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Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: Mr_Orange on 29 December 2009, 11:30

Title: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: Mr_Orange on 29 December 2009, 11:30
Hi,
Bought my brother some front door speakers for his mk3 GL...
Went to fit RH one Xmas day and not too obvious which of the 2 wires is + and which is -?  Popped the other grill off and the wires are the same colour in other door?!
From memory:
Green with grey stripe
Blue with grey stripe
Without access to a multimeter does any one know which is which (+ or -)?
Thanks!

Title: Re: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: Matty-MK3 on 29 December 2009, 12:10
Blue is +. :)
Title: Re: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: Mr_Orange on 29 December 2009, 12:18
He just emailed me to say he went with brown as positive, blue as negative (like in a house-hold plug).  He's happy as they appear to work, whether they are firing the wrong way is another thing!   :grin:
Title: Re: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: Matty-MK3 on 29 December 2009, 12:22
That's exactly what I thought and they work, but when I looked at the orignial connector and speakers, blue was +, swapped with wires and they sounded better.
Title: Re: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: rubjonny on 29 December 2009, 12:40
the speaker wire with a brown tracer is the earth :)
Title: Re: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: Mr_Orange on 31 December 2009, 10:49
the speaker wire with a brown tracer is the earth :)

Thanks peeps!  I just emailed him to suggest he re-do them.....   :grin:
Title: Re: Door Speaker Polarity (Wire colours)
Post by: Larrychips on 31 December 2009, 11:50
Coming from a Audio Visual installation back-ground, I can tell you that the polarity of speaker wiring does not matter (unless its a 70v/100v line system, which car audio isn't)...with one important condition. Both (or all 4 speakers) are wired the same way. This is because you want all the speakers moving in the same direction at the same time...this is called in phase.  Think of a speaker as an electric motor...or 2 motors in your case...you want them all "spinning" in the same direction.  If you wire it out of phase, it wont damage anything...but you will notice a perceived loss of power (loss of bass to the untrained ear), this is because the sound waves produced by the 2 speakers are having to compete with each-other to move the air where as they would normally work as a team moving air in pulses at the same time.