How to Test for Speaker Wire Polarity

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By Ty Arthur
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (5 Ratings)

Test for Speaker Wire Polarity

If the positive ends of your speaker wires are not properly connected to the positive ends of your amplifier, your overall sound suffers a drop in quality. While you can purchase expensive devices to test polarity, you can an also follow these very simple steps that only use a 9-volt battery.

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Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Speaker system Amplifier 9-volt battery

Step 1

Unplug your speaker system from the outlet and remove any wires connected to electrical devices, such as a television or sound system.
Step 2

Find the wire that is connected from either a speaker or the subwoofer to the amplifier and remove it from the amplifier end.
Step 3

Connect the unsheathed end of the wire to either of the coils on top of the 9-volt battery.
Step 4

Watch the rings on the speaker or subwoofer to see which direction it moves.
Step 5

Check for an inward movement of the speaker or subwoofer rings, which indicates that the polarity of the wire is incorrect. Reverse the wire before reconnecting it.

Tips & Warnings

If the ring moves outward, the connections in the wiring are set up correctly and do not need to be changed. Reconnect the wire to the amplifier as it was originally.

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