16 gauge speaker wire to RCA plug advice needed
Stuart McCormick
Here is my problem. I have two strands of 16 gauge speaker wire embedded
in my wall (I put it there). I want to use these wires to carry the
audio signal from my (future) stereo VCR to my receiver. To do so, I
need to adapt to RCA plugs at both ends (VCR and receiver). I have
looked at the RCA plug ends (both solder and non-solder varieties) and
have tried the non-solder variety without success (the 16 guage is too
thick to feed into the plug end).
Is there some kind of "black box" solution? ie. is there a product to
which I can connect the 16 gauge wire and have RCA plugs come out the
other end? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.
Stu
Kevin McMurtrie
McCormick) wrote:
You are using the wrong kind of wire for a line level connection. (Solder
some shielded wire to the 16 gauge and try to pull it through the wall
holes?)
F Young
>Here is my problem. I have two strands of 16 gauge speaker wire embedded
>in my wall (I put it there). I want to use these wires to carry the
>audio signal from my (future) stereo VCR to my receiver. To do so, I
>need to adapt to RCA plugs at both ends (VCR and receiver). I have
>looked at the RCA plug ends (both solder and non-solder varieties) and
>have tried the non-solder variety without success (the 16 guage is too
>thick to feed into the plug end).
You are going to have another problem even if a RCA plug will fit onto the
wire, this 16 awg speaker wire are nonsheilded which will pick up hum,
possibly damage your equipment. The solution is to run a pair of coaxial
cable (RG58 or RG59) type, these cable is design to accept RCA or BNC plugs
so you will not have the problems fitting them on.
Gilbert Yeung
Blue Circle Audio Inc.
http://www.wp.com/BlueCircleAudio/
Jay Rose
quoting another
|: >Here is my problem. I have two strands of 16 gauge speaker wire embedded
|: >in my wall (I put it there). I want to use these wires to carry the
|: >audio signal from my (future) stereo VCR to my receiver....
and replying
|: You are going to have another problem even if a RCA plug will fit onto the
|: wire, this 16 awg speaker wire are nonsheilded which will pick up hum,
|: possibly damage your equipment. The solution is to run a pair of coaxial
|: cable (RG58 or RG59) type, these cable is design to accept RCA or BNC
plugs...
Of course, if the wall is already sealed this might not be an option.
In that case, you'll need to balance the signal or raise it so high that
hum is negligible.
a) Put good quality transformers on both ends of the wire. Completely
eliminate any connection between ground and those conductors in the wall.
b) Put a good quality stereo amp at the vcr, and send speaker-level audio
to the receiver. Then pad it down to line level; a transformer might be
necessary but only if you hear hum.
Transformers, of course, are expensive. So's a good stereo amp. But those
are your only options for decent quality, short of running new cables.
-----------------Jay Rose's Digital Playroom--------------------
Clio/Emmy Winning Sound Design for Broadcast, Multimedia
617/277-0041 fax/232-8869
http://www.tiac.net/users/jcrose
Stephen G. Matzuk
>in my wall (I put it there). I want to use these wires to carry the
>need to adapt to RCA plugs at both ends (VCR and receiver). I have
>looked at the RCA plug ends (both solder and non-solder varieties) and
>have tried the non-solder variety without success (the 16 guage is too
>thick to feed into the plug end).
>
>which I can connect the 16 gauge wire and have RCA plugs come out the
>other end? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.
>
>Stu
>
OK...All you guys from Sterophile, Absolute Sound, etc, ...I know you put him up to this!
You just want someone to bite, right??
Pssst, Stu...If you really did run speaker wire and now your stuck because you've nailed the wall up,
you might try running a balanced line by using XLR connectors (Radio Shack) which will probably (just barely) take the 16 GA wire
and then plug into a transformer and then plug the 1/4 inch output jack into a 1/4-to-RCA adapter then into your YORX system.
Do the opposite at the other end. If you get too much hum, you might have to drive it with the output of an amplifier, like the 5-watt Radioshack specials,
then cut the output at the other end with a voltage divider.
-Steve