A speaker terminal is a type of

electrical connector Components of an electrical circuit are electrically connected if an electric current can run between them through an electrical conductor. An electrical connector is an electromechanical device used to create an electrical connection between ...

often used for interconnecting

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

s and

audio power amplifier An audio power amplifier (or power amp) is an electronic amplifier that amplifies low-power electronic audio signals, such as the signal from a radio receiver or an electric guitar pickup (music technology), pickup, to a level that is high e ...

s. The terminals are used in pairs with each of the

speaker cable Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

's two wires being connected to one terminal in the pair. Since speaker connections are polarized, the terminals are typically color-coded so that the positive wire connects to the red and the negative to the black terminal. The terminal consists of a spring-loaded metallic pincher that opens when the lever is pressed, and when released will tightly grip the conductor which has been inserted into it. This type of terminal is popular because it does not require any special connector to be applied to the end of the wire; instead, the wire is simply stripped of insulation on its end and inserted into the terminal. This terminal may be used with a variety of

wire gauge Wire gauge is a measurement of wire diameter. This determines the amount of electric current the wire can safely carry, as well as its electrical resistance and weight. Types of wire gauge Wire gauges may be broadly divided into two groups, th ...

s as well as with either solid core or stranded wires. DIY projects sometimes reuse speaker terminals for other applications using bare wire leads.

References

Audiovisual connectors Sound production technology {{Electronics-stub

See also

References