TR Forums

ludi wrote:

The "wiggle the wires" problem, especially at low volume levels, usually means the speaker wire isn't making good contact inside the jack.

I know this is something stupid I can probably google the answer for, but is there any "accepted" or reliable way to configure the speaker wire to make sure I'm making good contact inside the jack? I've always just folded it over, twisted it, and put that in the jack, but it seems like that may not be the best way after all...

If it's the standard spring-clip jack there's not much you can do except wiggle and then hot-glue the speaker wire when you find the sweet spot. Binding posts would be a much better option but not one I expect to find on a sub-$100 amp.

Yah, it's the spring-clip doohickeys. Dang! The old Kenwood has those binding-post thingies, but ...

auxy wrote:

Yah, it's the spring-clip doohickeys. Dang! The old Kenwood has those binding-post thingies, but ...

Well, I just got home; I basically double-looped the speaker wire, and shoved that whole thing into the jack on the PTA4, and that seems to have resolved my problem ... for now. Didn't help with the weird headphone issues, though.

Your location says Texas, if you're anywhere along the gulf coast then humidity may be accelerating corrosion buildup on the copper. One thing that can help is to pick up an antioxidant grease for aluminum wiring (any home improvement store, in the electrical aisle), take a light sandpaper to the wires so they shine a bit, then work a little grease into the strands before twisting and reinserting into the spring jack.

The grease is basically to prevent moisture incursion, while containing sacrificial zinc to interact with the atmosphere before the wire does. It's required for old aluminum wiring, but I've also used it for speaker jacks and switch repairs.

I see! Thanks for the tip, ludi! I do in fact live on the Gulf Coast; within the Beaumont-Port Arthur metroplex. Still, I'm basically a hermit, so my house is always super A/C'd and thus super-dry. ¦3c It seems to be working great now aside from the headphone oddities, which my IRC friends say are more likely just poor engineering in the amplifier.