I installed an A-BUS Audio distribution system in my new house. I have three keypads that I had to wire up including the speaker wiring. The problem is my speaker wire is not marked + or - in any way. With the wires hooked up a the keypads being powered by the main hub, can I determine which side is + and which is - easily before hooking up the speakers?
All multi conductor cables have an identification of some sort that will be used for consistency. Either color, a physical difference such as a stripe or ridge or a thread that is run inside one leg of the cable. Before I can asnwer your question I need to know whether you ran the cables yourself or had someone else do the cabling. How certain are you the cables are wired in correct polarity at each break in the cable? In other words are you certain the same leg of the cable was used as positive from the amplifier to the distribution box to the wall pads, etc.? Who will be hooking up the speakers?
Put a low voltage on the 2 leads (not connected to anything) and use a volt-meter at the other end to see which is which (by looking for positive voltage vs negative voltage)
You can also use a audio test disc such as "Avia Guide to Home Theatre," I know this particular disc has a test tone to determine if the speakers are in phase or out of phase.