Home stereo sound systems were the most popular way of listening to music in the 80s and the 90s. Still, you can find them in many music lover households. Normally, stereo systems come with only two speakers. But they can easily be turned into a surrounding sound system if you know how to connect multiple speakers to a home stereo.
To add multiple speakers to the home stereo, you need a few accessories. They are very cheap and easily available in the market and online stores. You just need to split the output of the stereo system for the built-in speakers and some additional speakers to enjoy the surrounding theatrical sound system.
I am a technology enthusiast and a blogger. This article will show you the easiest way to connect multiple speakers to your home stereo system.
8 Easy Steps To Connect Multiple Speakers To Home Stereo:
With the advent of the internet and different appliances, like personal computers and smartphones, the use of the stereo sound system is now reduced. But stereo sound systems can produce movie theater-like sounds in your home if you can connect additional speakers with them.
In order to do that, you must follow these 8 easy steps:
Step 1- Get All The Accessories:
First, buy or gather the following components. You can find them in every electronics store.
- Pair of additional speakers
- Wire strippers
- 2 RCA Splitter (one male end and two female ends)
- Two 12-feet long RCA speaker cables (having 2 male RCA jacks on each end)
Step 2- Find The Ports:
You have to find the audio output ports of the stereo system. Usually, they are found at the back of the system. If you have difficulty finding the ports, look for the stereo’s user manual or search the internet for the model of the stereo.
You are likely to find four jacks for audio output in the stereo system. Two for high-frequency speakers and two for low-frequency speakers. We will use the high-frequency audio ports to add only a pair of additional speakers.
You can add four more speakers with the same system, using the low-frequency speakers. The audio output will be less from this audio port.
Step 3- Connect The System Speaker:
Using one of the two RCA splitters, connect your built-in sound system. Put the male jack into one of the high-frequency audio ports and connect the two input cables into the two female ports of the RCA splitter.
Step 4- Cut And Attach The RCA Cable:
Now you have to cut the 12-feet RCA cable in half and attach its main jack into the other empty port of the RCA splitter. The other port of the splitter has the audio output jack of the built-in speaker.
Step 5- Split And Strip The RCA Cable:
The other end of the RCA cable that you just attached with the RCA splitter now needs to be split and stripped a little. Use your hands to split the two parts of the cable up to 3 inches.
Now using the wire stripper, strip the two ends of the separated wires up to ½ inches.
Step 6- Cut And Strip The Speaker Cable:
You need to get the end of the audio input cable of the additional speaker and cut out the audio jack. Using your hands split the two wires up to 3 inches as you did with the RCA cable. Now strip the ends of the speaker cable with the wire stripper up to ½ inch.
Step 7- Join The Cables:
Now join the stripped wires of the RCA jack and the stripped wires of the speaker cable, by twisting them together. Cover up the naked wires at the joining by wrapping them with black tape.
Step 8- Position The Additional Speaker:
Finally, place your additional speakers a bit away from the built-in speakers. You should put them in the opposite direction making an equal distance from the original speaker.
Now play music and test if all the speakers are working or not. Enjoy the music. Using the same technique, you can add two more speakers with the same home stereo system by using the low-frequency audio output ports.
3 Simple Steps To Create A Whole-House Sound System With Your Stereo
The whole-house sound system is the recent trend in sound systems. It utilizes the best of information technology and creates a holistic environment in your house. But they are comparatively expensive.
However, you can create almost the same sound environment with your stereo system by taking the following 3 simple steps:
Step 1- Add Additional Speakers:
Following the steps, previously mentioned in this article, you have to add additional speakers with the stereo system. Depending on the model of your stereo system, you can add up to 3 pairs of speakers with it. You have to utilize both the high-frequency and low-frequency output ports of the stereo system.
Step 2- Set Up The Speakers:
Now you have to set all the six boxes of speakers in six corners of your house. One can be set in the corridor, one in the living room, one in the stairs, and so on.
You have to use long RCA speaker cables to spread the speaker boxes all across the house. If the cables are not that much longer, you can add one cable with the other, using the wire stripper and black tape.
Carefully set the wires on the walls. Make sure they do not harm the aesthetics of the house, and at the same time, become an obstacle to your movement in the house.
Step 3- Check The Output:
Playing music on the stereo. Check on each speaker individually and make sure all of them have a good clarity of sound.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Can You Connect More Than Two Speakers To A Stereo?
You can connect more than two speakers to your stereo. You have two options to get the job done. One involves the use of an RCA splitter and the other option is based on the amplifier.
Using an RCA splitter, you can split the outcome of the stereo system between the built-in speakers and a pair of additional speakers. In this method, you have to use an extra RCA cable too.
While using the amplifier to connect multiple speakers to your home stereo, you can connect multiple speakers parallel if each speaker has 8 or more ohms.
How Do You Hook Up To 4 Speakers To Your Stereo Sound?
You can connect 4 pairs of speakers very easily if they have HiFi technology in them. You can do that by using a 4-zone speaker selector switch.
This method is much easier than using the amplifier to connect multiple speakers to the stereo. Though HiFi technology is not available in all speakers. You have to run a wire from the stereo system to each of the speakers.
Do Speakers Sound Louder When Connected Parallely?
Generally parallelly attached speakers’ sound is much louder than that of speakers, who are attached with serial ports. Because when speakers are attached serially, the total speaker impedance (ohm) increases, and the electrical flow (amps) is decreased. That is why serially attached speakers are not that much loud.
How Many Speakers Can Be Connected To An Amplifier?
Usually, amplifiers are designed to take up the load of two speakers. You can still add more speakers to the amplifier. But it will affect the overall performance of the amplifier.
However, it will be hard to tell the difference if you are not a sound engineer. Adding more than one pair of additional speakers will surely create an impact on the performance of the sound system that everyone can understand.
How Do You Connect 4 Speakers To A 2-Channel Receiver?
To connect 4 speakers to a 2-channel receiver, first, you need to connect the negative terminal of the first speaker with the negative terminal of the left channel with a wire.
Then you have to connect the positive terminal of the left channel with the positive terminal of the first speaker with another wire. You will get the desired sound output when the corresponding terminals of the left channel and the first speaker are connected.
What Is Better For Stereo, 8 Ohm Or 4 Ohm Speakers?
If your speaker has 4 ohms, it will consume more power from the amplifier than an 8-ohm speaker would do. So, using an 8-ohm speaker is much safer than using a 4-ohm speaker.
Because using a low ohm speaker increases the risk of blowing up the amplifier because of the extra demand for electricity from the speakers.
How Can You Take The Sound Of Your Stereo To Another Room?
To take the sound of your stereo to a separate room than where the stereo system is, you have to use a longer RCA speaker cable. First of all, you have to connect the RCA speaker cable with the stereo, parallelly with the built-in speakers, using an RCA splitter.
You can move the additional speaker as far as the length of the speaker cable. You have to carefully set up the cable on the wall or the floor. So that it does not get displaced by accidental movements.
Can You Turn Your Stereo Into A Whole-House Sound System?
The whole-house sound system is a concept, which has gained popularity with the advent of the internet and WiFi. In this method, you get all the rooms of your house under a single sound system, by using a HiFi amplifier and WiFi-enabled speakers.
You can also turn your stereo system into a whole-house sound system by using additional speakers and long speaker cables. The number of speakers you can use will depend on the manufacturing model of your stereo system.
However, the system may not work as well as the WiFi-based whole-house sound system if your house is multi-storied and a big one.
How To Get The Audio Output Of Your TV In Your Stereo?
You can also get the output of your TV in the new surrounding sound system by using the proper input port of your sound system. The back of your stereo system has the input port labeled as ‘Video’ or ‘Aux’. Use an RCA cable to connect your TV’s audio output port with the stereo system’s video or aux input port.
Cost To Connect Multiple Speakers To Home Stereo:
Connecting multiple speakers to your home stereo will need a few accessories. The prices of these elements are minimal. The table below shows the approximate costing:
| Item | Price* |
| A Pair Of Speakers | $50 to $100 |
| Wire Strippers | $10 to $20 |
| RCA Splitter (1 Male 2 Female) | $6 to $20 |
| RCA Speaker Cable | $9 to $17 |
| Overall Costing: | $75 to $157 |
* The price may vary from time to time. The exact price of any accessory will depend on its quality also.
Final Words:
Now that you know how to connect multiple speakers to your home stereo, your house can become more delightful with the surrounding magic of music. I wish you will try the methods of this article to make your living room or bedroom a semi-theater.
You may also interested to read : How To Build A Home Theater Riser? [A Complete Build-Up Guide]
