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Speaker wire colour standards

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chickenfizz View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chickenfizz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Speaker wire colour standards
    Posted: 10 December 2014 at 1:38am
Wondering if anybody could shed some light on the 'Standard' way of wiring 4 core speaker cable?

The Kelsey/VDC current range should be wired:

1+ Red
1- Blue
2+ Green
2- Yellow

Easy enough, but until a few years ago VDC were using Black, Red, White and Yellow as the first 4 conductors which I've usually seen wired:

1+ Red
1- Black
2+ Yellow
2- White
(but also seen the white and yellow reversed)

Which is 'correct'?

What about cables with Red, Black, Green and White(or yellow) cores? Or 4 core mains cable, Brown, Blue, Black, G/Y?


I'm really looking for standards from manufacturers' specs or as used by large, established hire companies rather than what makes sense to you personally.

Many thanks.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dlyxover Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 1:41am
In the Truth there is no news, and in the News there is no truth
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chickenfizz View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chickenfizz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 3:06am
It's not the slightest bit useful to my question, but thanks for the response.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Grubbah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 1:42pm
http://forum.speakerplans.com/8-core-color-coding_topic89773.html

I made a thread about this last week

Have a read.

There is a VDC colouring chart in there for up to 8 cores


Edited by Grubbah - 10 December 2014 at 1:43pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 2:14pm
The lesson here is that if under any doubt,  use that cable checker, or just open up and look. No big drama. Standards change, manufacturers 'improve' their products and goalposts move.

JBL speaker polarity, or amp specs are prime examples. I remember the first P-Audio SN12MB´s I bought. For some strange reason they followed the old JBL norm as regards cone movement. Luckily I checked before using them, as I once received a couple of recones that had been put in in reverse, so have developed the habit of always checking cone movement with a battery. No big deal, but saves the tears later.


Earplugs Are For Wimps!
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chickenfizz View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chickenfizz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 3:40pm
I'm really surprised that nobody here seems to be able to answer this!

Is there a standard for Red, Black, Yellow, White or not?

I'm grateful for people's time and effort responding but as stated in my first post I do know the current VDC/Kelsey colours, so please don't just list that again. I'm asking specifically about the other common cable colours (that are inherently incompatible with the list that's been posted). Just so we're clear, I can't connect Red to 1+, Black to 3-, White to 3+ and Yellow to 2- because it's 4 core cable and a 4 pole speakon. Same applies to the other cable types I mentioned.

cheers
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Grubbah View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Grubbah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 4:55pm
There is obviously no uniform standard between manufactures of speaker cable, only the standard wiring they publish themselves with their products which by the sounds of it changes!

I know people use 4 core mains cable for speakers, but I'm pretty sure outside of its intended application there would be no standard for how you would wire it. (I also doubt you would find another 4 core cable with brown / black / blue and G/Yellow that wasn't intended for mains use).

So id say 'No' is the answer to your question. How you wire it is dependant on the brand and its colouring guide and anything else is down to your own discretion.

I would assume all large established hire companies would use updated products from known and established (VDC / Kelsey etc) cable companies and follow the appropriate wiring of said brand. 


Edited by Grubbah - 10 December 2014 at 4:57pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ceharden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 December 2014 at 7:16pm
The VDC/Kelsey colours already mentioned is the only real convention I've come across.

You could ask the same thing about colours for marking lengths of cable.  Each big hire company seems to have their own standard for that.  Personally I (and usefully a few other local companies) work on 2x Resistor Colour Code to a point.  Eg Brown =2m, Red 4 or 5m, Orange 6m etc etc.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AndyWave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 December 2014 at 6:02am
Originally posted by Earplug Earplug wrote:



 as I once received a couple of recones that had been put in in reverse...




Sorry to being picky but did the recones made their way out of the garage all way to the street or did they fail on the driveway
torturing electrons since ......
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 December 2014 at 9:27am
Originally posted by AndyWave AndyWave wrote:

Originally posted by Earplug Earplug wrote:



 as I once received a couple of recones that had been put in in reverse...




Sorry to being picky but did the recones made their way out of the garage all way to the street or did they fail on the driveway


Smile

No, they actually worked ok, just reverse polarity. The guy that did them for me must have been very busy that morning.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote burningbush Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 December 2014 at 10:41am
I colour mine in with markers so they match.
music is the message
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