What color speaker wires go together?

When connecting speaker wires, it’s important to follow standard color coding to ensure proper polarity and correct sound output. Typically, speaker wires are color-coded to help with this. Here's how the wires should go together:

Common Color Coding for Speaker Wires:

1. Positive (Right) Wire:

   • Red or marked with a stripe (sometimes white with a red stripe or a solid red wire)
   • This wire connects to the positive (+) terminal on the amplifier/receiver and the positive (+) terminal on the speaker.

2. Negative (Left) Wire:

   • Black or plain (sometimes white or a solid black wire)
   • This wire connects to the negative (-) terminal on the amplifier/receiver and the negative (-) terminal on the speaker.

Why Color Coding Matters:

• Red (Positive) and Black (Negative) are used to indicate the correct polarity.
• Connecting the wires in the wrong order can lead to phase cancellation, meaning the sound from the speakers might be out of sync and produce poor audio quality.
• It also helps avoid issues like sound distortion and ensures your audio equipment works properly.

Important Notes:

• Always match red to red and black to black (or any color scheme used in your system).
• If the wires do not have color coding (some higher-end wires may not), you can identify which one is positive by looking for a marking or ridge on the wire.
• If using a two-wire system, you can also use a stripe or line on one of the wires to distinguish between the positive and negative leads.

In conclusion, red connects to positive (+), and black connects to negative (-) for each speaker. Properly connecting speaker wires helps ensure that the audio system functions at its best, providing clear, accurate sound.