I'm wanting to run new wire from my head unit to my speakers in the front doors because I have a short in one of the wires. Figure I'll just run it to both sides.

Anyway, can I use any old 16ga speaker wire for one, or is car speaker wire somehow different. it doesn't look a bit different.

Second, can I just connect this wire right up to the head units wiring.

Third, the reason i ask, is that I tired a length of home 16ga speaker wire connected to the wires on the headunit and i got no sound when connected to the home wire. When i connect the speaker straight to the short head unit wires, it works fine.

Thanks,
Bill

 

I use stinger speaker wire but any wire should work really, i cant see why it wouldnt

 

That's what I thought, but I got no signal through the wire. I'll have to try it again tonight.

It was cold and rainy

 

Any gauge speaker wire will work -- copper is copper and the only difference will be in the amount/quality of signal transmitted -- but I'm wondering how you connected it to the head unit? There should be a wiring harness of some sort (not sure if you're using a factory unit or aftermarket) and that will usually require you crimp the ends into some sort of connector in order to plug into the harness.

One connected to the head unit, make sure you keep the polarity correct when connecting the wires on the speaker end. If you flipped the polarity, you should still get sound, but it will be waaaaay out of phase. No sound at all? I'm guessing the short is in one of the connectors on the speaker, itself.

As for running the cable, be sure to thread it through the rubber channeling hose that your other wires go through from the cabin to the door. If not, and you just run it next to that channel, the wire will eventually abrade and you'll be doing this same project again in the near future (been there, done that...)

Ed