My cat chewed through one of my speaker wires?

Question

Is there a way to just tape it back together? Will it work properly? Or do I gotta get whole new wire?

Answer 1

If you think the cat may chew again I would replace the whole run with a better grade of interconnect.

Splicing will work, but you may want to look into a method of concealing the wires.

Wire loom, plastic or metal conduit may be the right way to go.

Answer 2

DId you stick its nose in it HAHAHA?

Just replace the wire or the cat, or both.

Maybe chew on the cat a bit...

Let him/her know what it's like :-)

Don't forget to scold it either "Bad kitty this is what you get".

Answer 3

Why dont you just get rid of your hungry cat??

Oh sorry, its not nice when someone doesnt answer your question properly is it????????????

Answer 4

Obviously, you will want as good and reliable  a connection as the original wire provided. Simply twisting the wire together will work, however without permanently joining the ends together you may be introducing noise, causing your amplifier to work harder than it should, or exposing the exposed wire ends and possibly causing a short circuit.

3 reliable ways to restore your connection, depending on your comfort level.

-Solder the wire back together. (preferred)

-Use wire connectors, (a cone shaped connector in which the ends of the wire are inserted and twisted together, (Fast cheap and easy) Home depot or a local hardware store will carry these.

-Crimp the ends together. Uses a cylindrically-shaped  tubes, somtimes called insulated ferrules. The  the wire is inserted and crimped to create a secure, reliable connection. Requires a tool.

Pay attention to the markings on the wire to ensure they don't get crossed and also ensure no bare wire is exposed, (I always wrap my splices with black electrical tape no matter what method is used.)

Answer 5

You can replace (if you want to avoid looking at a join) or tape and reuse if you prefer. It will work perfectly. Here's how to splice the wires:

Assuming the wire is totally cut through (if not it's even simpler) .... simply take the two pairs of wires (one pair goes to the amplifier, one pair goes to the speaker), clean them up as necessary (remove any chewed insulation, ensure there is about 2cm / 3/4" of bare wire on each of the four conductors).

Proper speaker wire will differentiate the two conductors through some visible means (e.g. colour of the insulation, a line or ridge along one side of the pair of conductors). This is to allow the phasing of the speakers to be maintained (don't worry about the details). But try to ensure the wires are spliced -- what you are going to do next -- so the markings of the conductors on the two pairs of wires match.

Now proceed to splice the wires by overlapping the ends and twisting the matching conductors from each pair (e.g. the wire from the amplifier and the wire to the speaker) around ech other. Tape the splice, preferably with electricians tape (black plastic), but any other tape that will prevent contact with the other conductor can be used.

Splice the other conductor pair and tape the splice, then tape around both splices so the tape covered section is about 3"- 4" / 8 -10 cm long. Done.

EDIT

You can make a more permanent connection by soldering or crimping as suggested by others, but I am assuming you want a servicable and simple connection. Splicing as I suggested will work just fine.

Answer 6

you would be better off running a new wire.