StarTech.com MU12MF 12 ft (3.7 m) 3.5 mm Audio Extension Cable, PC Speaker Extension Audio Cable, Strain Relief, Black, Aux Cable

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I recommend stripping enough wire to leave about 3/8″ to 1/2″ wire exposed. For soldering, you’ll need a minimum of 1/2″ to be able to twist the wire together. Certain types of wire (especially smaller gauges like 20AWG, 24AWG, etc can be harder to strip without breaking. For your first few times, practice on some surplus wire that won’t hurt your speaker wire length needs.

Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 28th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) There are only a few steps involved: cutting the wire (if needed), stripping the wire, and preparing the wire & crimping the connectors. 1. How to cut speaker wire To strip speaker wire you can use a number of tools. I recommend standard wire a standard low-priced wire stripper/crimper (shown above) or similar. To cut wire, just insert the wire and slightly close the tool until the wire is securely held in place & can’t move. Then squeeze very firmly. The wire should “snap” lightly and will be cut.Insert the wire in the stripper and close it carefully on the insulation. Use enough force to hold the wire in place and slightly pinch the insulation, but not enough to put force on the wire inside. Once you’ve prepared your speaker wire by stripping it, it’s time to use a crimp connector on each wire and a tool to crimp them for a reliable connection. Using crimp connectors with speaker wire isn’t very hard – I promise! You’ll get the hang of it after a few tries. First things first: here’s a simple diagram covering the basics for stripping & connecting speaker wire using one of the 2 most reliable ways.

All in all, you’ll need about 10-15 minutes to do this work with a soldering iron vs about 1-3 minutes with crimp connectors. It also leaves behind an adhesive residue if it has been subjected to a lot of heat as often happens in car audio installations. Which speaker wire is positive? Which is negative? If you catch the wire inside by squeezing a stripper too hard you’ll likely break off of the wire strands.Ultimately, though, it’s a lot more convenient to have an “all-in-one” tool like a crimp tool if you’re only doing light work occasionally. Wire cutting tips Examples of “butt” (crimp) connectors are shown here. They’re sold based on the wire gauge they can be used with. You’ll only need a few tools to do it. Between the two ways, using solder is extremely reliable but more hassle & takes more time. Crimp connectors, however, give great results in only minutes and this approach is what I use most of the time for my home or car installation jobs.