Speakers and electronics have
corresponding (+) and (–) termi-
nals. Most manufacturers of
speakers and electronics,
including JBL, use red to
denote the (+) terminal and
black for the (–) terminal. It is
important to connect both
speakers identically: (+) on the
speaker to (+) on the amplifier
and (–) on the speaker to (–) on
the amplifier. Wiring “out of
phase” results in thin sound,
weak bass and a poor stereo
image. With the advent of multi-
channel surround sound
systems, connecting all of the
Connection Tips
speakers in your system with
the correct polarity remains
equally important in order to
preserve the proper ambience
and directionality of the
program material.
If two HTI88 subwoofers are
used, the wires for both speak-
ers should be the same length.
If one speaker is placed closer
to the amplifier than the other,
hide the excess wire behind
the wall. If bass response
seems low, there may be a
phase problem, with the sound
waves from the two sub-
woofers canceling each other
out. If bass response seems
low, try inverting the polarity
on one subwoofer – i.e., con-
nect the (+) terminal on the
amplifier to the (–) terminal on
the speaker, and the (–) termi-
nal on the amplifier to the (+)
terminal on the speaker.
SPEAKER CONNECTIONS
4
To use the spring-clip-type ter-
minals on the HTI88 loudspeaker,
press the colored tab and insert
the bare end of the wire into the
hole. Release the tab and gently
tug the wire to ensure that it is
secure.
To use the push-type terminals
on the connections panel sup-
plied with the optional HTI88BB
“back box” enclosure, depress
the colored cap until the pass-
through hole in the binding post
is revealed. While holding the
cap down, insert the bare end of
the wire, or a banana plug, into
the pass-through hole. Release
the cap and tug gently on the
wire to ensure that it is secure.
Since the HTI88 is a passive
loudspeaker, only speaker-level
connections are available.
Depending on whether you are
using a dedicated subwoofer
HTi88s
L 1
L 2
L 3
L 4
BLK
GRN
BLK
ORN
J 1
C 1
C 3
C 2
+
O
U
T
2
–
+
O
U
T
1
–
C 4
J 2
+
IN
2
–
+
IN
1
–
–
+– +
Receiver/Amplifier Speaker Outputs
Connection Method #1, Using One HTI88
(Remove Shorting Straps)
Left
Right
–
+
Front Left Speaker
–
+
Front Right Speaker
Rear of HTI88
Wire Recommended
Length
Size
Up to 20 ft.
16-gauge
Up to 30 ft.
12-gauge
Greater than 30 ft.
10-gauge
YEL/BLK
YEL
WHT/BLK
WHT
ORG/BLK
ORG
GRE/BLK
GRE
INPUT 1
INPUT 2
OUTPUT 1
OUTPUT 2
–
+
– +
– +
– +
–
+– +
Receiver/Amplifier Speaker Outputs
Left
Right
–
+
Front Left Speaker
–
+
Front Right Speaker
Connections Panel
of HTI88 Back Box
Connection Method #1, Using One HTI88
With Back Box (Remove Shorting Straps)
HTI88 OM 4/19/05 4:43 PM Page 4