Splice Wire?

yes, that will be fine...

Doubt that is up to code. At least solder the joint.

Code? For Speaker wire that isn't "in wall" (atleast it sounds like the splice will be outside)!?

OP says through the wall. You aren't supposed to cover a wire splice w/ drywall without a box to access the splice. Like I said, solder it and cover it in heatshrink instead of just twisting the ends.

^^^

soldering it would not make it any more "code worthy"... using cl2 heat shrink would... and that's assuming he's already using cl2/3 wire (most people don't, which is technically a code violation)...

it's low voltage, it's not required to be accessible...

also, if you'd stop and think for a minute, it's rather obvious that he's not going to splice it in the wall anyway... if he was going to tear open a wall to make a splice, one would think that he'd just run a new wire... possibly i'm wrong there...

 

It will work.

 

There is one concern. If you just twist two copper wires together, they may (will?) eventually develop oxidation at their surfaces; this will impede current flow through the mechanical connection and lead to distortion. Soldering the connection prevents this.

So, for other connections, like banana plugs, for example, we should tin 1/4 in. or so of bare copper wire before fastening it down inside the banana plug? I have not been doing that. However, I have yet to hear distortion from my speakers.

You should not. Doing so results in the screw not properly crimping the wire, and the connection is less secure. Realistically unless you live very close to the ocean or the installation is on a boat you don't have to worry about corrosion. If you are in a corrosion zone coat the wire with a bit of dielectric grease, the stuff used on spark plug boots.

^^^

+1... i've never tinned speaker wires, and have never had corrosion issues...

 

I didn't hear any negative effects of using hand-attached copper wires after eight years on the coast(s). Oxidation is definitely more than a theoretical concern but that doesn't mean it's always a practical concern.

 

I think if a connector is designed to be soldered, it should be. I didn't even consider connectors with set screws.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

Been tinning every speaker wire for 41 years and I've had a lot of speakers over that time. Most of which I still own and still use!

If nothing else, it significantly reduces the chance of a short from a loose strand.

I just call them crimp tubes...IDK. Any hardware store should have them in the electrical section.

They are called butt splices and in these size they are insulated so no heat shrink is needed.

I would not use butt splices. The signal would have to travel through the metallic barrel of the butt splice, which probably would not be ideal. I would instead find some "bell caps". They do the same job as a butt splice, but are designed to be crimped on top of the two wires after they are stripped and twisted together, kind of like a wire-nut, but crimped instead. Which ever method you use, in my opinion, you want the two stripped copper ends to be in contact with each other and not relying on some dissimilar metal to pass through (like butt splices and terminal-blocks do).

For outside the wall I'd just use wire nuts ("pressure wire connectors" according to the UL). A common type I have around the house, found at Walmart and most hardware stores, is 3M's Scotchlok Twist Connect. You want Type Y (yellow) for 14-gauge wire.

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/312-BULK/920074-04-ND/229785

You'll have to check your local code about speaker wires in the wall. In our area, I am not sure there is any specific requirement for what they consider low-voltage wires. For AC wiring, any connections (no matter what you use) must be accessible, which usually means in a junction box. I would not splice any wire inside a wall unless really forced, and would wrap, solder, and heat shrink each splice plus use an overall outer heat-shrink tube for protection and durability. Assuming a good splice, the biggest danger/annoyance is not corrosion but if somebody yanks on a wire in the future and pulls the splice apart. If the wire is accessible elsewhere, like the attic or basement, you could cut and splice in a section there.

If practical, you could also use a junction box at the present (old) spot and run the wire over the new spot, perhaps under molding to dress it up.

butt connectors will work just fine. they are, unfortunately, used all the time in the industry.