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Prepping the Plug End of Cable

Prepping the Plug End of Cable

Polarity

Before we prep the plug end of the cable we need to know a few things first.

I seen this asked a lot in the Klipsch Forums.

How do you know what's the positive end on the plug?

What surprised me was the lack of an answer, because it is important to get the polarity correct for the drivers(speakers) to operate properly. When the driver receives the signal from the amp, it causes the cone to be "pumped" outward.

Granted, you'll still hear sound from the speakers if the polarity is reversed, but it's kind of "muddy"(to my ear at least).

Another reason for checking polarity is to keep the speakers in phase. That is the speaker cones are all going in or out at the same time, if the left and right are out of phase it will sound like the sound is coming from the sides with a mono sound, it should sound like it is in the middle.

How to find the "Plus" side.

The tip of the plug is the "Plus" side.

How did you find out?

This is where the Ohm Meter comes into play. It's a quick and simple procedure. Take one of the speaker wires that came with the set. Touch the wire with the "positive"(red) stripe, with one of the probes from the ohm meter. With the other probe, touch the tip of the plug. Your meter should read 0 resistance.

Now if you don't have a meter, that's OK, I did the figuring out part for you, this is one of the reasons I wrote this article.

Another way to check, without a meter, is to use talcum powder, yes you read that right!

The only downside to this way of testing is, you do it after the wire is made. Lay the speaker so the cone is facing towards the ceiling, play some music at a normal volume, take a very tiny pinch of powder and sprinkle it near the center of the cone and watch it. The powder will "climb" up the cone, if you have the polarity backwards it will gather in the center of the cones lowest point.

Use the same procedure to find out the "plus" side in the plug. Hint: it's the short one. In the picture below, the red probe is touching the "plus" side connector in the plug.

OK, Let's Continue

Again, with the razor blade, split the wire about 1 inch.

Place the wire up to the contacts in the plug, making sure the wire with the white stripe("Plus side"), is touching the "Plus" contact. With your wire cutters, cut the other wire where it lines up with the other contact. See pic below.

Here's what you should end up with.

Now strip the ends about 3/16 of an inch, twist, clean, tin.

Surprise! Pop Quiz

If you've been paying attention, you should be asking yourself, at this point.

Why are we prepping the plug end of the cable for soldering, when the plugs are "solderless"?

Good question!

Next...Answer and Next Move





Prepping the Plug End of Cable Prepping the Plug End of Cable Polarity Before we prep the plug end of the cable we need to know a few things first. I seen this asked a lot in the Klipsch Forums. How do you know what's the positive end on the plug? What surprised me was the lack of an answer, because it is important to get the polarity correct for the drivers(speakers) to operate properly. When the driver receives the signal from the amp, it causes the cone to be "pumped" outward. Granted, you'll still hear sound from the speakers if the polarity is reversed, but it's kind of "muddy"(to my ear at least). Another reason for checking polarity is to keep the speakers in phase. That is the speaker cones are all going in or out at the same time, if the left and right are out of phase it will sound like the sound is coming from the sides with a mono sound, it should sound like it is in the middle. How to find the "Plus" side. The tip of the plug is the "Plus" side. How did you find out? This is where the Ohm Meter comes into play. It's a quick and simple procedure. Take one of the speaker wires that came with the set. Touch the wire with the "positive"(red) stripe, with one of the probes from the ohm meter. With the other probe, touch the tip of the plug. Your meter should read 0 resistance. Now if you don't have a meter, that's OK, I did the figuring out part for you, this is one of the reasons I wrote this article. Another way to check, without a meter, is to use talcum powder, yes you read that right! The only downside to this way of testing is, you do it after the wire is made. Lay the speaker so the cone is facing towards the ceiling, play some music at a normal volume, take a very tiny pinch of powder and sprinkle it near the center of the cone and watch it. The powder will "climb" up the cone, if you have the polarity backwards it will gather in the center of the cones lowest point. Use the same procedure to find out the "plus" side in the plug. Hint: it's the short one. In the picture below, the red probe is touching the "plus" side connector in the plug. OK, Let's Continue Again, with the razor blade, split the wire about 1 inch. Place the wire up to the contacts in the plug, making sure the wire with the white stripe("Plus side"), is touching the "Plus" contact. With your wire cutters, cut the other wire where it lines up with the other contact. See pic below. Here's what you should end up with. Now strip the ends about 3/16 of an inch, twist, clean, tin. Surprise! Pop Quiz If you've been paying attention, you should be asking yourself, at this point. Why are we prepping the plug end of the cable for soldering, when the plugs are "solderless"? Good question! Next...Answer and Next Move	Try These Mods! DigitalDiva Floor Stands DigitalDiva Wall Mounts Heresy Speaker Stands LightZ Mr PC Pro Cable Mod