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Topic: There was a splice in my speaker wire!

Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-17-2002 08:43 PM

Over in the discussion about my new Ultra-Stereo multiplexer (MMP-10) I stated that my first attempt to do an EQ with it was interrupted because I was getting nothing out of the right channel.

The amp was fine (I was getting a response at the booth monitor) and the loudspeaker was fine (did a 9V battery test with a short run of cable at the actual speaker).

The only thing remaining was the wire between the two devices. The really painful part was that this was a brand new run of wire and I wasn't thrilled that we'd have to do it all over again.

A join was discovered when the wire was removed. It had opened up in the conduit.

I thought this was odd because I supplied the electrician's helper with the wire. It was a brand new 500' roll. Three of them, in fact, so that they could run left, centre and right simultaneously.

In any event -- let's say they cut the wire prematurely -- the proper thing to do is re-run it right away, right?

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 09-17-2002 09:17 PM

...if you want something done right....

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-17-2002 09:34 PM

Steve, do you really run your own wires...yourself?

I am indeed considering doing this myself now, however basic, menial and BORING it may be. There are four more auditoria to go.

By the way, I fired and replaced that electrician last week on other grounds.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 09-17-2002 09:49 PM

I'm not sure, but I think I've seen just about everything a person can do to a speaker wire. Bang nails and screws through, use a length to hold up a speaker while the worker goes to lunch, (pulled the wires out of the pipe) wrap *both* conductors together at a splice, strip almost the entire length because of a sharp edge in a trough, etc.

At a job many years ago, we had no sound from an amp; turns out someone apparently overtighted the head of a screw (for the speaker output) and it broke off. So they glued the ring lug and screw head back in place on the terminal.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-18-2002 02:26 AM

Well, that's just precious. I'm feeling not-so-bad already.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 09-18-2002 06:20 AM

Manny,

Do I really pull my own wire...sometimes. Do I like it? Nope, not the long runs of speaker wire but sometimes it happens. It all depends on the job.

Steve

------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 09-18-2002 12:47 PM

Don't you need to be a licensed electrician to run wires? Not imploying you're doing wrong Steve, for all I know you are one or the law is different in your state. Just curious.

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Jeff Taylor
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 601
From: Chatham, NJ/East Hampton, NY
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 09-18-2002 01:55 PM

For new, out of the ground work we generally give the low voltage work to the project electician for convenience sake, but on retrofit work it's certainly not required for low voltage audio, communications, control, and life safety device wiring.

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