Shorted Speaker

PiG
PiG Posts: 35
edited March 2011 in Speakers
Hi guys,

I've been doing some reading about banana plugs and such... I came across something that sparked my interest (no pun intended) as I guess I hadn't given it any consideration before; shorting out a speaker by contacting both terminals through the speaker wire.

What are the risks here if you do short out speakers in this manner. Is it a question of the speaker not working at all (no sound) or is there the possibility that you might just fry certain components or say elements of a crossover??

Also, I'm not electricly inclined, is it enough to have the power off on your receiver when connecting/disconnecting speakers or must it also be unplugged at the outlet?

Thanks
Post edited by PiG on
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Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,777
    edited March 2011
    Shorting the positive and negative speaker wires usually causes damage to the amp or AVR in your case, rather than the speakers, but it could damage both.

    If your AVR is completely powered down, that is not in standby, you cannot short the wires. You probably can't short them in standby either, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

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  • thetawave2
    thetawave2 Posts: 268
    edited March 2011
    Just by the definition of what shorting is, I'm pretty sure you can't damage the speaker. The only reason there's a problem is that the current is bypassing the resistance of the speaker for some reason. I can't imagine that the electricity could be bypassing the speaker and damage it at the same time.
    The danger here is to your amplifier. Most amplifiers have a protection feature that will shut off the power to limit or even prevent damage. Always better to play it safe, though! If for some reason it's inconvenient for me to unplug the amplifier, I often use the "vacation" switch rather than just the power button.
    My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
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  • thetawave2
    thetawave2 Posts: 268
    edited March 2011
    One solution to consider is banana plugs that come in connected pairs. This will keep the contacts from touching each other and all you have to worry about is both of them being in contact with the same piece of metal. Just make sure that the contacts are set the right distance apart for the spacing of your speaker terminals and your speakers!
    I got a set like these. Probably not the best quality but they sure do the job for me!
    http://www.audiogear.com/Resources/~BnStndBg.jpg
    My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
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