How to connect 4.2mm speaker connectors to a receiver

[shaysaysHAHA]

Hi, I was looking to get a new receiver with more features, but unfortunately my speaker connectors have a 4.2mm connector on the end of each speaker wire. I can't seem to find any receivers that have 4.2mm speaker ports, but I really don't want to buy new speakers in addition to a receiver. I have included pics of the speaker connectors and what the ports they plug into look like. I'm curious if anyone knows of any receivers with 4.2mm ports, or if there's a way to convert 4.2mm jacks into a standard speaker connector.

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[RodChester]

The easiest thing to do is just cut the 4.2 connectors off and rewire the ends of the cables. Either add some banana plugs or connect the wires directly to the receiver.

[shaysaysHAHA]

Originally Posted by RodChester

The easiest thing to do is just cut the 4.2 connectors off and rewire the ends of the cables. Either add some banana plugs or connect the wires directly to the receiver.

I've been thinking of doing that but I'm afraid I'll mess up and wreck the cables (and they're hardwired to the speakers so if they break I'm screwed).

[RodChester]

The chance of ruining the cables is virtually nonexistent. They are just regular speaker wire that has been terminated into the connection you have on there now. I doubt you will be able to find another receiver that has what you are looking for with those type of connections. From looking at your pictures, I think the hardest part will be determining which wire is the ground.

[shaysaysHAHA]

Originally Posted by RodChester

The chance of ruining the cables is virtually nonexistent. They are just regular speaker wire that has been terminated into the connection you have on there now. I doubt you will be able to find another receiver that has what you are looking for with those type of connections. From looking at your pictures, I think the hardest part will be determining which wire is the ground.

Is there a way to tell once you have them connected if you have positive & negative mixed up? Like will the speakers sound different or not work?

[RodChester]

I'm not a 100% sure, but they will probably sound different. It doesn't look like those wires are marked on the outside. However, they may be marked on the inside. You won't be able to tell until you cut the wires though.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by shaysaysHAHA

Is there a way to tell once you have them connected if you have positive & negative mixed up? Like will the speakers sound different or not work?

You might be able to find the schematics of your current system on-line, but if you plug in the wrong cable you'll know soon enough. Just make sure the volume is down before you turn the receiver on.

But I believe the - is on the left and the + is on the right. That's assuming you're looking at the back of the system they originate from. - and + is how most speakers are set up.

[jautor]

Originally Posted by shaysaysHAHA

Hi, I was looking to get a new receiver with more features, but unfortunately my speaker connectors have a 4.2mm connector on the end of each speaker wire. I can't seem to find any receivers that have 4.2mm speaker ports, but I really don't want to buy new speakers in addition to a receiver.

As others have said, the connectors are just there for convenience and can be snipped off to give you the two wires needed for connection.

However, from your picture these speakers are part of a Home-Theater-in-a-Box (HTiB) system, and this could be a major problem, and it's the same reason I steer folks clear of those systems in general.

Those speakers may be rated at a very small impedance (like 2-3 ohms) instead of the "normal" 8-ohms. If so, they are incompatible with any AVR you'd buy - you could damage the AVR and are likely to run into overheating/overdriving the AVR (which will cause it to shut down randomly).

What brand/model is the HTiB system? If you can look in the manual for the specifications of the speakers, you can tell if they'll be ok or not. All AVRs are rated for 8-ohm speakers, and depending on brand/model, 4 or 6-ohm speakers may also be compatible.

Hope that helps,

Jeff

[pjb3]

Most true speaker wire will have one side marked, usually there is printing or marks molded into the outside of one of the wires. Based on your picture I would look for dashes or lines molded into one side of the wire. It doesn't matter which wire of the pair you make positive and which you make negative as long as you treat all the wires the same.

If you do reverse polarity on a speaker it will not harm anything. If the wires are reversed the speakers will be out of phase which means the cone of one speaker will be moving forward while the cone in the other speaker is moving backward. The result will be a "thinner" sound since the sound waves are cancelling each other. If you think the wires are reversed, change the positive and negative on the speaker and if the sound is fuller you are correct.

Jautor does make a good point about impedance.