What speaker wires are these?

[Rob]

Home theater newb trying to set up a wired home theater system left behind from a previous home owner.

There is a closet with these wires:

Seems like left, right, center, surrounded left, surround right, surround back left, surround back right.

This corresponds with receptacles around the room that seem to connect with regular speaker wire.

However, is there a recommended receiver I should be using with this connection/setup? My current receiver would require me to take these caps off, but who knows, maybe they are intended to be removed? (They have star like tips).

I am excited to finally get this thing working!

 

[olbriar]

Yamaha makes highly rated surround receivers. I bought a mid range Yamaha receiver to do my surround a number of years ago. You can spend as much as your pockets are deep. Do you have speakers? My surround system has been abandoned since my children left home but the richness of the sound makes movies far more immersive. I bought Bose speakers. Center, front, and rear and added a powered Klipsch subwoofer. If you don't already have a receiver you will want to make certain they will drive your speakers and do surround. If you are in need of both receiver and speakers it's easier to shop. Best Buy or similar outlets will steer you in the right direction. You are in for some fun! I loved my theater when I had it running.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Those are banana plugs, used for speaker connections on most receivers.

The Complete Guide to Banana Connectors

A full overview of banana connectors including plugs, jacks, and binding posts.

info.muellerelectric.com

Most likely whatever receiver you buy will have the mating jacks/binding posts and you can just plug them in, if not the plug can be removed by grabbing the two knurled sections and unscrewing leaving just the wire.

 

[olbriar]

My amp did not have banana connectors but screw posts connections. It was the same with my speakers that all had pinch connectors. The connections at the amp were difficult to make up for they were close in proximity to each other. To just plugging them in would have been sweet. The power driven subwoofer had it's own plug in connection.

 

[nickdalzell]

My speakers are so old they got those pinch connectors. I have a receiver that's branded Sony that's made in 2008, and like most 'surround systems in a box' has weirdo connectors of its own that if you found the receiver secondhand without the speakers and goofy coonectors you'd be SOL.

 

[The_Chief]

What speaker wires are those? OBSOLETE

 

[AugieTN]

I bought a sound bar for my TV. After I bought it I discovered it had a fiber connection. Then I checked my TV and it had a fiber connection for sound. So my sound bar is connected to my TV with fiber. It make a big difference when I play a Blu-ray.disk

 

[The_Chief]

I ain't knocking old tech: in fact, if we EVER find the right land on which to build the dream home we've designed, one of the things we'll have in it is a 100% analog sound system. From the old vinyl turntable to the solid state preamp, vacuum tube amplifier and analog speakers, there is so much nuance and detail captured in a vinyl album that no amount of digital sampling can replicate. Besides, I have old albums tucked away that will never be available digitally.

(We also have a 1917 wind-up Columbia Grafonola dropped into a standing Edison cabinet; and a 1929 wind-up Victrola Granada console. Both work perfectly and play our 78 rpm records beautifully. Neither being electric, of course, there's no audio out except for the speaker horn... no amplifier needed, though: these things are LOUD!)

 

[Rob]

Those are banana plugs, used for speaker connections on most receivers.

The Complete Guide to Banana Connectors

A full overview of banana connectors including plugs, jacks, and binding posts.

info.muellerelectric.com

Most likely whatever receiver you buy will have the mating jacks/binding posts and you can just plug them in, if not the plug can be removed by grabbing the two knurled sections and unscrewing leaving just the wire.

This was the answer. Thanks!

Was able to expose the wire to connect directly to the receiver. Now onto new problems (like not being able to find the video source). So much weird stuff up in the ceiling!

 

[The_Chief]

So much weird stuff up in the ceiling!

Wait until you find the bodies!

 

[nickdalzell]

I ain't knocking old tech: in fact, if we EVER find the right land on which to build the dream home we've designed, one of the things we'll have in it is a 100% analog sound system. From the old vinyl turntable to the solid state preamp, vacuum tube amplifier and analog speakers, there is so much nuance and detail captured in a vinyl album that no amount of digital sampling can replicate. Besides, I have old albums tucked away that will never be available digitally.

(We also have a 1917 wind-up Columbia Grafonola dropped into a standing Edison cabinet; and a 1929 wind-up Victrola Granada console. Both work perfectly and play our 78 rpm records beautifully. Neither being electric, of course, there's no audio out except for the speaker horn... no amplifier needed, though: these things are LOUD!)

i don't know if it's just my vintage bias or not, but 'old' sound systems and speakers, as ugly as they can be (woodgrain, huge!) just sound better. The bass is more slamming than a subwoofer, and the range is wider.

 

[olbriar]

You obviously have never heard and felt a quality subwoofer. I do agree that some old speakers produced some quality sound.

 

[nickdalzell]

well since sound bars have replaced actual stereos for many people (how do you think I got the 2008 Sony system in a box for nothing?) I only have experience with those, and they're garbage. GARBAGE. They also look boring and basic. I want the vacuum flourescent display and animated graphic equallizer, but preferably (if it would fit in my cabinet) one with an incandescent-lit analogue dial and two VU meters, as that's more my style.

My dream entertainment centre would have both Betamax and VHS recorder/players (the ones with the mechanical tuner knobs and flip clocks), a stereo system from 1974, two huge speakers with 6 individual speakers each inside each channel, a 1960s tube New Vista Colour TV, phonograph and 8-track player.

Unfortunately, I have to settle for a 65" vizio TV, 2008 Sony 6-speaker + Subwoofer stereo system, two 2010 Blu-Ray disc players and two 2000/2001 Sylvania and RCA VCRs. But at least they each got light up displays so it looks impressive when everything is on, and inert and black with it all off..

 

[ozonetrooper]

You obviously have never heard and felt a quality subwoofer.

Ask my neighbors ...

2 Pioneer elite 300 watt self powered subs :

 

[mikedt]

Unfortunately, I have to settle for a 65" vizio TV, 2008 Sony 6-speaker + Subwoofer stereo system, two 2010 Blu-Ray disc players and two 2000/2001 Sylvania and RCA VCRs. But at least they each got light up displays so it looks impressive when everything is on, and inert and black with it all off..

Blu-ray Disc is one video format that completely passed me by. I had VHS, Betamax, even Video2000 for a while, VideoCD, and DVD. Oh yeh I never had Laserdisc either.