Listening to music is a wonderful hobby. It’s relaxing and fun. It’s also a great social activity because you can play your favorite music to your friends either at a listening session or as background music during parties.
But in order to properly enjoy music you’ll need to set up your hifi system properly. And part of this setup is wiring your speakers. It’s not as hard as you think it is. Here is a straightforward guide.
1. Look for speakers that will fit your requirements.
There are a lot of speaker brands out there as well as different speaker types. Do you need floorstanders or bookshelf speakers? Each type of speaker will have its own features, specifications and benefits. For example, floorstanders can generate the bass that most people love, it is also a great choice for people who love to play their music in large, open spaces. But the downside is that it occupies a bit of space and can be hard to drive. Bookshelf speakers are small and may not generate a lot of bass but it is compact and can fit anywhere. (Check out our article on tips for buying speakers.)
2. Compute your speakers’ power.
Do some computations regarding the power the speakers have and also the power that they can actually handle. Try to find out the ohm rating of the amplifier you’re going to use as well. One that has a 16 ohm rating will generate really good sound signals. It is also more efficient.
Check the ohm rating of the speakers and add them up. Small speakers should have a total ohm rating of 16 ohms. Speakers that have ohm ratings higher than 16 will tax the amplifiers, causing it to overheat.
4. Check the speakers’ polarities.
4Remember the polarity of the speakers and the amplifier’s speaker terminals. Attach the positive output of the amplifier to the positive input of the speaker. The same thing goes for the negative output and input of the speaker and the amplifier.
5. Test your speakers.
Once you’ve connected all of the speakers double check that you have connected all of them correctly. You can now test your speakers if it the connection works. Start with a low volume first. Do not overexert the speakers especially if it is brand new. Speakers need a ‘burn in’ period. Different experts have different opinions about how long the burn in should be though the common suggestion is 100 hours. You can burn in your speakers by playing different types of music at low to medium volumes. Don’t play music too loudly during the burn in period to avoid damaging the speakers.
6. Arrange your speakers.
Once you’ve determined that the speakers had been connected correctly you can arrange the speaker wires in its permanent place.
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