what happens if speaker wires + and - are switched?

[MonacoMike]

Will they still work? Will they be damaged? I am asking about a simple stereo but are the answers different if the system has an amp?

MM

 

[Hampton]

I think they still work and do not do damage. They will be out of phase. That can be beneficial if they are mounted different distances from the listener.

http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm?id=60

 

[rstaub]

It won't do any damage if the +/- are switched but you speakers will be hooked up out of phase. What that means is when one speaker is moving outward, the other speaker is moving inward. The result is very poor bass responce, poor imaging and an overall "hollow" sound. All of your speakers should be connected "in phase" which is + to + and - to -. This applys to all stereo or multi channel setups. Your "simple stereo" does have an amp - it's just built in - same rules apply.

Good luck,
rstaub

 

[MonacoMike]

Thanks so much for the information. MM