Depending on which Bose speakers you have, the process for connecting regular speaker wire can be slightly different. As long as you have an adapter or standard wire connection input, you can strip the wire and attach it directly to the speaker.
My name is Donovan, and I’m all about home audio. I spend most of my days working as a musician and producer and have a lot of experience using various types of speakers. I know first-hand how to set up regular speaker wire connections.
This post will show you how to connect Bose speakers to regular speaker wire. I’ll walk you through all the steps to make this happen quickly and easily. I’ll also give you some important related information to get things working correctly.
Let’s dig in.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- To connect Bose speakers to regular speaker wire, you need speakers with regular wire inputs/connection points or an adapter that allows this.
- You should also have wire strippers and cutters to cut the speaker wire to length and strip about ½-inch to connect to the input.
- When using regular speaker wire, you’ll also need to use a receiver to help get sound from your audio source to your speakers. You can’t directly connect standard speaker wire to most modern devices.
- Using regular speaker wire may seem old-school, but it still delivers excellent sound quality.
- Not every Bose speaker is designed to work with regular speaker wire, so ensure this is possible before purchasing if it’s a feature you want or need.
Initial Thoughts
Audio technology is steadily changing, and modern speaker setups don’t always use regular speaker wire. With that in mind, not every Bose speaker model can connect to this type of wire. You might need to explore other options if that’s the case.
However, some Bose speakers are still set up to use regular speaker wire. If you have one of these, you can plug the speaker wire directly into them. I’ll detail those steps in the section below to help you get your stereo or home theater ready for action.
And some Bose speakers don’t technically have regular speaker wire inputs, but you can still connect regular speaker wire to them using an adapter. The exact adapter you need will be based on what speakers you have.
Another important thing to keep in mind here is that you will almost always need to use a receiver in your stereo setup when you are using regular speaker wire. You can’t plug your cell phone or computer directly into speakers using speaker wire.
That’s where a receiver comes in. You’ll connect your audio source (phone, computer, turntable, etc.) to the receiver, and then the receiver will be connected to your speakers (with speaker wire) to play audio.
If all of that sounds technical, don’t worry. It’s not. But if you’ve never set up a more old-school type of audio system, you might just want to stick with a modern setup that has fewer moving parts and is easier get connected.
And as I touched on earlier, not every type of Bose speaker can be connected to regular speaker wire. If your speakers aren’t compatible with any adapters that allow you to connect regular wire, you’ll need to use a different cable type to complete this task.
How to Connect Bose Speakers to Regular Speaker Wire
Now let’s dig into the details here with instructions on connecting regular speaker wire into your Bose speakers. To make this happen, you’ll need a few small things:
- Enough speaker wire to run from your speakers to receiver
- Wire cutters/strippers to cut the wire to length and strip the ends
- An adapter (if needed) to allow your speakers to connect to regular speaker wire
- A receiver to connect the other end of the speaker wire into
Speaker wire is still cheap and easily available. You should be able to get some from your local electronics shop or can find plenty of options only.
Wire cutters/strippers can be a single tool. Or you can get them separate. But most wire strippers also have a sharp cutting edge to cut wire.
The exact adapter you need will depend on the type of input your speakers currently have. A common option is RCA-to-speaker wire adapters. These can be more difficult to find at a physical shop but should be easy to get online.
You can use any type of receiver. This essentially functions as an amp and a connection bridge between your audio source and the speakers. And there’s a good chance you already have a receiver in place if you’re reading this post.
Once you have all of the above in order, follow these steps to connect your Bose speakers to regular speaker wire:
1. Place your speakers wherever you want them in your listening room.
2. Measure two lengths of speaker wire to the appropriate length to cover the distance between your speakers and the receiver. I recommend giving yourself at least a foot of extra length on each side, but more is always better than less.
3. Cut the lengths of speaker wire with the wire cutters.
4. Strip about ½-inch off of each end of each speaker wire. This involves cutting the sheath around the wire to expose the bare wire. You don’t need to be exact with that ½-inch measurement, but you don’t want to go any less than that.
5. If you need to use an adapter, now is the time to plug it into the existing inputs on your speaker. Skip this step if you have speakers that can accept regular wire.
6. Connect one exposed wire end to the input on one speaker. Some speakers have a screw you’ll need to loosen slightly to slide the wire in, others have a push tap you depress and release after the wire is in place.
7. Repeat step 6 for the other speaker.
8. Connect the other exposed ends of your speaker wire to the speaker outputs on your receiver. Be sure you connect the left speaker to the left channel and the right speaker to the right channel for proper stereo playback.
Again, the exact method for connecting the speaker wire to the receiver will depend on what type of design you have. But place the wire into the slot and ensure it’s firmly in place.
9. Power on your receiver, connect an audio source, choose the correct input, and press play to test for audio.
Pro Tip #1: If you want or need to use more than two speakers, you can connect more than one speaker wire to each input on the speakers. Follow all the same steps and just wait to secure the wires until you have both installed.
Pro Tip #2: Some speaker wire is sold as a stereo pair, with two wires for each stereo channel connected in one wire. You need to pull this wire apart, strip both ends and connect them to your left and right speakers accordingly.
You can pull the wire apart with your hands easily. You just might need to make a small cut or slice to get things started. Repeat the process on the other end of the cable to match the proper outputs on the receiver.
FAQs
Here are a few short answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to how to connect Bose speakers to regular speaker wire.
How do I connect my Bose speaker to my cord?
Depending on which type of Bose speaker you have, you need to match the cord to the type of input you have on the speaker. You can also get an adapter that plugs into these inputs and allows you to use a different kind of chord than how the speaker is configured.
Can you wire Bose speakers directly to a receiver?
You can wire Bose speakers directly to a receiver as long as you have the necessary speaker wire or other type of cable to make this connection happen. Some newer Bose speakers might not have standard speaker wire inputs, but you can use an adapter.
Can you use regular wire for speaker wire?
While you can use regular wire for speaker wire, I don’t recommend doing this unless you have plenty of experience with electrical connections. Most standard wire can conduct audio signals, but there are a few limitations.
Can Bose speakers connect to other speakers?
If you are using Bose speakers with regular speaker wire, you can connect them to other types of speakers by daisy chaining them together with more speaker wire. If you have a wireless Bose speaker, you can likely only connect it to other Bose wireless speakers.
Can you use any speaker wire to hook up speakers?
The type of speaker wire or cable you use to hook up speakers depends on the design and inputs of the speaker. If the speaker has regular speaker wire inputs, you can use any type of speaker wire. For other inputs, you need to use a cable that matches.
Final Thoughts
Connecting your Bose speakers to regular speaker wire is pretty straightforward, but it can seem somewhat technical if you’ve never set up a stereo system before. The steps in this post should allow you to figure things out with little trouble.
Remember that you’ll need to use a receiver to connect your speakers to an audio source. You can’t use regular speaker wire to connect directly to your phone or computer. Any type of standard audio receiver will get the job done.
What is your favorite stereo setup of all time? Does it use regular speaker wire or something else? Let me know in the comments below.
