If you want to hook up your four-conductor speaker wires to a receiver and get quality audio, you need speakers with four terminals. Once you get one, decide whether you want to bi-amp or bi-wire the speakers.
Please find the steps you can follow whenever you want to hook up the wires to your receiver below. We start with the bi-amping method. After mastering it, you won’t struggle to use the bi-wiring option.
Step 1: Ensure Your Speaker System is Turned OFF.
If your four-conductor speaker wires are connected to the speakers already, consider this step is a must. To start, power off the entire system to eliminate the risk of electric shock. Alternatively, you can turn off the main power switch or unplug the speaker system’s power cable from the power outlet.
Step 2: Prepare Your Speakers.
If you haven’t prepared your speakers before, this is the right time to do so. Remove your speakers’ brass jumpers that link the bottom and top speaker terminals together.
After that, remove the jumpers that allow you to connect separate receiver channels to the terminals.
Step 3: Adjust the Receiver’s Settings.
You can skip step one if your only aim is to hook up your four-conductor wires to the receiver.
Since you need quality sound, be sure you start the process by enabling the bi-amp feature in the receiver. Go to your receiver’s menu and locate the setting in the menu’s setup section. If you don’t find it here, consult your owner’s manual.
Once you are done, proceed to the fourth step.
Step 4: Connect Each Set of the Speaker Wires to the Receiver.
Now that you’ve set up your receiver, you can connect the speaker terminals to the receiver.
Connect one set of the conductor speaker wires to the receiver’s front left and right outputs. Once you are done, connect the remaining set to the assigned bi-amp channels.
Note: Each speaker wire carries a full-range signal. So, you can plug your channels into the top and bottom speaker input terminals without following any strict order. However, if you doubt, don’t hesitate to consult the owner’s manuals. In some cases, there can be a preferred connection point.
If you don’t have pre-terminated speaker cables, buy bulk wire, cut it into four equal parts, and add banana connectors to each end.
Do you want an alternative way to hook up four speaker cables to your receiver?
An alternative way to hook up four-conductor speaker cables to your receiver is bi-wiring. We mentioned it briefly in the beginning. It is almost perfectly identical to bi-amping. The only main difference is that you don’t attach each of the cable sets to its own set of binding posts on the receiver.
Since the bi-wiring and bi-amping methods are almost the same, it is up to you to choose the one that best suits your needs.
4 Conductor Speaker Wire Diagram
As the name suggests, four-conductor speaker wires are designed to allow for bi-wiring or bi-amping connections. The wires transmit an amplified stereo signal to speakers near a stereo volume control or one another.
These wires allow speakers with four terminals to offer split connections. The diagram of the four-conductor speaker wires below can help you see what these wires look like and what they are designed to do.
You can see you have four wires designed with listening needs in mind. However, as already mentioned, audio enthusiasts have to learn how to hook up these wires to their respective receivers. Whether you choose to bi-amplify or bi-wire your speakers, there will likely be a slight difference in the listening experience.
However, you might find one of the connection techniques well worth your effort.
Now you’ve seen the diagram of the four-conductor speaker wires. You should choose one that looks like the one above. Ensure it is the right wire for your speaker setup. That means you need four cables with high-quality conductors. You should get pure copper wire conductors for the best result in almost all cases. Moreover, it often means getting the correct gauge wire for your specific speakers.
In other words, the wire gauge above may not serve some of your listening needs. You can find an assortment of speaker cables of all gauges and lengths from your nearby store. So, you are assured of finding the best cable that suits your speaker’s capacity.
Overall, the conductor speaker wire diagram is for illustrative purposes only. You should seek expert advice for one that best suits your needs.
4 Wire Speaker Wire Color Code
The purpose of four-conductor speaker wires is to transmit electrical signals (current and voltage) from the receiver or amplifier to your speakers.
One of the conductors is color-coded red. It is the positive conductor. The negative conductor is color-coded black.
These two cables send the signals to speaker one.
A conductor that is color-coded white serves speaker two. It functions as the red one. The only difference is the speaker that it serves. The last conductor is green. It works like the black wire but serves the second speaker.
Standard speaker wires only have red and black wires. For multi-room audio or whole-house wring, you require the four-conductor wire. They minimize the labor requirement and the amount of cable used.
The speaker wire cross-section below shows the four-wire speaker color code. It also shows that the conductors are made of stranded copper conductors, PVC insulation, tissue, and PVC jacket.
Does Bi-Wiring Improve Sound?
Yes, bi-wiring is a perfect way to minimize the impedance difference between low and high frequencies. It also reduces the impact of this variation on the overall sound that you receive. So, bi-wiring improves the midrange, which many audiophiles consider is essential enough to justify using four cables.
Conclusion
Hooking up your four-conductor speaker wires to your receiver wire is an easy assignment. Once you decide to bi-wire or bi-amplify and know how the wiring works and the right cable for the setup, you are set to go. You can follow the steps we’ve covered here and complete the work in no time.
