How to connect jumpers and speaker wires

When we buy a speaker on its back we will have, in most cases, four terminals, in pairs of two, to which we connect our speaker cable, supported by standard jumpers. But how to connect jumpers and speaker cables?

And what are the dual terminals for? To connect our speaker in bi-amplification or bi-wiring.

These alternative modes of connection, almost always for the use and consumption of a small circle of enthusiasts, if not used, require that the HF (high frequency) and LF (low frequency) terminals remain jumpered together. The purpose is to make the crossover work in unison.

Why is it that loudspeaker manufacturers, given the low use of bi-amping/bi-wiring, produce speakers with dual connections? Well, it is difficult to give a precise answer, but one can speculate that it is to offer a more versatile and complete product. Or because they make "more of a scene" and attract more attention from buyers. What is certain is that they are there on almost every speaker and consequently need to be understood and managed properly, lest a possible advantage become a disadvantage.

Immediately after making the purchase of our new speakers, we set out to assemble them and are caught by a doubt. Will the speaker cable that goes from the amplifier to the speakers be good to connect to the bottom pair or the top pair? That is, to the input intended for bass or high frequencies? And most importantly, will the jumpers given by the manufacturer of the speakers be adequate for the task they are to perform, or will they ruin our efforts to improve the quality of the sound emitted by the system?

The fundamental importance of jumpers stems from the fact that, over time, loudspeaker manufacturers decided to manufacture speakers with two pairs of connectors and, therefore, a split crossover. The jumper is necessary to carry the signal at both high and low frequencies. But, in mono-wiring, where is it best to connect one's speaker cable? Below or above? This is a question that many people ask themselves and which we will try to answer.

Some argue that the cable from the amplifier should reach the tweeter (or rather the mid-high) terminals and not the bass terminal, leaving the "chunks" or jumpers to carry the signal to the woofer terminals. High frequencies are the most delicate and sensitive portion of the audio spectrum, partly because of the low voltages involved. Again according to these opinions, for this reason, it is better for the signal from the amplifier to reach the tweeter terminals without any other pieces of cable or metal bars being interposed (simply put: you minimize, in essence, contact resistance).

Others, however, believe it is better to do the opposite, that is, to favor the woofer, that is, the component that requires more power. In reality, the differences are minimal, and only rarely does anything really change. What we recommend is first of all to make sure that the jumper does not act as a bottleneck in your system (see below how) and then make attempts according to your ear and your system to see if anything changes.

There is nothing qualitatively better than what we like best, even according to our own suggestions or habits. One can also refer to the instructions that accompany the product. It is true, however, that it is about ten centimeters of cable, and unless the quality is particularly low, the problem does not arise. Except that, sometimes, the stock jumpers are indeed of the lowest quality: a strip of brass.

As for the jumpers, in order to check their goodness, it will only be possible to try moving the speaker cables from the terminals located at the bottom to those located at the top, and vice versa, but there will be a variety of inferences we could draw from them. Let us then make all possible assumptions and draw all imaginable consequences regarding how to connect the jumpers and speaker cables. Here is the list of possibilities, presented schematically but comprehensively:

• we move the position of the jumpers; if the sound changes, the jumpers probably act as a bottleneck and we recommend changing them for optimal performance;
• if the sound does not change, perhaps the jumpers are doing their job excellently and are appropriate for the system.

Caution, however. In case the sound does not change, the following should also be considered:

• if the sound does not change, it may be that the speaker cables are of such a low level that they cannot convey enough detail for us to perceive differences;
• another hypothesis, if the sound does not change, could be that the system is not revealing enough and the jumper is not acting adequately on the sound.

Having done your due diligence, you find yourself in need of replacing the jumpers in your loudspeakers. Keep in mind that these should be of equal or better quality than the conductors that make up your cables Speaker - brass will not do.

For an uncompromising choice, Ricable offers its jumpers Dedalus e Invictus, with the former also optimized for the Magnus series or other lesser speaker cables. These are available in fork/spade as well as fork/banana versions. It is also possible to request a custom length. As for speaker cables, however, the choice is more varied and takes up the four, now classic, series Ricable, viz. Primus, Magnus, Dedalus e Invictus.