It sounds like your new equipment uses banana jacks or binding posts for connections, and you’re trying to connect them to a receiver with positive (+) and negative (-) wire terminals. Here's how to set everything up.
First, ensure you have speaker wire of the appropriate length for both speakers. On the back of your speakers or components, locate the two large phono-style jacks labeled as input and ext. out. The "input" jack is where you’ll connect the signal from your receiver.
If your equipment uses binding posts, you can connect the wires directly. Loosen the posts, insert the bare wire (making sure the positive and negative wires match your receiver's terminals), and tighten the posts to secure the connection. Alternatively, if the jacks are designed for banana plugs, you can attach banana plugs to the ends of your speaker wires for an easier and cleaner connection.
On your receiver, identify the speaker terminals for the corresponding channel. These are usually spring clips or binding posts labeled with positive (+) and negative (-). Match the positive wire from your receiver to the positive input on the speaker, and the negative wire to the negative input.
If there’s an "ext. out" jack on your speakers, this is likely for daisy-chaining another speaker or device. You don’t need to use this unless you’re connecting additional equipment. Once everything is connected, double-check your work to ensure the wires are securely attached and there are no stray strands that could cause a short. Then, power on your receiver and test the sound.
Let me know if you need more details or run into any issues during setup!