POSITIVE VS NEGATIVE: Does Speaker Wiring Matter?

[@AudioUniversity]

Need help setting up your speaker system? Check out these free resources I've created for you... Speaker Placement Guide: audiouniversityonline.com/speaker-placement-guide/ Speaker Specs Guide: audiouniversityonline.com/speaker-specs-guide/

[@davidgomez5116]

Very nice quality video thx audio university

[@ITALJUTE]

Thank you. I learned something.

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to hear that, Italjute! Thanks!

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

Note that classic JBL and Tannoy drivers were built so that if wired CORRECTLY and faced with a positive voltage the cone would retract rather than push outward.

[@achalbhoir1359]

Hi, I'm using 3'rd speaker in standard stereo speakers with common ground/negative pin I added 3'rd speaker between both positive wires of 2 speakers and it's provides surround sound for stereo songs, problem is some songs have badly editing creates noises in that 3rd speaker Would you like to try making video on this? Also if your amplifier has bridge configuration (no common ground for speaker or floating) then you can connect 4 speakers 2 as surround sound speakers

[@godfreydaniel6278]

Many years ago an audio technician gave me what was a revolutionary clue - adding a third speaker to a stereo pair - wired from the positive output terminal of each, and placed behind the listener, in direct opposition to the stereo pair - created a third channel which reproduced everything in the source material that was recorded out of phase (and would otherwise be unheard), resulting in a VERY three-dimensional audio experience. I loved it and it usually blew friends and guests away. Worked best in a room longer than wide. Did my set-ups that way for years...

[@pterafirma]

Klipsch Heresy was originally developed as a center channel speaker to use between a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls.

[@sailr8]

I have spent a hour trying to find out how to find the pos and neg post on speakers. My new speakers came with no papers. Thank you.

[@robertspringer9477]

sailr8, did you buy those speakers from a guy with a white van on a street corner?

[@DougMen1]

The inputs on the speakers aren't color coded red and black? Almost all speakers and amps are, with red being positive and black being negative

[@robertspringer9477]

It doesn't matter which post is which as long as you match amp to speaker on both left and right channels, you will be fine.

[@natanpierce495]

Me to. Here is what I posted: Here is a question I have: I have two older vintage ADS speakers and the back terminals have neither positive or negative (red nor black) indicators. How do I know which to connect my speaker wires too?

[@DiamondDog_]

@@natanpierce495 the larger connector pin is positive and the small one is negative.

[@AsBaile]

I did this some years go. I had a six-speaker setup: two in front, two in back and two speakers on top of each other in a corner facing the wall. For the corner speaker sets, I inverted the top speaker and the bottom one was wired normally. It really enhanced the overall audio experience, especially in low range frequencies. If you ever try this, the perfect song that bring this out is "Revolution Earth" by The B-52's. Part of the song is played out of phase and the corner speakers, with one wired out-of-phase, really makes that part of the song burst out. It is quite remarkable.

[@BlueRice]

audiophile comes in different flavor - not just about how high quality sound is. i used to mess with speaker set up too. i would face certain speaker against the wall and others direct to me. the sound that scatter or bounce from the wall sound remarkable and different almost like its own full phased sounds stage on its own. this was during that time where 5.1 channel was new to consumer. people think i was into something that doesnt make the sounds sound any better. just like i like downward firing sub woofer. now you see a lot of audiophile who would mess with speaker setup the way we do. just like dolby atmos, those speaker have a upward firing to the ceiling. i even used search for song that had only instrument and vocal separately. play one side of the room vocal and other side instrument. it sounded really good.

[@JoeJ-8282]

Proper polarity also helps create proper soundstaging and imaging among a properly set up stereo PAIR of speakers while you're listening to them in their sweet spot. However, unless you're really listening for it, or if you're not at all an "audiophile", and instead you only "listen" to music as "background fill" and you don't really pay attention to it, then you're probably NOT going to ever even notice OR care about any phase or polarity inversions among your speakers OR in the music played through them.

[@warrenschultz2735]

Well that is the best video I have ever seen describing sound waves from a speaker and polarity...good job

[@x-man5056]

Me too but I've only seen this one.

[@2coolentertainment]

@@x-man5056 lol

[@dennisjoiner4164]

Hello Kyle. Your posts are very professional and helpful. I also appreciate that you have calm, understated intro instead of a crash/bang/boom one. Many thanks from a subscriber.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Dennis! I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos.

[@Gilbert-i8z]

​@@AudioUniversityI have two 6.5 speakers in the back of my car, how do I wire them to my amp if I want both of them on one channel? I only use them for mids and highs, no bass. I have another amp for my bass

[@bamaslamma1003]

Most people don't know this. Lamp cord has ridges in the insulation on one of the conductors. That helps you remember which wire is the hot and neutral. Yes, I use lamp cord as speaker wire. If it can carry mains voltage (120v 60hz here in the USA) to a light bulb, it can carry audio signals to a speaker. After all, audio signals are electricity.

[@willdwyer6782]

When used as a power cord, the side with the ridges on the insulation is hot and the side without the ridges is neutral.

[@kc4cvh]

Low-voltage lighting wire is even better, it's just oversized lamp cord with 14 or 12-AWG stranded conductors. Removing the pretentiousness associated with "speaker cable" leads to big savings.

[@bamaslamma1003]

@@kc4cvh All the "audiophiles" buying overpriced speaker wire are being robbed. I refuse to pay $100 for something I can get at the hardware store for 25 cents a foot. As the old saying goes, " a fool and his money are soon parted."

[@JZStudiosonline]

Audio signals aren't electricity. They're tiny consecutive EMPs that get inhibited by non-uniform wire components on a molecular level. This is why OFC is so important, and also why you can *hear* the difference, but can't measure it when using silver cables with a perfect crystalline structure. It's lesser known, but the cables should also be free floating so the EMP isn't obstructed by walls or the floor.

[@testthisfordecficiencies]

Lamp cord! Your that guy that irritates pros. Jokes aside, most speaker cable is colour coded, so one should never be using power cords.

[@gumpi5]

03:47 wow, even with my low-quality computer speakers I'd noticed a really big difference. The bass is completely gone when only one speaker was "wired wrong"

[@exponentmantissa5598]

The quickest sanity check is point both speakers at each other. If bass suddenly disappears you will know they are wired oppositely.

[@KB4QAA]

@@MyRackley I have some magic wood knobs I'd like to sell you for an outrageous price. It will make your stereo mind blowing. The silliness that passes for knowledge in the audio world is crazy.

[@DingbatToast]

@@MyRackley I have done this in the past and it works great for significantly reducing volume while allowing the cones to move. Your neighbours will love you for it.

[@FurtiveSkeptical]

Out of phase, each speaker is working to cancel each other out. The result is the impression of lower bass volume.

[@glasslinger]

Note that your position in the room with respect to the two speakers will determine which polarity is "correct," and that will be only for a small range of frequencies. For higher frequencies even changing the position of your head can noticeably affect how the sound is perceived.

[@sk22ng]

As a fellow audiophile I have known this for at least 40 years since reading about it in a magazine called Stereo Review back in the day.

[@Chris-Ould]

I had a problem on stage where we had two floor monitors for the lead vocalist. She called me up and said something sounds strange. We ended up removing one of the floor monitors from the stage to continue the show. When I investigated the two monitors at home, I found one of them to have reversed polarity soldered that way from the factory ! I fixed the connection and on the next show the problem was solved.

[@JDPlay25]

that's why my car speaker sound ugly, then when i fix it, Thanks to this video, my speaker sound perfect. the sound is clear and the bass, damn it feels good

[@AudioUniversity]

I’m glad to read this, Jerome!

[@M0D60]

MAN, this is xcllnt. Been listening to music for 60yrs. (Maranta,JBL,tube amps) Never realized importance of polarity. Tq.

[@x-man5056]

If you've messed with tube amplifiers and "Never realized importance of polarity", you need to get a different hobby, you can't continue to be the luckiest man on earth for ever. "Shocking" in more ways than one.

[@real2reel947]

Polarity works in all kinds of ways, believe it or not we have subwoofer set ups for larger venues that rely on reverse Polarity for specifically placed cabinets to help shield the stage from unwanted reactions and also helps with live monitoring setups.... it weird man...... and very easy to screw up large sound lol....

[@jonthebru]

While working as a DJ in the 70s the engineer installed a new turntable and somehow switched the polarity of one of the audio lines. The result was easily heard with the early stereo mixes, examples of which would be early Beatles recordings. The vocals were cancelled out, they could still be heard but weren't up to a true stereo sound. The issue went through the board to the transmitter to the listeners radio! As soon as it was mentioned to the engineer he knew exactly what had happened and fixed it.

[@GeorgeGeorge-xj2bc]

Many years ago i was working in car stereo installation shop.In the car environment the difference of speaker opposite polarity is very well audible because the bass of the sound is hugely degrated.One speaker moves its cone forward while the other moves backward,one pushes the air and the other pulls the same amound of air and the total amound of air pressure in near zero.To fix this is enough to reverse polarity of one speaker to bring speakers in phase,it has no matter how are they connected in the output polarity as long as they have the same polarity wiring.

[@markdouglas8073]

And they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You just taught me one. Subscribed.

[@ASHWACREATIONS]

This is called proper education. Thanks bro

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks!

[@Yoda8945]

You touched on polarity reversal on one speaker. There is something else not mentioned and that is absolute polarity in a sound system. Some recordings are sensitive to that, particularly stereo recordings made with a stereo pair of microphones in Blumlein, ORTF, OSS, Coincident pair, and others. I have heard Sheffield Lab Direct to Disc piano recordings that sounded better and more realistic if the speaker set was wired(Both) in reverse polarity. the difference is subtle, but it exists.

[@AudioUniversity]

Interesting - this is a highly debated topic, but I’ve heard convincing accounts on each side. Thanks for sharing, Yoda8945!

[@markrigg6623]

Confirmation bias most likely.

[@Yoda8945]

@@markrigg6623 Not really. In the studio, we found out that some voices sounded better while recording by switch polarity on the input channel of the board. It is due to the asymmetry of the audio. Other instruments such as kick drums make quite a bit of difference as to absolute polarity. The difference between the initial impulse of the woofer moving toward or away from is definitely audible.

[@mrsandroks]

I only could get it from this video from a couple of videos I have watched. I'm totally subscribed. Thanks.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks! I’m glad you found what you were looking for!

[@NiMareQ]

seek fast 2:34 correct polarity both 2:42 inverted polarity both 3:31 mixed polarity

[@ErichNolanBertussi]

well put slim. concise yet informative without missing detail.

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@maxcalderon3070]

This very clear.

[@lesjones5684]

What 😂

[@marguslehiste3763]

U learn something new every day , never paid atention on my speaker wiring , quess i have to go and check my wiring.

[@thomasstambaugh5181]

Don't bother, this is snake oil. The +/- markings are for convenience in keeping the two sides of a stereo speaker configuration in phase. That's the only thing that matters.

[@cindycooper1197]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Because of your video I was able to figure out the positive vs negative on my subwoofer. I've been asking and asking these guys for help and I just got tired of waiting. Now I can figure this out without anybody's help. Thanks again I sure do appreciate it ;-) take care

[@Pocokcic]

Hi Cindy, it is very simple. Red is positive and black is negative. Mostly speaker cables are these colours Or if the plastic is not colour coded then there is other method. In my car one wire is copper and the other is aluminium, tha plastic is transparent. In my car copper wire is the positive and aluminum is the negative.

[@achalbhoir1359]

5:17 caution for viewers that Don't do that for long period like 3 or 4 seconds else speaker will POP out ( cause you are applying DC voltages to speaker's coil which is very thin, and most of the speakers impedance is 4 or 8 ohms max that will give you straight equ for short circuit current with 9 volt battery)

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for pointing this out! You're right. I've removed the demonstration from the video and will be posting an updated demonstration video with additional information on preventing damage to the voice coil.

[@NiMareQ]

@@AudioUniversity New video upload or will you update this one? I noticed that my timestamps were offset 16 seconds suddenly :)

[@nottingtohide]

Didn't hear a noticeable difference till 1992's Amused to Death by Roger Waters, featuring holophonic surround sound from two speakers. Read in the preview release to play it back with the speakers in phase to enjoy surround sound from two speakers or headphones. David Gilmour showed off quad headphones on Sounds paper in 1983, photo of him smiling with headphones on, article underneath, but never heard any more about quad headphones after that. We had quad on the 8 track cartridges, great sound in the car.

[@dwalker399]

I had a quad 8 track in my 64 VW convertible in the early 70s. The Beatles white album in quad was insane!

[@robertokenneth9821]

Nice job. I immediately checked my speaker connections!

[@westelaudio943]

The speaker cone moves outward when positive voltage is applied... This is only true for DC or frequencies way below any resonance. Throughout the usable band, this is more often not the case than it is, because a speaker system is resonant and reactive, thus the phase response is rather chaotic, far from an "ideal" linear motor. That's also the reason why dissimilar speaker drivers (or system s) shouldn't simultaneously play the same band for wide portions, the chance of not having cancellation issues at certain frequencies is practically zero. I'm sure you know and simplified it for the sake of argument though. This should be clarified to prevent confusion.

[@AudioUniversity]

Very well said, @WESTEL Audio. Thank you.

[@hugeshows]

Additionally, not all speakers move outward with positive DC applied. JBL drivers of the 70s and 80s come to mind. The 9V battery test is good most of the time, but will get you in trouble with drivers like the aforementioned JBLs.

[@migats2160]

I did notice a difference when you switched the polarities by listening to the drums. If the punch starts with a push, the drums sound a little bit more punchy than when it pulls. It will give you the illusion of the sound exploding outwards rather than imploding inwards.

[@nikkic36]

Years ago I saw at a trade show a speaker cab with 2 drivers facing each other 1 with normal polarity and the other with reverse polarity

[@TheCandoheavy]

Thank you very much, really good lesson, loved the battery trick explanation.

[@davecox1588]

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. Ultra professional. My Heat Light and Sound physics professor could learn from the clarity here !

[@lm8098]

Great yet simplified explanation of the topic, great video, thanks for sharing it!!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@webappzservices7749]

Simple, straight-forward and precise! ... your videos are always useful Kyle. Thank you.

[@DougMen1]

Some amplifiers maintain absolute polarity and some don't, depending on their design and the number of gain stages in them. John Atkinson from Stereophile always mentions this in any amp he tests. And, many speakers have some drivers wired in reverse from other drivers, depending on the crossover used, and which wiring gives the flattest and most in phase response. There have been some blind tests done to see if people coud hear a difference when both speakers in a stereo pair were wired reversed, and if maintaining absolute polarity was audible, but I believe the results were inconclusive. IMO, if it were obviously audible, then all amps would be designed to maintin absolute polarity

[@testthisfordecficiencies]

I have found a few amps wired wrong during commissioning over my career. Its a pain to find sometimes, as you always expect the factory to get it right. Especially with pro gear.

[@no1unorightnow]

The physics of your ear do not permit you to detect polarity (though you can detect the phase issues from mixed polarities).

[@testthisfordecficiencies]

@@no1unorightnow Phase is the actual conversation here. I'm not sure OP grasps this as reversed polarity is exactly 180 degrees out for phase. Any delay in circuitry would be in audible and immeasurable with audio tools.

[@no1unorightnow]

@@testthisfordecficiencies No, phase is different from polarity as phase is frequency-dependant and can be interfered with by outside things like walls, ceilings, tables, etc. Also, polarity and circuitry are definitely measurable with the right tools.

[@testthisfordecficiencies]

@@no1unorightnow Yes, but OPs comment implies there is processing gain staging, etc which adds delay thus affecting phase. Polarity is a reversal of circuitry. Which small changes in circuitry cannot be measured with audio tools you would need a oscilloscope. Even though pase amd polarity are not interchangeable, a reversal of polarity will have a 180 degree phase reversal on all frequencies. Relections don't change phase. Its just the reflection will return to the same point out of phase as phase is directly related to time.

[@dobythedog]

"For this example, it's best to use headphones" (Points to ears). Glad you cleared that up!

[@Zickcermacity]

Excellent explanation Kyle! I would like some advice though, on how to stop people from using the term "phase" when referring to the wiring relationship between multiple speakers. Phase can have an infinite range of values. Polarity has only two: In or Out

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, @Zickermacity! I’ve attempted to show the difference in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYO6mZmVgcSrj7c

[@echodelta9]

180 or 0 degrees. OK. Phase! Well there is some other phase shift but we wont get into that now. Phase OK.

[@Zickcermacity]

@@echodelta9 While the audible effect of phase shift and polarity are similar, they are not the same thing. Speakers can reside in two states of polarity: matching or opposite. No in-between. Phase itself can exist in an infinite range of values, as an effect in a studio or in a DAW. Using the correct terms in given circumstances is key to remedying any audio issues that crop up.

[@Yoda8945]

Phase has a time element and polarity does not. If you reverse the polarity on a system, the phase is the same and if mixed electronically with the original signal the signal will cancel entirely. IOW the signal starts at the same time, but it is inverted. You can move a signal in time so that it will phase cancel the original sound, but only at one frequency. The other frequencies will be in varying amounts of phase difference and this causes comb filtering and the sound does not completely cancel.

[@cars654]

The term phase is important in multiple speaker systems. If you have a dance club with 20 to thirty speakers you want them connected properly or in phase for maximum sound pressure and minimum distortion. If you go into a club and hold an empty beer bottle in your hand close to the dance floor you should be able to feel air being pushed out of the empty bottle. That is how systems were designed in the 80s, not so much now. Phase simply means the speakers are pushing air in the same direction and not canceling each other out.

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

I’m into restoring vintage radios and test gear on my channel but I don’t know that much about the audio world. I am hoping to build a valve amplifier this year and learn a bit more about amplifiers and performance. Your videos are a great introduction thanks.

[@theheraldsoTND]

Kyle, sir right head on. 👍

[@alpyoruk]

Lovely anybody can grasp it as smooth as it gets.

[@richardstamper5630]

Clear and concise - thanks for that..

[@martinb.770]

Where it gets really interesting: A sound path, that adds up to a mono signal, where the stereo won't give an average, but extinguish each other, especially if the stereo effect is not too distinct. When broadcasting FM/UKW, this is always done, and while music might sound somewhat weird, the mono voice of a speaker will pretty much become unhearable on mono receivers, if the phase of one channel has been connected incorrect along the signal path.

[@AmmoDude]

There are numerous speaker manufactures that use reverse polarity in their speaker designs, JBL being one of the more famous brands. A lot of 3-way speaker designs use reverse polarity on the mid-range or tweeter. Speaker polarity is not a steadfast rule.......The crossover design can also require reverse polarity in multi-speaker applications. I just modified a Klipsch RF-7 speaker that the new crossover design required reverse polarity on the tweeter, it sounds amazing!

[@lakshmikpunugu4735]

Fabulous info given by you sir...many thanks...your channel is a textbook of audio engineering...HIGHLY APPRECIATED..

[@wric01]

Thus with biamp speakers posts: positive to tweeter to push higher highs and negative to big woofer pull lower lows. Test it you'll be surprise for a free sound upgrade.

[@derrick_builds]

Dude, lets now see a video on quadraphonic setups from the 70s and using one of the 4 speakers phased reversed. Keep up the good work.

[@dehypnotizer]

Can't agree more with you. Good, educational vid. To recap: make sure you wire all your speakers the same way, be it correct or reversed polarity. Just make sure all of them are connected the same way. If you don't know how to check it just watch this vid although I'd rather recommend using 1.5V AA cell instead of 9V battery which may burn the coil in your speaker.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Peter!

[@dehypnotizer]

@@AudioUniversity You're welcome! It's very difficult to find intelligent, normal folks who have something sensible to say - KZbin is full of garbage but sometimes you find channel like yours and you can actually learn something. Kudos!

[@AudioUniversity]

Likewise, Peter. I’m always learning from comments like yours and others’!

[@samppazzz]

And i recommended that dont keep it connected to the battery more then a second, and that could bee already too long for some cases expecially if voltage is more then 1.5 volt.

[@mackellyman5642]

Peter, back 40 years ago I was having some D130's re-coned at solutions on Sunset, and the owner made a point of early JBL's having their wires crossed by turning his back to me while talking and stated the brain senses the speaker the same way if wired backward. Does that make any sense? MK

[@artysanmobile]

Yes, polarity definitely matters. The hyper-real bass drum in much pop music is quite obviously different with a polarity change, with headphones or speakers. The words positive and negative are pretty abstract when talking about sound waves. Pressurization and rarification are more technically correct and more descriptive. A positive wave literally presses against not only your eardrums but, at a sufficient volume, your gut as well. Flip the polarity and the rarification by contrast feels and sounds wrong. Many professional monitor speakers have an exposed woofer which can be clearly seen to move toward the listener first with a bass drum playback. I always know my speakers are wired correctly, but I still do the visual check because there are many places the signal can be inadvertently reversed in the process of recording.

[@1959chevy]

I have a vintage Fisher X202B Amplifier that has a phase switch to compensate for this without changing the wiring. It can also play only the right channel out of both speakers or only the left out of both. it also has stereo reverse as well as a control to blend mono to full stereo. Wish newer equipment had all these features

[@anthonyvee]

Kyle you're a good man! Thank you for the explanations in your videos. Quite good!

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Anthony! Glad you like them!

[@gumbilicious1]

This is a hell of a rabbit hole to go down when you start dealing with multiple speaker setups and deal with effects like mutual coupling that have very complicated effects on sound. Great introduction though, that 9v is money for polarity or just doing a quick test of the speaker for operation

[@echodelta9]

I once ran sound in a club and a band came with 2 dual speaker wedge monitors. Everything was ready, I ran a pink noise test and did a walk-around on the stage and walking past the monitors I pointed out that the 3rd of 4 speakers was out of phase. He was surprised and said they just made them and were proud, how did I know? After a while but before showtime I saw them with a 9volt battery and they had that speaker out and reversed the wires. Now it's showtime.

[@bryede]

Not to mention that we never have any idea of the number of phase reversals that occurred during the making of the recording, from the studio to mastering.

[@fullwaverecked]

Cool videos & coherent explanation. This reminds me of the time I pulled the carry handle off my Fender Sound Enhancement speaker (16") and, to my amazement, discovered that all the sound was coming out of the back ass end of the speaker itself. Blew my mind! Cheers!

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

It’s great to see young guys interest in electronics and physics. It’s a fantastically well presented video

[@CSGATI]

To further complicate things if your speakers are apart the distance it takes sound to go 1/2 cycle will be the same as reversed polarity on the wiring. Good day.

[@AudioUniversity]

Great point, Carl! And to even FURTHER complicate things, that distance will be slightly different for each frequency… kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqjZnaV4rZiIasU

[@deanakennedy3878]

I have 4, 15 inch subs, two opposite from the other two. Two of them are connected out of phase so to eliminate standing waves. Doesn't effect the main speakers in my set up. The bass is perfect as you can get.

[@yingle6027]

Great video, I knew something wasn't quite right in my car!

[@AudioUniversity]

I hope this helped fix the problem!

[@Smarty1171]

Refreshing to see a video that isn’t edited every sentence. Do you have anything on voice coils. ?

[@AudioUniversity]

I don’t have a video on voice coils yet. When I make one in the future, what would you like to see covered?

[@theylive23]

Ambient pioneer Brian Eno used to recommend using a third speaker in your system in addition to the normal left/right set-up, wired with both cables to the left and right postiive terminals of your amplifier. This produces an out-of-phase effect which may enhance your ambient listening pleasure and which, in my experience, doesn't seem to harm your amplifier.

[@VintageStereoCollectorChannel]

I knew what to do and check for but I never knew why. Now I do and am grateful for another one of your excellent presentations👍👍

[@greg-zb4pc]

Excellent description of the science in speaker performance

[@raybin6873]

I recently provided PA system for a medium size outdoor event (~150 ppl) having 3 bands playing. I have Yamaha speakers - one pair 15" with horns mounted on poles on top of pair 18" sub woofers. I ran full range sound to the 15" /horn cabinets - used a Rane electronic crossover to send just lower frequencies to power amp driving the subs. I inadvertently hooked the subs speakers reversed polarity (power amp has banana plug type speaker connections making it easy to hook up speakers reversed). The system had a very "full" sound to it...I received many compliments from both the bands and audience. Not until I was done did I noticed the subs were wired reversed polarity. I was surprised in that I thought if speakers were incorrectly wired a risk of blowing out could result (I drove the system pretty hard/ loud.) Because it sounded so good I wonder if I could do it like this from now on? It had such a good overall sound. 😁

[@JamminClemmons]

* *Ray Bin,* * That's a cool discovery. I have a JVC micro-component system in my mancave where the speakers are 4 ohms. If i wired two more of the same 4 ohm speakers to the original speakers, will I be over-powering the amp? Its a 20 amp. I'm confused by many wiring tutorials on KZbin and sometimes they conflict eachother. This is a simple speaker add-on to fill my room so it sounds fuller. - Thanks in advance.

[@rdjgarcia]

what might caused one side speaker sound softer then the opposite side i.e. left louder than right speaker? These speakers are manufacture Pyle brand speakers audio system is also stock. All 4 speakers were working perfect. 2 days ago I noticed a little distortion on left rear speaker only, now when I set the balance to the left rear, it plays really soft at the volume setting of 18.

[@AudioUniversity]

It sounds like you may have a blown speaker. You might try fading it completely to the front speakers to avoid the distortion.

[@westelaudio943]

The amplifier might be the problem itself. Blown or ripped speakers usually sound extremely scratchy.

[@stefanolassandro886]

This is by far the best video about speakers polarity I could find. Excellent job!

[@MooMetal60]

Exactly what I needed!

[@AudioUniversity]

I'm glad the video was helpful to you, Alex Moore! Thanks for watching!

[@jithinas7540]

Finally i found the solutions, what i am searching for. Thank you sir

[@AudioUniversity]

Happy to help! Thanks for watching!

[@paulmarian5570]

Very complete video about my old question, and i loved it, cause it was more informative than i was thinking, so, that will be a big like and a subscribe to your channel! Good job!

[@sirgenear]

I've used out-of-phase wiring in a small area, like an equipment cab, to bring out the stero separation. If one speaker has a weaker output, I use the in-phase wiring on that one to strengthen punch.

[@williamlau7179]

Buy the sterophile test cd 2 will provide full functionality, less than 10$ (About 7$).

[@warpspeed9877]

I would like you to touch on this same subject but with regards of multi-driver speakers and the problems that a certain driver is wired incorectly. Thanks!

[@AudioUniversity]

Good idea! It would have a very similar effect to the ceiling speaker scenario I mention in the video. Although, it would be more detrimental due to the proximity of the speakers in a single cabinet. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@patriktakacs]

Great, on the point, informative! Love it! Thanks!

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks, Patrik! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@thefatimasecret3034]

Can I find the right polarity on the speaker with multimeter? I just do it - / + on the wiring head unit to the speaker (DC Volt).

[@AudioUniversity]

I don’t believe there is a way to test speaker polarity with a multimeter. The only methods I know are listed in the description of the video: 1. Battery test 2. Speaker tester 3. Polarity Test Signal with Smartphone App

[@davidsotomayor8713]

It's not all that uncommon in amplifiers to have the speaker purposely wired "backwards" to make up for an odd number of inverting stages.

[@virginstudio120]

Super clear concepts! Thanx!

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching, Flavio!

[@anthonyscott16]

This was really helpful. Thanks!

[@smtek]

Nice content bro! Now I know how I was able to talk without shouting in front of the festival's subwoofer array hahaha

[@venus6138]

I agree the positive negative polarities does matter a lot in speaker connection.

[@Kell_M]

You would make an excellent teacher.. Great video dude.. ;-)

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks!

[@louissilvani1389]

Back in the day I read a book on that subject called the wood effect

[@TheArkBand]

Thank you sooooooo very much brother , I was just going through the very same problem , thank you .

[@baddad6665]

Great Video! What is the "later video" you are referencing at 4:35? I'm not getting any sound out of my Bose Acoustimass Subwoofer and I suspect the satellites may be wired wrong, affecting how the sub module performs. Could an inverted polarity wiring be the possible cause of getting absolutely no sound at all from the sub? Or would I at least be hearing something? Trying to avoid dismantling the entire system for troubleshooting if there is something obvious I might be missing. Thanks!

[@AudioUniversity]

I haven’t created that video yet. Reversing the polarity of your wiring wouldn’t result in no sound at all. I suspect something else is going on.

[@Webster2000]

This is the simplest explanation I've seen yet. The clip with the right channel inverted and the speaker connected to the battery make it far easier to understand why polarity matters. King shit

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks! I’m glad to hear this! I appreciate you watching, @Weebster!

[@sasalucic2832]

One more very good video... 👏👏👏

[@MadDogGiraffe]

Echo, 😂. Love your video just amused on this one you have not sorted the room ethos. Keep up the great work.

[@4ual1musiccover]

Thanks Kyle! Very informative and well-explained! Keep it up!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@praneethdhanushka207]

Dear Sir, I have a puzzle about impedance of speaker and Amplifier. When I was studying Physics at college I learned that Resistance is as a scaler ( only has a magnitude but doesn't have a direction). Impedance is also a resistance and it is measured in Ohms. But it is a Vector ( has both magnitude and a direction). Can you explain the difference between the resistance and impedance with drawing on a video??? Thanks Praneeth

[@AudioUniversity]

This question is outside of my comfort zone. I don't have a good answer for you! My understanding is that resistance applies to DC (direct current) and impedance applies to AC (alternating current).

[@glenncurry3041]

Not sure how well I can do without a drawing. Think of a sine wave as a resistor's (pure resistance) resistance value (ohms) is not frequency dependent, other devices like capacitors and coils (voice coil in speaker, caps and coils in crossovers,.... ) resistance value is frequency dependent. Going up or down with frequency changes. Now think of a 2nd sine wave riding on top of the first one. One of those waves is the voltage (e) the other is the current (i). with a pure resistor, they are locked together "in phase". A coil or cap shifts one compared to the other. You would get the same values for e or i, but their waves would be separated by some number of degrees. The "direction". So a resistor might be rated 8 ohms, But a speaker has a curve that plots resistance as frequency changes and a phase angle value at each frequency. Those the later is less seldom published. So it might have a spec of 8 ohms/20degrees @ 2khz. I believe my 1.7is are graphed to dip below 2ohms above 2khz but never shift more than 10degrees.

[@littlechicago7482]

Speaker impedance is a combination of resistance and inductance, and is frequency dependent.

[@Vilvaran]

From the electrical theory, Impedance is generally *Series Resistance* + AC 'Reactance'. Reactance can be thought of as a frequency-dependent resistance, which for capacitors will decrease as frequency increases - Inductors present an increasing resistance to increased frequency... I'm aware that the vector is probably represented by the time-base component - as the magnitude is dependent on the frequency.

[@MrTAdventures]

Thanks for that information. New subs here from Philippines.

[@ricoosera]

Wow...all I can say is wow and thanks for this video...new subscriber here from philippines...

[@rajkumarindia9284]

Very good explanation.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks!

[@thomasstambaugh5181]

I'd be careful about applying DC voltage -- even from a 9V battery -- across a voice coil too long. That suggested test is more likely to do harm than anything else discussed in the video. Voice coil windings are as small and light as possible in order to reduce the mass of the device. They are designed to be handle AC so that their inductance reduces current flow. If you leave that battery connected more than a few seconds, you may well burn out the voice coil.

[@TheAdatto]

Also the ac movement cools the coil.

[@ykar18]

I remember testing my speakers that way with a 1.5V battery, which gives a good information without any risk of destruction, right? What about testing the output polarity of a bass or guitar amp with a multimeter? I assume this should be done with a speaker connected to the amp, not directly to the two wires not connected. Could that be a good method? What voltage do such amps give?

[@glasslinger]

Depends on the power rating of the speaker. Small speakers (up to about 10 watts) could be damaged. Larger speakers, especially high power automotive sound system speakers rated for hundreds of watts, can handle AMPS of current without damage.

[@Skarfar90]

This is why you usually test polarity with a small 1.5v battery, and you should only really tap the wire in short bursts. This is a nice way to test a rebuilt speaker driver, or a home-made one, to know which lead wire is the positive one

[@dev4]

Suscribed. very clear explanation and deep technical knowledge put simple. Thanks and keep it up!

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for subscribing, Dev! I appreciate your comment, too! I'll keep creating videos for you. Are there any subjects you'd like me to cover in future videos?

[@dev4]

@@AudioUniversity I would like to see explained the effect on the resultant signal when you put in the same positive cable the left and the right of a stereo signal... Thank you!

[@AudioUniversity]

I think this post I wrote might be helpful: audiouniversityonline.com/polarity-vs-phase/ Let me know if that helps! Thanks, Dev!

[@amoeb81]

Always bothered me :D and in single speaker setup it doesn't matter. However now I know, that in multiple setup it does matter a lot :D and it makes perfect sense. Thanks for the simple and straightforward video!

[@DarylSawatzky]

I wonder if the crossover works properly if the polarity is reversed. All components in the amp are grounded to the negative side. The Crossover components are grounded to negative side. If you wire your speakers to negative, the signal goes to the speaker first, then through the crossover components backwards. I don't know if that makes a difference, most of them are non polar so the signal CAN travel backwards, but I would think that hitting a capacitor or two first, then an inductor, when the crossover was not designed to work that way, would change not only the polarity, but the sound signature as well.

[@thomasstambaugh5181]

Nope. Doesn't matter. Even a tiny bit.

[@jamesotisjr2322]

Try this: change the wires inside the speaker from the crossover to the woofer to something huge on one speaker. When you crank your tunes it will sound like you lost the other woofer. One foot of 12 gauge per speaker, crossover to woofer, makes a vast improvement in bass response.

[@NiMareQ]

3:31 Why can I hear it with headphones when the waves don't interfere physically in the air? Would the sound distortion be different if the correct and inverse polarity speakers were swapped?

[@niranjankr75]

Which helps in Cancelling of the signal whether correct connection or inverted connection plz ans me I am doing mini project on it

[@AudioUniversity]

Cancellation occurs when the signals are inverted relative to one another.

[@niranjankr75]

@@AudioUniversity Tq bro

[@jonathanraecrisanto5912]

I have been experimenting with my earphones that have a 2-pin connection (BLON-03 with 8-core cables). When connected with the correct polarity, it sounds like it's in your head and the instruments and vocals sound more intimate and detailed. When connected with inverse polarity, soundstage is noticably wider but I don't feel the same intimacy and details, so I don't connect with the song emotionally. Changing the polarity also changes the imaging and instrument positioning.

[@jonathanraecrisanto5912]

On other songs, they sound congested even with the correct polarity. Then they right using the inverse polarity.

[@alanhilder1883]

If it is a stereo, 2 speaker system, then you will have to move your head a millimeter to the left for it to be correct. Only a problem when your head is in a vice ( or headphones ) In a multi speaker per channel system, it can make a difference. If the sub is wrong, the bass will seem out of phase, just have to move the sub back or forwards a little.

[@xxg0t3mxx]

Yes it matters, took electronics class in highachool best decision ever! Use a 9volt battery to test polarity and also test a coil on a speaker and if it works

[@michaelshortt2574]

Very informational, but I’m still Left with the question; how do I know which wires are positive or negative coming from the car

[@AudioUniversity]

If it's not labelled, you might need to try using a speaker polarity tester or a speaker polarity test smartphone app.

[@juanchis.investigadorsonoro]

Great video! I'll be using this with my students. Greetings from Mexico City

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to help, Juan! If you have any requests for future videos, let me know! Thanks for watching.