Hidden Speakers and how to hook them up

[Finetunemoon]

hi everyone the previous owners of our house had some speakers installed in the kitchen the end of the wires are just bare (I've added some photos) I was wondering 2 things

1) what's the easiest way to check if they work, and
2) could I hook them up to some sort of Bluetooth receiver maybe via a 3.5mm jack?

Thanks for your help
Kev

 

[Stufin135]

To me it looks like they have removed the amp (the most pricey part).

Most of these systems are going bluetooth/wireless these days (but most will have a jack port in them).

As far as I am aware the only way to check they work is to hook them up to an amp.

Maybe someone else here has more knowledge on this, and can help better. But it's the only reason I can see for having loose speakers cables.

 

[SparkyChick]

Hi, welcome to the forums.

Are you absolutely sure those cables are connected to the speakers? Be sure before you tinker

The easiest way is get hold of an audio amplifier with screw or push terminals on the output stage. But, you need to be careful that you match the amplifier to the speaker impedance (too low an impedance can result in damage to the amp as far as I'm aware).

Whether you can connect them to a headphone jack again depends largely on impedance and the power available on the headphone outlet. The smaller speakers of headphones don't need as much juice as larger speakers so you may find the output won't drive them properly.

 

[shaun1]

Hi,

An easy test you could try is to take the 2 wires from one speaker and touch them to the 2 terminals of a 9v (PP3) battery, and then repeat with the other one. You should hear a crackle from the speaker as you make the connection to the battery (dont keep it connected for more than a few seconds). This will confirm the wiring is o.k and that the coils in the speakers haven't burned out.

Beyond that you would have to connect them to some kind of amp. Something like this: DROK® Mini Stereo Audio Wireless Bluetooth: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Amplifier-Electrical-Motorcycle-Smartphone/dp/B014J0TUR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493148352&sr=8-1&keywords=amp+with+bluetooth will probably work, but if you can access the back of the speaker it may be worth looking for a specification label with the impedance.

The Speaker cables would connect directly to the speaker terminals on an amp like the one in the link above.

 

[jackhammerJIM]

test the resistance of the coil . Could be 4 ohm , 8 ohm something like that . a blown driver will be open circuit .

 

[Specialist]

If by any chance you have an analogue multimeter. Put it on x1 resistance and quickly tap the meter wires across each cable, one at a time.
If you've found a speaker wire, with a good coil then the speaker will crackle as the wires make contact, this will also tell you which are the Right & Left speakers so you can mark them up.

 

[shaun1]

test the resistance of the coil . Could be 4 ohm , 8 ohm something like that . a blown driver will be open circuit .

The measured resistance won't be equal the the impedence (although apparently it should be about 15 percent lower)

 

[DPG]

Make sure you get the phasing right for the 2 speakers otherwise it will not sound good.

 

[Specialist]

The measured resistance won't be equal the the impedence (although apparently it should be about 15 percent lower)

For what he needs to find out, the exact a/c impedance of the speakers isn't important.
What he needs to find out is:
1) All speakers are close in ohmic value.
2) No speakers are o/c.
3) Especially no line / speaker is s/c.