Beginner Cable Question

[cbertalotto]

So I moved to a house that has speakers on the patio, wall plates with cable in the living room, and the wall plate by the tv to connect to. I bought a simple 2 channel receiver with pin connectors but I'm not sure what cable I need to plug into the wall. I've attached a picture, but it almost looks threaded like coaxial but the bigger plug like a 3.5. Does anyone have an idea what cable I need?

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Those sockets accept standard banana plugs that are commonly used on speaker wire.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[-Jim-]

The labeling indicate 2 stereo pairs. Z2L & Z2R being a pair; and SL & SR being a second pair. If the previous homeowner did it at one end, he could have done the other. Are the similar plates, with only 2 plugs, by each speaker labeled?

If you can find labels on the second set in the living room that would be helpful. If so please advise, along with the make and model of your receiver so we can assist further.

 

[cbertalotto]

The connections in the wall appear to have threads, will a banana plug still work? And the top two are for the patio (left and right), with the bottom two being the living room (left and right). The living room plates have a black and red and the patio has speakers built in. My reciever is a Sony STR-DH190.

 

[Swerd]

The wall plate you showed has what are called 5-way binding posts for speaker cable. They can accept bare wire, spade lugs, pins, or banana plugs. If you use bare wire or pins, loosen the threaded ring (as shown below),insert the wire (first twist the strands together) or pin into the hole on the side of the post, and tighten the ring.

It's much easier to use banana plugs such as these. Simply insert the banana into the opening on the end of the post. Those threaded rings don't serve a purpose with banana plugs, just tighten them before you insert the banana plug.

You can buy standard zip cord wire (16, 14, or 12 gauge) in any hardware store and attach the banana plugs yourself. The plugs come with easy & clear directions. It will cost you more to buy speaker wires that already have terminals attached. It will be a tiny bit more convenient, but they will not function any better.

The simple 2 channel Sony receiver you bought can only may or may not operate two speakers at a time. (Correction, see next post below.) You cannot easily attach it to a pair of indoor speakers AND that pair of outdoor speakers you have. You would have to disconnect one pair of speakers behind the receiver and connect the other pair, going back & forth each time.

An alternative is returning that 2 channel receiver, and instead get an audio video receiver (AVR) capable of hooking up a Zone 2 system. Your wall plate, labled Z2L & Z2R, suggests the previous owner of your house did that.

 

[Swerd]

I looked up your Sony STR-DH190 receiver. I was wrong above. It does allow connecting two pairs of speakers:

​

Flexible speaker installation ​

The STR-DH190’s A+B function lets you connect two sets of front speakers. You can easily switch between A or B or use both together to run outdoor speakers or set them up in a different room from the same amp.​

You could easily switch between speakers, pair A or B. But I wouldn't try using both pairs at the same time unless they are easy loads for that inexpensive receiver. That depends on what speakers you have. That receiver may have a limited power output that might overheat or fail if you played both pairs at once, possibly damaging your speakers.

 

[cbertalotto]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm not planning on using both locations at the same time so I figured that reciever would be adequate, especially for a beginner/entry level. So sounds like the best option is to buy some speaker wire, banana plugs, and I should be good to go?

 

[-Jim-]

I'll make it easier on you.

This is the rear of your receiver. Notice it can't accept Banana Plugs for the speakers. It's got push type connection points.

So if you are careful, just strip the speaker wires about 5/8" on each end, twist the ends to keep the strands together, and carefully insert them into the appropriate points on the receiver paying attention to the polarity (+ /- in the right spots or your Bass will be lacking). If there is a ring that is removable on the front of the banana plugs on the connection panel (like in Swerd's photo of the rear), slip the other end into the appropriate hole under the ring, and use the ring to clamp it.