i know this is about as newbie as one can get. i just replaced the cd/radio unit in my truck.....the sound SUCKS generally speaking....the speaker wires on most HU's are paired up...a solid wire and a wire with a stripe on it. which is considered positive and which i negative? then....on old speakers....how can you tell which wire/connection is positive and which i negative. my truck is old (1988) and there has been several stereos installed. 2nd....does it matter if you connect positive to negative and vice versa. sorry about the elementary questions....but i need help thanks
Generally solid is + and striped is -. On speakers with the terminals the larger terminal is + and the smaller -. Yes it can hurt the speaker if wored bacwards. If the speaker moves in instead of out they are hooked up backwards so just swap them around if that happens
ok, that's the info i was looking for. that's for being helpful with such a basic question so if it's backwards....the sound will SUCK badly.....but as long as i reverse the wiring.....is there damage that would require replacement? or is that something i'll have to judge one speaker at a time?
Well if you catch it fast enough it should be fine. I don't know that the sound is particularly bad but you should notice the cone movement looks odd.
it would sound and be out of phase. meaning the you couldn't pin point the sound origin so yes it would sound bad... if you are having a hard time figuring out what is positive and what is negative on your speakers then the best way i find is to get a AA battery then hook two small wires two the terminals of the speakers. then hook one up to the positive side of the AA battery and the other to the negative... if the cone of the woofer moves outwards then you have it right, if the cone moves inwards then it's reversed or wrong... hope that helps...
