Extending speaker wire?


Hi all,

I have a set of speaker cables, unterminated, that are not quite long enough for the intended purpose. I have another, shorter set of the same cable lying around as well. Is it ok to simply braid or solder these cables together, creating a longer run of cable? It seems to good to be true, but I thought I'd ask the experts.

Thanks!
lousyreeds1

Showing 2 responses by almarg

In a mid-fi setup I can't imagine that you would hear the slightest degradation, IF you both braid and solder, properly (and then insulate, of course, using shrink tubing or at least electrical tape). If you just braid, even if you did it well enough to assure good contact over an adequate surface area, integrity of the contact would likely degrade over time due to oxidation.

Regards,
-- Al
Keep in mind that the first rule of proper soldering is "heat the part, not the solder."

If you heat the braided joint, and then touch the solder to it, the solder will flow and distribute itself properly. If, as many inexperienced people might be tempted to do, you heat the solder as you are holding it against the joint, the wire may not get hot enough to assure proper flow.

Good luck!

-- Al