Z Tutorial - How to Strip Speaker Wire and Use it

[@faeriepalace]

u blessed my life i'm literally an electrician now

[@DamxzOnYoutube]

DIY Certification

[@richardburkard9839]

I tried for years to strip clear-coated wire by whittling away the plastic with a knife. I was that ignorant. Your video showed the much better, easier way. Thank you!!

[@anitawheeless7286]

Thank you! I was trying to fix up my husband's old system and couldn't tell which was positive and which was negative. Your comment on positive having the lines or writing was perfect! Thanks so much for posting this very informative video.

[@vannk73]

That rule isn't set in stone. You have to make sure it's the same on both sides (amp and speakers.)

[@boostedsm]

Amazing that freaking little hole. I kept trying to wrap it around. I'm joining local IBEW. Fully qualified thanks to you sir.

[@MikePensini]

Bonus points for the Interstate 76 Soundtrack in the background!

[@arturo_lugo]

You've got some funky shit playin in the background man!! Rock on!!

[@Andrew-em7py]

Thank you for posting this. I had just wired some speakers and I'm really glad I watched. I didn't know which wire was positive and which was negative. These are the 1st speakers I've had that I needed to cut wires for.

[@EagerSleeper]

This is the best explanation I've seen yet

[@Aerothorn]

Great Interstate '76 soundtrack in the background :)

[@asimadam]

Thank you so much, no one else uploaded any valuable content for this topic!

[@hristuppiteitinu]

Awesome video (the funky background music was the cherry on top). Thanks!

[@skyraygoza3610]

Awesome Video Buddy I Actually Did it Myself I Have a Automatic Wire Stripper in My Toolbox So Stripped The Rocketfish Clear Coated Speaker Wire I Braided the Ends of the Wire Connected to a Speakers Using Binding Posts and on The Back of the Receiver Where the Rest of the Audio Gear are Connected So I Did a Great Job I Got 100%

[@macneto]

Awesome video dude!. You made it really easy for someone who has never done it before.

[@MusicianGreg]

I have a red strip and a white strip inside my qed xt25 copper cables, should I remove them (cut them off) before I twis them together? the red and white tubes are called X-tube technology, which delivers uniform current. From the videos of those cables I gathered they should be cut off but its not stated anywhere. There is no info about it on the web.

[@Jumperboy333]

6:43 I just love how he says mEtAl iN tHe GaRbAgE

[@darman210]

Thanks! I work in I.T. and my boss asked me to prepare a speaker set-up for someone and I was “sure”…. Thank god for KZbin! Lol

[@ziggy8757]

so you can use banana plugs on spring connectors, didnt know that? by the way, hows the sound of those cerwin vegas compared to the fluance sx6 you just reviewed? just curious which one is better

[@cheezy1620]

Hey Zeos, will stripping some of the copper for headphone cable affect the sound? In this video, you mentioned that it wouldn't affect the sound but I was wondering if the same goes for headphones since headphone cables are significantly smaller gauge than speaker wires. Thanks in advance.

[@shobhitmathur5686]

Is there a video for making interconnects? Could you also do a review of various interconnects available? I am amazed to see the prices of some interconnects. Do they add, subtract, multiply or divide anything? Also, if you could add on how a Subwoofer cable is different from a regular rca interconnect cable?

[@ZReviews]

Sub cables are no different than normal RCA's. I have a video coming to make speaker cables that look good. I just buy cheap monoprice or amazon RCA's as they are better built than most and work great. Should be no sound benefit btw.

[@n.d.engleson6499]

do you have to make sure you don't cut one single copper wire off when stripping?

[@fusobotic]

Thought I recognized that soundtrack. 76 was a such a tight game, still remember the afros and handlebar mustaches.

[@TheLinkmaster001]

I work at a Summer camp and we are installing a new PA system to stay up year-round. Do you suggest I solder the ends? Or should attaching a banana clip work just fine?

[@ZReviews]

I wouldn't do banana's I would use the screw down terminals on the binding posts in the back. It will take a little longer but you might prevent problems. Also you may want to wrap the terminals in duct tape when you verify they work.

[@joshuajacobs6481]

What problems does it help prevent?

[@TheLinkmaster001]

Z Reviews It took me a while to understand what you meant. the speakers in question don't have built in screw terminals.

[@Vfpchamp20]

What if while im taking off the plastic covering, I cut off some of the little tiny wires on the inside? How do I know when i’ve cut too much to where it will affect performance?

[@samanthahay6961]

i love this guy's voice

[@michaelshurkin613]

Gads, I've been doing this all wrong. I wish I had watched this before I set up my speakers...now I'll have to redo.

[@leaguefixesyourmatches8259]

What kinda soldering iron is that? All the ones on amazon have horrid reviews.

[@RdLine-zk8ik]

What's the 11:00 min adaptor called? I have a bit of trouble finding it in my country xD

[@RdLine-zk8ik]

Also can i connect the speakers from this home cinema www.theatresystem-manual.com/sharp-ht-cn410dvhr.html to a normal PC with the adaptor and work perfectly fine?

[@ZReviews]

It is a banana plug. Europe might not use them due to the way they fit in outlets. If you have that while surround sound just wire the receiver to the PC with Fiber or a 3.5mm to RCA. If all you have is the speakers you need to get an amplifier of some sort to run two of them in stereo or a recevier to run all of them. Honestly they don't look high quality.

[@RdLine-zk8ik]

They are pretty old but unused. I asked on some forum if it would work and they said that the speakers would make no sound without an amplifier. So my plan kinda died out. Is there another way to make them work or just impossible or not a bargain?:-?

[@FeonaLeeJones]

if i do accidently cut some of the copper wire hairs...will that leave out certain frequencies or parts of the stereo spectrum ? I dont have a wire stripper so i used scissors, and when I listen to the Beatles "Elenor Rigby" the main vox drops out in some parts....

[@ZE0SPantera]

Losing the copper only changes the overall gauge of the wire. So if you start with 16ga and you lose 20% of the copper you end up with 18ga (higher numbers mean smaller cross section). All the frequencies go through the wire at the same time. You won't have any loss like you are describing unless you have phase or grounding issues. Make sure the copper from one side isn't touching the other side or any metal on the amp etc. Then double check the + and - are correct.

[@FeonaLeeJones]

gotcha....figured it out.....was hooking up everything to the right side...so had a mono sound...or 1/2 of the sound rather.....embarassing but finally fixed !

[@scissortongue5772]

Can I cut speaker wire in half, like if I'm measuring out lengths for a 5.1 system?

[@Gumminator]

Hm, never knew the basic setups had their drawbacks. Would you be able to post an imgur album with various correct configurations to go along with your video?

[@ZReviews]

It is possible. I have spent a good deal of time trying to find pictures of properly terminated speaker wire and found very few.

[@mihir2607]

A little help here can you explain how to extend the cable of sony home theater systems those have proprietary connectors ?

[@ZReviews]

Just the same as any other wire. Cut and splice. Could get crimp on barrel connections to do it really right. [amzn.to/2tt8Tcj]

[@bigbywolf6403]

How do you cut it Length wise? I have 100ft and 5 speakers

[@Jossienheimer]

say if you wanna piggyback 2 sets of speakers onto eachother, but your amp doesnt have posts for Banana Plugs, can you take 2 sets of raw wires, and stick them in the same terminal, so long as you are not mixing your hots and grounds?

[@ZReviews]

You can. But running in parallel can be dangerous for amplifiers. You might want to consider series.

[@Jossienheimer]

Is parallel the same as piggybacking banana plugs on eachother?

[@vannk73]

Parallel or series doesn't matter too much as long as you make sure the resulting impedance is compatible with your amplifier. www.parts-express.com/resources-speaker-connection

[@bertaspoderis1271]

If I lose 1-2 strands while stripping will it still be ok?

[@dianejoymanalo7469]

What do you call to that connector? Thanks

[@bathcrone]

This video was so helpful, thank you so much

[@mylesstowe9867]

Don’t stack banana plugs unless you asked someone on Reddit. lol

[@auntjemima2015]

"Gently massaging it around the rubber" - Z Reviews 4:00

[@AustinDallasPictures]

Great tutorial, great music, Love Interstate 76!

[@John_Smith5]

Why the hell are we still using speaker wire instead of using standard plugs?

[@qb9724]

All those warnings got me shook. Fire is one of my biggest fears. Here goes nothing...

[@parkerf.8834]

Lmao sameeeeee

[@TrailAddict.]

Hey man, great video! I still have a few question tho. I numbered them so you'll have an easier time to answer them all! 1. Do you solder the wires themselves to the banana plugs? 2. For a bookshelf speaker setup, which type of wire do you recommend? Clear coated wires or the UL listed jacketed cables? 3. What gauge of said preferred wire type do you recommend? Is bigger better? I really wouldn't mind since I'm used to soldering 12-10 gauge wires coming from the electric radio controlled world :P 4. What is your preferred way of connecting speaker wires to banana plug? Soldering or screw type terminals? Thanks a lot man, you're channel is really great :D p. -s. Sorry for the long message :P

[@ZReviews]

1 . No, banana's usually have a screw of some sort to hold the wires in place. 2. Whatever you can hide better., The Clear stuff is more flexible. 3. 16 is usually enough for 20' runs. Bigger for longer runs or to support way high load (300wpc) or to show off. 4. Screw downs work well. I have been known to soldier the end of the wire and then crush those down under the screws.

[@TrailAddict.]

Z Reviews Thanks for the answer :)

[@jedis_]

Is it possible to cut the clips off of these Panasonic wires (i.imgur.com/3Duvxcc.jpg) and make it work with this Denon receiver (ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Y7G0Ed%2BGL._SL1280_.jpg)?

[@NavidGowani]

Yes

[@asdf242]

This video was super super helpful!!

[@richmickiewicz8234]

I have a Sony STR-DH190 (Stereo receiver with Bluetooth®) and 4 speakers as indicated below: (2) - Yamaha NS-AW350 with 6 Ohms impedance (2) - Niles - 6-1/2" 2-Way Outdoor Rock Speakers (Niles Audio RS6 Granite Pro) with 8 Ohms impedance Two questions: 1.) The manual for the receiver says to set the appropriate speaker impedance for the speakers you are using. I am not sure how to set the speaker impedance ? 2.) I bring in the outdoor speakers every year after we close the pool and then each spring re-install them. Since I am a technical moron I re-connect twisting the wires and wrapping electrical tape around them or use a twist-on wire connector ... BUT ... there has to be a better way because each year I have to strip more and more wire. Can I somehow put the wire from the speaker into something like a banana plug and then the wire from the speaker into SOMETHING that would accept a banana plug? This would save time, save wire and maybe give me better sound.

[@patrickmisner372]

hahaha holy shit. I didn't think anyone else just listened to the interstate 76 sound track.

[@raymondserna172]

can u conect a 3.5 aux cable to it

[@ZReviews]

+raymond serna no. only 2 conductor.

[@bwild61]

Outstanding info and many thanks for sharing : )

[@josephmoffett8771]

Thanks man! You were a big help!

[@ThaRedPitbull]

Great video. I wish I had saw this 2 weeks ago.

[@brianvankeuren9847]

This was great info. I'm going to go throw up now.

[@BossaNovaLover1]

Thank you for this! So helpful.

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

Now I need to go search thru garage tools.

[@FeonaLeeJones]

I mean, I can hear the vox, but its very, very faint....

[@janelarson1812]

Thank you so much for this.

[@Hlebka]

Thanks

[@gore1812]

he sounds like Lester on gta

[@amanazim9681]

Now I know how to make a big mess. I was doing it right.

[@thegamemaster7193]

Thanks so much so helpful

[@EpochGF]

Seems like great info, I just have to stop every 2 minutes to puke.

[@johnnysmile01]

thank you Z very nice

[@ColdCircleX]

Great Tutorial

[@blueboyblue]

Dude ... turn some lights on!

[@SethHarcrowmusic]

thanks man

[@evanruede6156]

thank you so much!!!!

[@MGHobbs]

Thanks mate!

[@michalaugustniak433]

Nice.

[@kalm1147]

so using teeth is out ?

[@ZE0SPantera]

Depends on how much you like to eat and chew without blood.

[@kalm1147]

lol , come on been doin it for yrs no problem. actually I found one of those big nail clippers works good using with care.

[@gabeh7655]

Classic.

[@CDLightt]

19 minutes...........

[@wbsees]

ssssnarly

[@bobsbigboy_]

Banana plugs are overrated

[@brittanymiller5903]

Terrible lighting dude!

[@quanzarefish]

I'm so frustrated!!!!I seriously need a 20 minute video to show me how to strip speaker wire!!!!Wtf?! I'm about to say fuck this shit

[@kenwebster5053]

For Pete's sakes, breaking strands is just very poor wire stripping technique. You can use a real wire stripper set to the correct gauge. You can use one that has a cutter where you set the cut depth and spin the blade around the jacket. It doesn't cut right through, so no cut strands. You can even just use a sharp hobby knife to score the jacket surface by rolling it on the edge (not slicing). This way, the jacket will not cut through. Then just bend the jacket sharply at the score mark so the stress opens the score right through. Any of these methods works without ever breaking or cutting a single strand. If you are going to make a how-to video, just learn to do it 1st.... BTW, to avoid shorting just: 1. Turn the amp off and allow time for the power caps to discharge to earth before connecting or disconnecting passive speaker cables. 2. Connect the Amp + last and disconnect it 1st. Simples! You will note that the + binding posts are on the outside of the row so there is zero chance of bridging these accidently. If the + is disconnected and it accidently touches, its own + or a - or the chases, there is no short circuit in any of these events. However, if you mess with the speaker end while the amp end is connected you certainly will risk a short. So, just do it in the right order and it won’t happen.