP's method. if it's not too safe what place sells a wire with regular 2-ends and 2.5mm jack at the other

 

[Howard]

You could do it, but I would prefer that you soldered the wire and sealed it with heat-shrink tubing.

 

[Aharami]

found this on avsforum. very useful info so im posting it here
http://www.hometheatershack.co...cing-speaker-wire.html

 

[hans030390]

For a really temporary solution, you could just tie them together and really cover them up in electrical tape.

For a temporary solution, you could get those twisty cap things that connect two wires together.

For a less temporary solution, solder and get it covered.

I'd recommend just getting new cable.

 

[Shawn]

I just use butt connectors. problem solved.

 

[sdifox]

I am confused, do you need 2 7' cable or just 1 7'? You don't really need the speaker cables to be the exact same length.

 

[Modelworks]

It is fine to twist them together and cover with electrical tape. If you are careful and wrap it right it will last decades.
Or if you want to avoid tape get some wire nuts and use them to join the wires, they use them in pro installations all the time.

 

[Eug]

Yeah, wire nuts will work fine, as will carefully applied electrical tape. With reasonable sized speaker wire, you'll notice absolutely no difference at 7 feet.

However, electrical tape and wire nuts are fugly (and as PurdueRy mentioned, if you don't do it right - like with Howard's heat shrink-- you could short something). I just use that temporarily and buy some more speaker wire, which fortunately is very cheap these days.

 

[Modelworks]

Also recommend using the western union splice method of joining wires if you use tape or heat shrink. It is a very solid connection , barely noticeable when covered and easy to do.
http://www.tpub.com/content/ne...14176/css/14176_46.htm

 

[Howard]

Great page, Modelworks.

 

[mpjkraak]

In the Netherlands we have wire connector block sets (up to 25 in a row - plastic) that can be cut in blocks. Each part of the connector has metal/copper base & screws for each end. So if you want to do this for regular AC current you can cut a set of 2 (or 3 for ground). (near impossible to accidentally pull out) One of my dogs decided to enjoy eating speaker wire & I had to reconnect the chewed ends together.
I do use high quality (aka expensive) speaker wire (thick copper) that has a blue stripe running along one side to keep from misconnecting + and -.

Make sure to do it right the 1st time it may take a little while longer but you'll never have to revisit. (that's my motto)

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: mpjkraak
In the Netherlands we have wire connector block sets (up to 25 in a row - plastic) that can be cut in blocks. Each part of the connector has metal/copper base & screws for each end. So if you want to do this for regular AC current you can cut a set of 2 (or 3 for ground). (near impossible to accidentally pull out)

Those would be European-style terminal blocks.

 

[mpjkraak]

Well it's a better/stronger connection than splicing & tape. (granted - it ain't the prettiest)

 

[0roo0roo]

yup doesn't get dodgy until you hit long distances. and thicker speaker cord deals with distance better of course.
3.5mm connectors are easy since you can get ones that have screw terminals from places like radioshack. not sure about 2.5mm connectors..maybe solder for those. but its not hard as soldering goes. not circuitry to fry, so rather forgiving. roll of 16awg wire is cheap. 50 feet http://www.radioshack.com/prod....jsp?productId=2102569 12 bucks
probably similar at frys
just get a cheap iron and give it a go or find screw plugs. no need for an ugly midwire splice. if u mess up u just cut the bit off and try again

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: Howard
You could do it, but I would prefer that you soldered the wire and sealed it with heat-shrink tubing.

This is the correct answer

edit: Although I've twisted and taped more times then I could list and it's never failed me yet.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: Howard
You could do it, but I would prefer that you soldered the wire and sealed it with heat-shrink tubing.

This is the correct answer

edit: Although I've twisted and taped more times then I could list and it's never failed me yet.

Overkill.

And most likely you would melt the insulation further back on the wire before the copper took the solder unless you have a low-wattage soldering iron meant for 'delicate' work.

A butt splice - either the plastic crimp or the fancy heat shrink - will be fine. 'Stagger' or offset the joints.

And, as you said, a clean 'twist and tape' will just work

 

[dwell]

Miscalculated my wire job when I got my floors re-done and had to extend about three feet. Did a patch job and on my rear speakers and have not heard any interference or signal degradation.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: Howard
You could do it, but I would prefer that you soldered the wire and sealed it with heat-shrink tubing.

This is the correct answer
edit: Although I've twisted and taped more times then I could list and it's never failed me yet.

Overkill.
And most likely you would melt the insulation further back on the wire before the copper took the solder unless you have a low-wattage soldering iron meant for 'delicate' work.
A butt splice - either the plastic crimp or the fancy heat shrink - will be fine. 'Stagger' or offset the joints.
And, as you said, a clean 'twist and tape' will just work

You have it backwards; you need a high-power iron that can heat the wire at the splice point sufficiently to melt and flow the solder before enough heat is wicked down the wire to melt the insulation.

FWIW, this type of "Environmental Splice" is a very secure butt splice that is sealed from humidity and corrosion, and has a smaller outside diameter than conventional insulated crimp connectors.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Only silver has a higher thermal conductivity than copper.

That splice is cool - but there are translucent 'heat shrink' butt splices specifically made for an application like this. They cost around fitty cents each in packets of five.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Only silver has a higher thermal conductivity than copper.

I'm not sure what Silver vs Copper thermal conductivity has to do with anything, but you are correct (among affordable wire materials*).

That splice is cool - but there are translucent 'heat shrink' butt splices specifically made for an application like this. They cost around fitty cents each in packets of five.

"Environmental Splices" are the industry standard in aircraft (and avionics) wiring. Good secure connection, hermetically sealed, and minimal additional wire bulk at the splice.

edit: *

 

[destrekor]

Yeah on my longest wire run, which is about 25', maybe a little shorter... I had it running across the floor underneath my door in my bedroom (in-between the two sections of carpeting). Used to have it covered with duct tape so I wouldn't trip over it, but after removing it a few times because I take my surround setup to school with me now, I didn't tape it back up.

Sadly, the dog, when she was still somewhat of a puppy, had a thing for chewing anything. Shoes, stuffed animals, comforters (really likes that polyfill), and whatever else you can imagine... including that speaker wire mentioned above.
My longest run, she had to chew up. Ugh. Little bitch.

She chewed it towards the end with the speaker attached. But I didn't have any cable, and I still haven't replaced it half a year later. I might do that this summer though, just buy a new 25' spool and use that as the wire run.

But I just took the two halves, separated the + and - halves some so I could work with it, stripped the plastic and twisted the wire together, then covered each with black electrical tape. Has worked beautifully, and haven't noticed any impacts during listening. Though it got snagged once and separated, but quickly repatched, even using the same tape, and buried it underneath the cut of carpet we have here at school.

 

[CallMeJoe]

The biggest danger of the twist-and-tape is not degradation of the audio signal, but the possibility of somehow pulling the splice apart (perhaps by tripping over the wire), having the exposed wires short together, and thereby destroying your amplifier. Solder splice or a quality crimp job is far safer.

 

[Aharami]

I ended up just using wire nuts since wire is hidden behind a couch and I cant tell the difference in sound quality