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stereo speaker wiring question

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 6inarow, Dec 17, 2009.

  1. 6inarow
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 2,361

    6inarow
    Member

    Did a search and can't find the answer. I am an idiot with some wiring issues so I need some help. yeah, yeah I know stereos/radios might not be totally trad, but what the hell, the car came with a radio in it when I got it in '74.

    56 chevy radio converted to AM/FM. Speaker wires available for 2 front speakers, 2 rear speakers. I will use 1 front and 1 rear. So, there is one pair of wires for each speaker. The speaker has 2 pair of wires coming from each speaker. Speakers are 6x9 dual voice coil speakers.

    How do I wire the speakers?
     
  2. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    show pictures of the speakers ..even if they had 4 voice coil there should only be 1 + and 1 - on each speaker if there is more just hook up all the positives to + and all the negitives to -..
     
  3. nico32
    Joined: Oct 30, 2008
    Posts: 716

    nico32
    Member
    from fdl, wi

    One side should be (+) and the other being (-), most likely. If you can't post a picture, the model number and brand should help find some info on it.

    If the terminals aren't labeled, it really won't make a difference as long as your wiring one side negative and one side positive and since it's basically alternating current that causes the speaker to move and make noise. Also, running one wire to operate both voice coils should be fine.
     
  4. oldtruckadmirer
    Joined: Dec 7, 2009
    Posts: 5

    oldtruckadmirer
    Member

    What type( brand and model ) speakers are you planning on running?

    If they are truly dual voice coil( not doubting you BTW ), They will have 2 sets of input wires( as you described ). You could simply run the front left and right wire pairs( + and - ) to each set of terminals on the speaker. left front pos and neg to one one set of terminals and front right pos and neg to the other set.

    Then simply do the same for the rear speaker. This way you are running all four sets of wiring to just two speakers. You will not get the stereo separation of the speakers mounted apart, but will get the stereo signal keeping you from having gaps in the sound( like when instruments are located on different sides of a recording studio for example ).

    Dual voice coil 6x9's aren't that common in car audio, but I have seen DVC speakers made for ceiling mounts in homes and businesses.

    If you need to identify the positive and negative wiring coming off of the speakers, quickly touch the pair of wires to a nine volt battery and release. The speaker cone should move outward when wired correctly.

    Another option would be to use 4 smaller speakers in pairs( like 4 inch coaxials ) mounted onto a plate made from wood, that will fit in the factory speaker locations. Then just wire the 4 speakers like normal.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2009

  5. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    We should make him build some crossover circuits
     
  6. nico32
    Joined: Oct 30, 2008
    Posts: 716

    nico32
    Member
    from fdl, wi

  7. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    Joking, i was joking!
     
  8. 6inarow
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 2,361

    6inarow
    Member

    I read the tech articles. I dont see that crossover circuits will work with a 235 will they??
     
  9. Whats a stereo? :confused:
     
  10. 6inarow
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 2,361

    6inarow
    Member

    any number of devices that allow you to (barely) hear ZZ Top and the like over the exhaust at highway speed
     
  11. 6inarow
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 2,361

    6inarow
    Member

    here we go. I assume red is +, black is - but I dont know what is = and - from the stereo - those wires are gray, white, blue violet.....

    any suggestions welcome
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 18, 2009
  12. Jim Sideways
    Joined: Sep 29, 2009
    Posts: 141

    Jim Sideways
    Member
    from Ohio

    You won't blow up the speakers if you wired them wrong. You would think you could get a test light and see what wire is what +,-. If that don't work hook them up and see what sounds the best and leave it that way. I've done that guessing game before with speakers when I was younger, switched them back and forth found what I liked and they sounded great. call 911 if any problems may occur LOL!!!!! ( Maybe an Ohm meter and go to a ground off each wire with the power shut off. You would think that would tell you what is -.... Good Luck
     
  13. MercMan1951
    Joined: Feb 24, 2003
    Posts: 2,654

    MercMan1951
    Member

    Those speakers were ment to replace an old-style mono (one) original factory speaker...but in a car equipped with a more modern left & right channel radio (stereo). So you could hook up your newer radio left and right channels to just one speaker, if you only have one mounting location.

    That doesn't sound like your case, so if you have two of those speakers, just mount them where you want, run the right channel wires from the radio to the right speaker, and the same for the left. Ignore the extra terminals/wires. You'll only need 2 wires to each speaker.

    If you have only one speaker, but a stereo radio, connect the left and the right leads out of the radio up to that one speaker.

    The wires coming off the radio should be labeled Right +, Right -, Left + and Left-. If not, do a search on google to find out what your wires and which side L or R are based on the model. Search for something like "kenwood speaker wiring". I've had some luck finding schematics like that.

    Make sense?

    http://www.casmfg.com/DVC_Speakers.htm

    .
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2009
  14. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    on the speakers ya run + to + and - to - but this isnt your problem sounds like your stereo only has 1 wire per channel ..if this is correct i think you can ground the - and use the 1 wire from each output on the stereo show me a picture of the wire harness from the back of the radio..on a good stereo there is 8 wires 2 grey 2 white 2 purple and 2 green usaully for every 2 wires 1 is + and 1 is -

    now for the fronts you will run the solid white to the -
    and the white black to the + on the left front speaker
    do the same for the grey but its to the right front
    rears are left rear i think is green and right speaker is purple
    than you got the red 12v key on
    yellow 12v constant
    solid blue is remote to turn on a amplifier
    blue with a white stripe power antenna led
    black always ground
    sometimes theres a orange for dimmer dont use it ..
    that should help you out preety good ..
    let me know

    just looked at the wires again is the stereo you are using one of those factory chevy replacments??? if it is than the wires you have are ment to plug into the factory gm harness.post a picture of the back of the stereo and wires so i can see ..

    went back and re read this again ..you are only asking to run 1 speaker in front and 1 in the rear and there 6x9's dual voice coils just jump on the 6x9 + to + and than on one of the side + to the stereo than again on the - side same thing ..should work fine
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2009
  15. nico32
    Joined: Oct 30, 2008
    Posts: 716

    nico32
    Member
    from fdl, wi

    I think lorodz pretty much covered it all
     
  16. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    Looks to me like the speaker has two sets of connections on it, one pair is Right, the other pair is Left. So you just connect the Right wires to one side of the speaker, and the Left wires to the other side.

    If the terminals on the wires are the wrong size, cut them off and crimp on the correct size terminals.
     
  17. hotrod56cars
    Joined: Apr 3, 2007
    Posts: 466

    hotrod56cars
    Member

    I have been installing stereo's professionaly since 1987, lorodz has your answer nailed with the exception that the speakers will be wired backwards which will cause no ill affects. White is actually left front positive, white/black is actually left front negative, etc...
     
  18. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    I can't make heads or tails of what lorodz said. Sorry.

    I think this is what you need to do.
     

    Attached Files:

  19. BBYBMR
    Joined: Apr 27, 2007
    Posts: 612

    BBYBMR
    Member

    I think this is what you need to do

    Yep
     
  20. If the stereo is set up for four speakers and you only run two, don't you use either just the wires for the rear, or the front, only (it makes no difference which), and wire one as left and one as right? The other wires just tape up the connections and don't use them, and if it has a fader turn it all the way to whichever direction you wired it for.

    At least that's how I'd try it.


    You can usually get away with powering the radio and doing some trial and error connections without hurtning anything. At least that's what I did on a '99 GMC a few weeks ago. I got the CD player installed and discovered it was a very user-unfriendly piece of crap (I couldn't even figure out how to reset the clock), so I let it go with the van.
     
  21. 6inarow
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 2,361

    6inarow
    Member

    Thats exactly what I did - seems to work fine. evidently the 235 doesn't affect it at all
     
  22. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    yea sorry about the mess up with the positive and negitive ..havnt wired a stereo in a while ...but either way if you did it the way i said or the way someone else said as long as all the positives were on positive and negitive on negitive it should work fine ....hope all this helped
     

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