Speaker connections - types and their advantages

The sound quality differs depending on which speaker connections you use to connect your speakers to the playback device. We present the most common types in this practical tip. Further aspects as well as the best transmission solution can be found at the bottom of the picture gallery.

The classic connection: the loudspeaker cable

A speaker connection that has been tried and tested for decades is the simply clamped or screwed speaker cable:

• The simple loudspeaker line consists of a two-core cable and a screw-clamp connection.
• The advantage is that you can buy such cables cheap by the meter.
• We will tell you in another practical tip which cable lengths make sense from which cable cross-section.
• One disadvantage is that the cable ends are exposed: if the cables touch each other at high power, the short circuit can cause a power failure. If you touch the line, you could get a blow too. However, this danger is more likely with large systems than in home operation.
• Another disadvantage of this loudspeaker connection is the asymmetrical transmission: With long cable runs and external interference, especially due to electromagnetic waves, the audio signal is disturbed.
• By the way: "Gold-plated" speaker lines generally only have a gold-plated tip. This does not oxidize as much as copper cables. You can save yourself the extra charge for gold-plated cables by clipping or cleaning the tips of your copper cables every three years.

The standard for passive speakers: RCA connection

Audio devices and loudspeakers with RCA input and output are common in the home:

• Cinch, also called RCA plugs, have become particularly popular in the home for audio and video.
• This is also their greatest strength: Cinch is just as common as an output from DVD and BluRay players, TV sets and game consoles, as well as from amplifiers.
• They are also cheap to get in all lengths and qualities.
• Their disadvantage is also the asymmetrical transmission.
• As an alternative to the speaker cable and cinch, there are occasionally speakers with a mono jack input. We will explain the differences between jack and cinch in a separate practical tip.

The best among speaker connections: XLR

XLR connectors snap into place, do not create short circuits and transmit signals with little interference even over long distances:

• XLR is particularly common in the amateur and professional sectors.
• Here, the audio signal is transmitted symmetrically: interference from interference is minimized by this method.
• However, only active speakers offer this connection. The advantage of active loudspeakers is that they contain an amplifier themselves and there is no need for an additional amplifier. The disadvantage is that active speakers cost significantly more than passive speakers due to the more complicated and expensive technology.
• Alternatively, you can also transmit signals symmetrically via a jack. The disadvantage of this is that there is always a short circuit when the jack is inserted. We will explain all the differences between the jack and the XLR in another practical tip.

Latest videos

With symmetrical transmissions via loudspeaker lines or cinch, you always need a preamplified signal, for example from an amplifier.

The amplifier performance of mixing consoles is often too low or distorted at the required levels.

Especially with many speakers, with long cable runs, or if the cables run past other electrical devices, you should consider symmetrical transmission to active speakers.

XLR is most suitable, but a more common one in amateur and home use is a symmetrical jack connection (see photo).

Here you have to use a TRS jack, not a mono jack.

Optical or coaxial digital transmission via ADAT or SPDIF is completely free of interference. Loudspeakers that offer these connections are particularly expensive because they contain not only an amplifier, but also a D / A converter.

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Active loudspeakers in particular often offer many inputs such as jack (top left) and cinch (bottom left).