View Full Version : What happens if remove 1 wire from speaker?
If you remove one of the wires (pos or neg) from the speaker what happens?
If you remove one of the wires (pos or neg) from the speaker what happens?
The speaker stops working! And if powered by a valve amplifier, you risk damaging the amplifier.
Really? Is that a serious question? Obviously it won't work!!
If you really don't know why it wouldn't work then Google for a very basic introduction to circuits.
Ali Tait
15-05-2019, 05:45
Any Triode valve amp would be fine, other types would risk damage as Barry says.
I didn’t know that part so thanks.
Any Triode valve amp would be fine, other types would risk damage as Barry says.
hifi_dave
15-05-2019, 11:54
April 1st is long gone..:rolleyes:
April 1st is long gone..:rolleyes:
I had some tosser from ebay round at the weekend to check out some speakers.
Before i knew what he was doing he had pulled out one cable from each speaker.
They continued playing, with only one cable (not sure if + or -).
I was a bit in shock, as if the connectors had touched, wouldn’t that have knackered the amp?
Fortunately, amp and speakers are fine.
He also, dropped a grille of my JBL L26...though no damage luckily.
I stayed polite, but when he asked i said the cd wasn’t conbected, the Jbl L26 had no crossover, and when he mentioned the thorens...no sodding way.
Complete ebay knob of the highest order.
But i’m confused how the speakers carried on playing with only 1 wire connected.
hifi_dave
15-05-2019, 12:59
They can't play with one wire disconnected. You need a go and a return or + and -, without both there is no signal.
he couldn't have pulled one wire out completely or the speaker would not work
Like that horror film where they disconnect it entirely and it keeps on playing. Can't remember what that's from now.
One wire/banana plug was hanging down ...they carried on playing.
Could have been bi wired and Continued to play ;)
If the speakers are bi-wired they will continue to play if only one of the four wires are removed - though, obviously, one drive unit will stop playing. If it is the tweeter that is disconnected it may not be immediately obvious and if the bi-wire links are still in place removing one wire won’t make any difference.
If bi-wire cabling is not in use then, as others have said, disconnecting one wire will - with absolute certainty - cause that speaker to stop playing. If the positive and negative wires touch most amps will tolerate it if it is momentary and very brief.
Well....bemused.
Though not to worry.
I will not be repeating.
Was the music playing at the time the Twilight Zone theme tune?
walpurgis
15-05-2019, 14:57
Wonder if anybody's ever bi-wired not realising the links need to come out? :D
dantheman91
15-05-2019, 15:23
Wonder if anybody's ever bi-wired not realising the links need to come out? :D
Yep i did and i blew a Nad Amp...this was my early days starting out..
You must have connected the positive and negative - but forgetting to remove the bi-wire links isn’t the same thing and won’t do any harm.
Wonder if anybody's ever bi-wired not realising the links need to come out? :D
Good thinking Geoff!
Beobloke
16-05-2019, 11:48
Perhaps the speakers are magic, like the fortune-telling machine in the film 'Big'.
You should have made a wish...
In that case i'll increase the price!
It's not the speakers, it's eBay, everyone there is just magic.
Really
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
icehockeyboy
17-05-2019, 13:03
There are more idiots on eBay than just about anywhere!
Lawrence001
17-05-2019, 16:05
Wonder if anybody's ever bi-wired not realising the links need to come out? :DI did by accident. Not good even with protection circuits in the amps...
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
hifi_dave
17-05-2019, 16:47
With links in, it makes no difference if you plug in bi-wire cables or single wire cables.
If you analyse the circuit and draw it s equivalent you will see that under these conditions the only difference is paralleling the current conducting paths.
But only if two wires are actually connected between amp and speaker I presume? The OP was suggesting that just one amp to speaker conductor is enough, not a pair...
I suggest that his post falls into the 'miracle at Lourdes' category.
Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk
Lawrence001
18-05-2019, 10:38
With links in, it makes no difference if you plug in bi-wire cables or single wire cables.Oops I meant biamp.
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
Lawrence001
18-05-2019, 10:47
On the original question, crazy idea but is there any way the -ve terminal can float and the voltage on the +ve cause a charge/discharge in the voice coils enough to make a sound? Given the mass of the cone/coil assembly I assume not, maybe the lightest most sensitive speaker could exhibit slight movement.
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
Maybe i misheard, or am going senile.
Maybe i was just in shock tnat the guy thought it was fine to do this.
This is most likely i guess.
lol it would be funny to film a bluetooth connected speaker if you hid the connection on inside of the speaker and then pulled out the cables at a show just to see peoples reactions to them still playing with no cables attached
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.