Electronics > Beginners
Determine speaker power wires polarity
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jotwerde:
Someone gave me their speakers of which the power cable (cable from outlet to speakers) is cut at one point.
The separate wires of the cable are identical to each other (no distinct color of isolation or cables). The isolation is transparent and the wires are both silver-gray.

Is there a way to determine which wire to connect to which?
Does it even matter in the case of speakers?

Here's an (rather ugly) image to illustrate what I mean:
helius:
One wire is the Line, and the other is Neutral. In most cases they can be exchanged without any problem. In particular, equipment marketed in Europe should be perfectly safe because the CEE7/4 plug used in Germany can be inserted either direction.

This is a separate issue to the phase of speaker cables; in powered speakers, this issue doesn't crop up.
The Soulman:

--- Quote from: jotwerde on October 31, 2018, 07:39:32 pm ---The separate wires of the cable are identical to each other (no distinct color of isolation or cables). The isolation is transparent and the wires are both silver-gray.

--- End quote ---

Typical power cords are brown/blue on the inside are you 100% sure it is a power connection?

Do you have a (internet) picture of these speakers or a manufacturer name and model number/name that we can google ourselves
so that we all can sleep a little bit better?  :)

If it is mains connection than it shouldn't matter.
johnkenyon:
In my experience, speaker wires are marked in one of three ways, different colours, white stripe, or moulded ridge on one side.

If your wires don't have any kind of colour code (e.g red+black, or black+black with white stripe), then use your fingers to touch the cable - specifically feel the side of each wire opposite where it joins the other wire - you will find one side will be round, and the other will have a ridge.

Poor ASCII art:

(o)(o>

o represents the copper core of each wire the other symbols represent the outer insulation.

Audioguru:
The mains electricity plug was cutoff, not the speaker connection to its amplifier.
Modern plugs are polarized so that the widest blade is the Neutral connection. Then the Neutral wire connects to the non-sensitive power input to the amplifier in the speaker to avoid hum.
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