4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

I felt and knew soldering would be too difficult for this item, I mean it is surrounded by touching plastic and the point to solder would be too difficult for me so I tried to mod the back of the plate by using a screw, a drill, and lots of patience to enlarge the back plate and fit 14 gauge wiring.
You cannot use 14 gauge on the back plate, the holes are too small while you can plug 14 gauge on the fore front... go figure....
It almost worked, I enlarged each holes considerably and up to accept 14 gauge wiring, though one broke on me while inserting the wiring in the hole so KI took the whole and threw it away.

I don't know? Why not not using a clamper instead of asking consumers to solder? I understand it is a cheap item and yet it is extremely expensive for what it is; therefore I hope all users will be satisfied but something tells me it is going to be only a dream!

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

horrible product. do not buy!! hard to install and it falls apart easily.

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

There are two main criticisms people have about this item. The first is that it is difficult to solder. The reason for that is simple: the soldering iron must be held closer to the point of maximum mass (i.e. away from the wire). Anyone experienced in soldering to large connectors should know this. It is not a fault of the item. The second is its ability to grip wires. Small gauge wires do slip out, but unless you are using very short runs, you shouldn't be using such high resistance wire to connect your speakers anyways. Ordinary zip cord is gripped snugly. Finally, although it is not made of super heavy duty plastic, using ordinary care to tighten the screws will not result in cracking.

Overall it is an inexpensive way to get the job done which is perfectly functional.

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

What a piece of junk, but it was all I could find at H D at the time. Should have searched other somewhere else. Tough to solder, fall apart before I got it installed. I put it back together, and within a week it was in pieces again. Should pull it off the market...

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

should've known after working for RadioShack for so many years that this audio connector was a waste of time to even think about installing. I am an electrical engineer by trade, and this was [*]

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

This product can't even do the simple tasks it is meant to. Firstly, soldering speaker wires to the terminals at the back of the plastic case is really difficult as there is very little room to work and the solder doesn't stick. Secondly, the wire release/lock buttons are spring-loaded and the springs will explode out of the assembly if you are not careful, making for a difficult time reassembling the whole device. Thirdly, the grasp on the speaker wires is really tenuous--the wires will get pulled out even with a causal tug. And forthly (maybe because of all these problem) the sound quality was terrible. Makes you wonder whether GE even tried using this product once before marketing it (FYI it is the only speaker wire face plate for sale at [...])--that is why I went to radio shack to pick up some which are better designed and hold banana jacks.

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

I bought this to go behind my rear surround speakers mounted on the wall. The low profile was nice so the plate could be hidden behind the speakers. However, when I went to install them, had two problems, one of them serious:

1. The feed wires need to be soldered on the lugs in back of the plate. It was very difficult to get solder to stick or coat the lugs. They are plated with something other than what I'm used to in all the other soldering I've done in my life. I was able to finally get enough of the lugs tinned to make a connection.

2. The connection on the front of the plate is with spring-loaded clamps, similar to those on the back of AC outlets or switches. However, this system is poorly designed so that the wires are hardly clamped at all; they pull out very easily without even depressing the button. I worry about how such a weak connection will last over time, so now I'm looking for something else.

Comments about RadioShack 4-Terminal In-Wall Stereo Speaker Wall Plate:

I bought this wall plate thinking that there were no differences between it, and say a higher-priced plate, besides the prices. I was wrong. This product does not allow good, clear sound, and is made VERY cheap. I shattered mine by tightening the mounting screw too much. A total waste of money. If you are goint to install a nice surround sound/ home theater system, you should consider a wall plate that accepts "Banana Jacks". The extra money will be WELL worth it.