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[Phil LaDue]

I am very close to giving up on doing this project completely in house. There are so many different ways to do things(some of which I have never even seen)and everyone has their own opinion. I think I am going to recommend finding a professional audio consultant specializing in theatre. If anyone has any recommendations as to somebody in upstate NY that can help us, please drop me a line.

[Tim Padrick]

I use terminal strips as shown in link one of the first post, but I toss the screws and solder them.  I get them from Mouser, but they may be available cheaper elsewhere.

[Phil LaDue]

If I am using the Phoenix terminal connecting strips,how can I split the outputs to multiple wires?

[Rick Johnston]

Assuming this is a 70/25-volt distributed speaker system ...

If the terminations are housed in the amp rack, use the term block and crimped spade lugs. One side of the strip would be used for the amp output(s) and the other for the field wiring. Use jumpers on the amp side to connect as many field wires as you need.

If the connections are to be made in the field, use standard wire nuts inside electrical junction boxes (with knockout bushings to protect the insulation).

Both methods will allow you to easily troubleshoot the system down the road.

If it's a low-impedance ("direct") speaker system, the preferred method is to "home run" the field wiring directly to the amp(s). No need for butt splices -- cable comes in spools up to 1,000 feet. If you have to run that far, a low impedance speaker system isn't an option.

[Phil LaDue]

This is for distributing signal between the power amps and the cabs in a low-impedance system: the system components are listed here: http://www.freewebs.com/epactech/soundgear.htm

[Rick Johnston]

Hi Phil,

Your original post said "300 watt 2 conductor line". I assumed it was a distributed system.

Help me to understand what you're doing.

The first link you posted shows PVC-jacketed 16/2 cable. 16 is pretty much the standard-gauge starting point for a distributed system.

So-called "pro sound" systems normally don't use cable that's less than 14 gauge for amp-to-speaker connections. It is commonly 12 gauge or larger, and it is almost always home-run without any splices between the amp and loudspeaker.

The last link (your gear) shows four 2-channel amps with each channel rated quite a bit higher than 300 watts, and one mono amp rated at 300 watts.

There should be no need for splices in that signal path.

Regards,
Rick Johnston

(Edited to correct typographical ear-roars)

[Phil LaDue]

Thanks for attempting to help me with the connector problems, I think I might just end up staying with our current method but just installing new cabling